Evening star., 1946-02-11
This and That
By Charles E. TrdceDeu.
CHEVY CHASE, Md.

Dear Sir:
$50 often your readers write In for a
squirrel-proof bird feeding station. I
have one that has operated for years
and nary squirrel has negotiated it,
although they still try.
"A person can 60 to almost any steel
pipe jobber or Junk dealer and get
piece of IL inch black steel pipe about
9 feet long.
Drill hole near the end to anchor
your station on.
ANY sheet metal shop can cut circle
Of metal Is inches in diameter, with a
hole in the center IL inches.
Then cut v in the circle about 6
inches on the outside to Y inch to the
center hole.
Then solder this together and you
will have something that resembles a
lamp shade This shade goes over the
pipe and is anchored about 6 inches
below your feeder, either by bolt and
nut, or by wiring two small pieces of
wood underneath it.
Then attach your feeder and sink 1t
into the ground about feet so you can
fill it without ladder. Be sure to put
it away from houses, trees and fences,
as these varmints will jump over the
apron.
Now to give these nuisances break,
and to have a lot of fun yourself, get a
coconut, and cut hole about 21z inches
in the side. Fill the cavity with sum
flower seed and fasten thin wire in
the stem holes.
Hang about feet below the lowest
limb. and away from the trunk and
buildings, and watch these pests go to
work
"They will try every conceivable way
to get down to the seed, and it is a
circus to watch them.
Yours, C. A. A."
*Ax II
ARLINGTON, Va.
Dear Sir:
Perhaps you can tell me how to
treat walnuts and the like so as to
prevent squirrels from taking them.
"I wish to grow some seeding walnut
and shellbark, but when 1 plant them
in my garden plot, the squirrels quickly
find all good nuts and destroy them.
"I have mixed all sorts of rodent
repellants ESQ recommended by experts)
with good adhesive materials and coated
the nuts with these, to no avail.
81 tried lime, whitewash, sulphur,
lime sulphur, copper dust, cayenne
pepper. iron filings in rubber cement,
etc. Nothing repels squirrels so far. I
have not tried tar, for that kills the
Seeds
"Out of your wide observation and
knowledge of squirrel habits, have you
observed any food or substance squirrels
leave alone?
"You may not wish to publish any,
thing on this subject as being against
encouragement of wildlife, so I am en-
closing a stamped, self-addressed en-
velope for your words of wisdom.
Sincerely yours, S. D."
X * *
Can you imagine what old Charlie @.
Squirrel would say about these letters,
as he adjusted his spectacles and
looked up from his favorite reading in
the evening:
well, now, here's pretty kettle of
| fish, when honest squirrels are not
| allowed to eat!
] What is this country coming to?
when T was young fellow, nobody
| ever said. squirrel shouldn't eat nuts
or seed, either, if he could find 1t.
"All that was necessary, in those days,
| was to have enough initiative to look
around for yourself, and grab whatever
| you could find.
| Nov they put up inverted tunnels to
keep us out of seed, and coat the fine
| walnuts with nasty tasting substances
to prevent us from getting our favorite
| food.
7 guess we squirrels will have to
unite and build a fence around this
first correspondents dining room, and
then coat the seconds food with
| quinine.
How would they like that, eh? What
! squeal they would put up!''