Evening star., 1948-09-29
This and That
By Charles E. Tr1cefUeH
ARLINGTON, VA.

ARLINGTON VA
Dear Sir:
After a try-out for several weeks. we believe
we may have found solution for the squirrel
problem at bird feeding stations.
Our feeder is a shelf extending out from q
dining room window 1t Is well located to at
tract birdlife. overlooking q strip OF lawn with
belt of woods just beyond. But squirrels and
chipmunks found the food, too, and kept COM
ing in larger numbers. They ate so many seeds
that the expense of feeding was becoming
burden. Worst of ALL they started to drive the
birds away.
AN invention by my housekeeper seems to be
the answer. We took a piece of coarse wire
Quarter inch meshl a little smaller than the
feeding shelf and nailed it to the top of
rough frame Of narrow wooden strips the proper
size. This keeps the wire about quarter Of an
inch from the feeding shelf
One end Of the frame is nailed to the shelf
to keep 1t in place. the rest is left loose 50 that
it can be lifted up and the shelf cleaned of.
The birds seem to like to perch on the wires
and peck at the seeds below
The squirrels come once in a while and look
sadly at the seeds below or pick up few husks
the birds have scattered outside the frame. The
chipmunkS hardly come around at all.
But when the shelf had to be taken down
for few days on account Of some work in the
yard outside. back came the crowd OF rodents
again. as hungry as ever! So am sure it is
the wires that keep them away.
Your very truly M. H. j."
This correspondent must have a bunch of
defeatist squirrels
Out our way, they are made of sterner stuff.
1t would take more than wire mesh to keep
them away from something to eat.
Within Is minutes. or half an hour at the
most, they would find way to get the seed.
No two of them would do it the same way,
but they would all reach food, sure enough.
One would simply raise the mesh, and reach
under. Another would tip the whole thing over.
if possible, and scatter all the seed on the
ground A third would make flying leap and
dash out certain amount at each leap. Still
another would seize what the birds took.
There is no way Of stopping our squirrels.
We are rather proud Of them. and they are as
hungry as any other creature. This must
always be kept in mind. Even though these
popular rodents at times become nuisances and
do increase food bills they have to eat just
the same rs the rest of us.
This correspondent perhaps would be sur
prised at the number of letters We get asking
how people can secure squirrels.
AS for chipmunks many Washingtonians
would give all their birds for pair of these
lively rascals.
One way of getting chipmunks is to build
a dry wall. Such construction also is favored
by rats. but the chance must be taken.
A pair Of chipmunks outweigh many rats.
Squirrels are easy to attract, as this and
many other correspondents nave discovered!
All you have to do is to put out sunnower
seed. The more expensive the seed, the better
the bushy tailed ones like it, showing that
they, too, have good taste. Who knows, maybe
squirrels are Communists, for Russians love
sunf1ower seeds, eating them like candy?
Try sunilower seed, sometime, If you want
to see what squirrels and Russians like. The
taste, once inside, is sweet, with nice nutlike
flavor naturally enough.
This column always has believed that 1t Is
more trouble to get rid of squirrels at bird
feeding station han to let them alone
After all. when one runs free lunch stand,
one must expect to take what comes. There
are times, of course, when one does not feel
this way. and then efforts to keep the squirrels
out are in order. Our correspondents method
sounds good, and is humane. We hope he viii
make a place apart for the squirrels and chip
munks, and put In some sunfiower seed, now
and then, with q few peanuts, and maybe
some bread.
Our gray squirrels bury few seeds. but
not many, because they are too hungry. Chip
munks store away several quarts OF food each
winter. perhaps as many as four TO six.