Weekly journal-miner., 1922-10-04
MAR IN D0GS HELPS RANCH
 MEN CLEAN UP
U. s. Biological Survey Com mended for Efforts to Elimi- nate Prairie Pests; Some Idea of Work Shown in Letter.

The season just closed has been a very successful one for the biological survey. Several large areas have been cleaned of prairie dogs and hun dreds of ranchers have been helped 10 clean their places where the dogs were eating cultivated crops and taking alfalfa fields.
 The most important pieces of work accomplished were on the lands of the Aubrey Investment company, the Arizona Livestock company, both southwest of Seligman; M,, A. Perk- ins of Perkinsville; J. T. Cooper Of Prescott, and the Prescott Farms in Little Chino valley. The owners of these places co-operated with the biological survey to the fullest extent which made it possible to make a clean job Of the whole thing.
 The following letter from Mir Perkins shows what can be done through cooperation with the bio logical survey.
 Perkinsville, Ariz. To Whom Ii May Concern:
 Ii has been called to my attention that many of the stockmen of Yava- pal county do not think that the prairie dogs can be completely ex- terminated from our ranges. In this regard 1 have the following to gay:
 There has been an old-established prairie dog town near our headquar- ters at Perkinsville for many years It consisted of about 500 acres with at least 50 dogs to the acre. These pests were so numerous that they were destroying at least 50 per cent of the grass and made the working of cattle in our rodeo lot practically impossible. A few weeks ago MT L. L. Laythe, representative of the bureau of biological survey of the United States department of agricul- ture and the University of Arizona visited our ranch and supervised the preparing and placing of poisoned grain on this area with the result that the prairie dogs have been complete ly eXterminated. We have examined the area carefully and we are positive that there is not a live dog remain ing.
 I believe that the work was sue cessful for the reason that two days previous to the placing of the poison grain Mir. Laythe placed teaspoon full of imprisoned prebait at each hole and by so doing the prairie dogs got accustomed to eating grain and when the poisoned grain was placed two days later it fooled them. It with this method but 1t certainly pays to get all of them and be done with the job forever.
 These methods have been carefully worked out by the biological survey after nine years of experience right here i'll Yavapai county and 1 think that 1t is about time for the stockmen of the county to wake up to the fact that they can double the amount of grass on their ranges by killing the prairie dogs. Do not expect the gov ernment men to do all this work for you. Take real interest i'll the work and have them teach you the meth ods so you can handle the work your self. With the limited funds available it is only possible for the government to employ three or four men for this purpose and these men are to dem onstrate the methods to farmers and stockmen all over Arizona. Consider ing that we have around 6,000000 acres i'll Arizona infested with prairie dogs, it seems to me that these men have a real job on their hands and I think it is high time for the stock men to take a real interest in this matter and clear their lands of the pest. Very truly yours,
 M. A. PERKINS.