The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1921-10-07
Sometimes Hard to Tell Which
Are Useful and Which
Are NuiSances.
MILLIONS FROM THEIR FURS
How Those Which Must BE Exter-
minated May Be Trapped, Is Told
In Bulletin Of Biological Sur.
vey-Rats and Mice Worst.

Wnshington.-Practic every farm
Is oveirun at times by pests of one
kind or another. Farmers, therefore,
find 1t necessary to kill such pests In
order TO prevent them from injuring
their property or crops. Some he tie
stroys by poison; others he eliminates
by employing traps.
"A knowledge of the traits and
habits OF the animals" says Ned Dear
born in a bulletin of the bureau OF
biological survey. "and of proved
methods of capturing them Is impor-
tant il the farmer Is TO combat them
successfully. Besides such out-and-out
pests as rats, mice and pocket
gophers. some other animals are oc-
casionally harmless. but, having valu-
able skins and being classed us fur
bearers, are given special considera-
ton
The lively demand for all kinds of
fur puts into the pockets Of American
trappers millions OF dollars a year,
which, until the harvest, has not cost
them single effort. Moreover, sew
eral OF the furry tenants Of the farmer
not only are not pests but are useful
while alive. Foxes, for example, ue-
strdy many rabbits and mice, both OF
which. when abundant, are very de-
structiye to fruit trees and crops.
Skunks are exceedingly beneficial, for
they feed almost entirely on mice,
grasshcppers, crickets, white grubs
and other farm pests. 1t Is only In
exceptional cases that either foxes or
skunks attack poultry; il is far better
10 keen poultry in suitable Enclosures
or to kill the individual animal which
Is doing damage than to adopt policy
OF general persecution toward the
tribes to which the few offenders be-
long.
Excellent Mousers.
"The food habits OF other fur bear
ers are usually Of less Importance.
Weasels are excellent mousers; minks
feed on frogs, fish. mice and other small
animals. while raccoons and opos-
sums eat, I'm addition to a wide vari-
ety Of harmful small animals. many
kinds OF vegetable food Of little or no
direct value to man. Muskrats and
beavers live on wild products or
marshes and woodlands. and only In
rare instances are their burrows or
houses objectionable.
in short. speaking generally, fur
Animals transform uncultivated and
useless materials into valuable peltries.
without expense or attention on our
part. They are doing this through
but the country. When the corn Is In
the crib, and the landscape has been
Drowned by frost, farm lads take down
their traps with happy expectation and
set out to gather unearned incre-
ments OF fur.
"The most destructive group of pests
on the farm includes the small gnaw-
ing animals known as rodents. Among
them are house rats and mice which
have been brought to this country from
the Old World, and several kinds Of
native rats, meadow mice, pine mice.
white-footed mice and pocket mice.
Ground squirrels of several kinds are
found throughout the western states
and In many localities are very de-
structIve to forage and grain. Prairie
dogs Of the plains region, related to
ground squirrels, also destroy great
deal OF forage in the vicinity of their
towns Here and there woodchucks.
or groundllngs. also related TO ground
squirrels. are destructive to field and
garden crops. In mountainous and
tImbcrcd regions porcupines are more
or less destructive to orchard and