The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1929-04-11
DISTRIBUTION OF
SAGE RAT BAIT

Just what plan to follow in the
distribution of the poison grain
bait largely used now in the coun-
ty to control the sage rat problem,
is a question which the county
agents office has been consider-
ing. Up to the beginning of last
seasons poisoning campai2n. the
only point of Distribution in the
county was ont of the drug stores
at Kennewick. Following the mix
ing of this grain bait last year,
several points in the county were
made distributing centers, the
grain being turned over to these
distributors and the distributors
limited as to his handling charge
since he did not have capital in
vested in his grain, this being TAX
en- from a revolving fund allowed
by the county for this work. This
year, instead of mixing the grain
in the county, it has become the
policy of the Bureau of Biological
Survey to mix all poison in one
central plant and distribute from
this point, rather than mixing i'll
each county where ground squir-
rels of any kind are problem. It
so happens that this year, this
state and Idaho cooperated in the
mixing operations, thus cutting
down the overhead still further.
Previous to shipment of grain from
this central mixing plant, however,
it was necessary for the county
agent to mix 600 pounds of bait
for distribution in the county to
take care of those who wished to
poison early.
Whether the county agents Of
flee is justified in further extend
ing the distribution of grain in
this way has become somewhat Of
a question in his mind and contin-
uation of this will depend some
what at least upon the attitude of
the farmers toward this method of
distribution as indicated by their
purchase of this bait at these
points of distribution. At wheat
growers meeting at Prosser the
latter part of February, this ques-
ton was taken up with some SO
wheat growers present and they
felt that the present method of dis
tribution of bait was the one which
would bring the widest use of bait
and the greatest convenience to
the farmers. We believe however,
that there should be much wider
use of the bait than has been true
in the past and that it is entirely
possible for many of the irrigated
sections to practically eliminate
the sage rat as problem by a lit
tie community action along this
line. We do not believe that the
county agent needs to get into
small communities and demonstrate
the use of the bait at all, but that
several farmers in the community
who are interested in the controi
of the sage rat should be able to
interest their neighbors In this
work to the point that the use
of small amount of bait on the
mart of each of the farmers OF the
Community would practically eliml-
nate the sage rat from the area.
We feel that the present method of
distribution is as economical
method of distribution of the bait
as we can work out, that being the
Selection of dealers in the leading
Communities of the county who
will distribute the grain at low
cost The amount of grain distri-
buted we feel, will be guage as
to whether farmers are really in
terested in the problems of sage
rat control and as to whether this
method of distribution is the better
one.
The only alternate methods of |
distribution that we can see, would
he distribution from the county
agents office at Kennewick which
would mean that farmers would |