The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-03-23
false. ECONOMY IN J
THREATENED A M: GUT !?
FEAR THAT APPROPRIATION FOR
BIOLOGICAL SURVEY WILL
H. 4 y, RE REDUCED AGAIN.. l.,
AT SAVES CROPS FROM PESTS
story of the Mice That Were destroy
] inc Nsvada's, Alfalfa Fields Some
! Years Ago Shows How This Nal
liable Bureau Works. :,
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

! .5s :. BY EDWARD 3. CLARK ! :
! When one goes to tthe
Agricultural department. he fnCs out
that a considerable part Of the inter-
lest of the farmers of the count ry is
directed to the working Of the bpolog-
|ical survey. 1t is the duty Of til IS bu-
lreau to make war on the pests which
ATTACK the crops and to do what 1t can
to save tho beneficial animals and
birds. nc H. T., >~.5f.
I! Two or three years ago when the
appropriation of the biological survey
was cut, the predatory animals in the
West increased in large numbers, and
there was corresponding increase In
the loss of cattle who fell victims OF
wolves and mountain lions. Instant
,ly the stock-growing interests ap-
.pealed to congress and it is said that
more money was forthcoming to en-.
able the department to continue Its
saving work.
This year It is feared that the ap-
ipropriation for the biological survey
may be cut again in the so-called H.
iterest of economy. It is a debatable
question whether economy can De
served by cutting the appropriation
by $4,000 when the cutting will mean
"a loss to the agricultural interests OF
many times that sum. 1885,,
There is the story Of how the
biological survey works: Sixteen
years ago q plague Of mice appeared
in the alfalfa fields in Nevada. The
biological survey sent man out to
the afflicted region to see what could
be done to check the pests. He found
that there were 1900 mice to the
acre, that damage to the amount OF
$4,000 already had been done, and
that il the rest Of the crop was to be
saved he must get into action ut
y once. ..,. -,
How Nevada Mice Were Eradieated.
The biological expert found that
the birds Of prey had been attracted
IN large numbers and were doing what
they could to destroy the ravagers or
the field, but the mice being In mil
lions and the birds being in hundreds,
it, was an unequal contest, though
ithe hawks and the owls, and strangely
enough some sea gulls which had come
overland to the work, were doing all
that they could and as fast as they
could. It was discovered also by the
man on the ground that birds Of other
kinds, while they would not eat mice.
would and did eat all kinds Of injurious
insects, occasionally varying their diet
with weed seeds and some little grain.
The first thought was TO kill the
mice with poison grain, but as this
also would have killed the efficient
birds the biological surveys agent
made up his mind to try something
ELSE. 49,. "... =
/ Finally he hit upon the thought of
trying chopped alfalfa soaked In a
Ipalatable but poisonous solution. This
Ihe scattered through the fields and
lust what lie expected happened. The
mice preferred the chopped and dead
nv mixture to the standing crop and
lin less than "a hours the work Of
obstruction was Mt its height. There
were 1900 mice to the mere and
the governments expert succeeded in
killing s. per cent Of them. and sue
,ceeded also in covering all the way
from 80 to 100 acres day, the latter
figure being the high acre mark.
4 Success Brought Extra Money.
Admittedly 1t seems almost incredi.
bile, but In one day 100000 mice were
killed and on the other days the num-.
lbers slain rarely fell below 100000.
THE men whose crops were saved wrote
ito Washington and told what the
biological survey had done for them.
and Of the marvellous work Of the one
government agent who had been sent
into the field. J.. g. go -
The survey had asked for small in
crease in its appropriation in order
that it might carry on additional field
work wherever 1t was needed. The
agricultural committee, which in the
past has been anything but friendly
to the biological survey, in the main
because It knew nothing Of the sur.
yey's work, hear d the mouse story.
saw the proof and voted the extra
money. 49,. a., ..s.. I. %zt
IS The biological survey in recent years
has been charged with the work of en-,
torcing the terms Of the treaty with
Canada by which migratory song and
game S,ydsfnre protected. AS a re-
suit Of it's work the tlocks Of wild
ducks and geese have increased In
numbers and yet there is plenty Of
sport for the sportsmen. At, first
there was a great outcry against the
prohibition OF spring shooting, but
now virtually everybody is commend
ing TINT provision Of the law. Our
fowl generally are nesting farther
south than they did when spring shoot
ing, WAS allowed and now in many
places. in, the fall home,reared ducks
offer themselves to the 3sportsmen. y
f Now It seems to be a case of shoot.
ing our game and still having 1t.
5aifour and "RebeIs" Statue.
q Just before Arthur Balfour, chief OF
the British delegation to the interna.
tional conference on the limitation Of
armament, left Washington, he was
standing in front Of the British en-
bassy with the ambassador Of his