Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-01-08

VTASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 7.-Out in Arizona
w organized forces of the United States gov
eminent are killing about fifteen thousand
prairie dogs day
This campaign is justified by the fact that the
prairie dog is in effect a pro-German rodent. He
consumes enough grain every year to keep large
military force in the field and reduces our ever
dwndling supply of beef by cutting up the range
with his burrows and eating the native forage.
Experts estimate that range which has been in
tested by prairie dogs will, after they have been
killed. support fifty per cent more live stock. In
addition to this damage to range, the prairie dog
in sections destroys great quantities of grow
ing crops.
And the prairie dog is only of a large fam
lily of rodents who living at the, expense of
American farmers and stock raisers 1t is estimated
that the native rodents in the United States, which
do include the rats and mice that infeSt houses
and barns, cause damage to the amount of $780,
100000 every year. Against all of these pests the
biological survey of the department of agriculture
is wagng war and just now special attention is
being given the prairie dog. Sixteen field parties
at work upon prairie dog eradication under the
direction from Washington of DR.. A. K. Fisher and
DR.. W. B. Bell. Their field OF operations comprises
parts of Texas. New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma,
Colorado, Wyoming North and South Dakota. Mon
tana, Nebraska and Kansas.
These parties are doing their work of extermina-
ton chiefly national forests and it is intended
only rid the forest ranges of these pests but
also to demonstrate to ranchmen and farmers on
adjacent lands how prairie dogs may be most
cbeapy and rapidly destroyed. In addition to the
work on national forests, demonstrations of prairie
dog killing being given in various other sections
of the west.
Owing to the immense areas to be covered, the
"dog killers they called in the west, operate
on horseback. They scatter about the burrows in
the prairie dog towns oats and other grain which
has been treated with a special preparation of
strychninie few days later inspection of the
grounds will be made. It generally shows few
dead animals about the mouths of the burrows,
while scarcely live is to be found Most of
them are dead in the bottoms of the burrows. The
method has proved sweepingly effective.
Stimulated by the demonstrations, farmers are
rapidly taking up the work in organized way,
and the doom of the prairie dog in many sections
is already sealed The economy of killing them is
shown by report made to the biological survey by
the manager of large incorporated farm IN Ari-
This stated that during the past spring
the prairie dogs had destroyed over two thousand
dollars worth of his growing crops. Fields of
beans and destroyed once. replanted, and
the sprouting grain all eaten by the prairie dogs
the prairie dogs on his farm by the biological
vey method.
Next to the prairie dog, the jack rabbit is one
of the most destructive rodents in the west. Fol-
lowing the destruction of the coyote and other ami
mails that prey upon them, the jack rabbits have
become almost incredibly abundant They enter
grain fields literally in droves and eat the growing
crop off close to the ground. In winter stacks OF
hay are often entirely undermined by the rabbits
nibbling around their bases Nevada, Utah, Cali