BUP.EAU OF BIOLOGICAL SURVEY. 281 



well illustrated at Hearne, Tex., where the quarantine against the 

 pink cotton boll worm prevented the growing of cotton. The State 

 agricultural college planned to foster the planting of peanuts as an 

 important food and feed crop, but this was found to be impracti- 

 cable on account of the abundance of pocket gophers. At the request 

 of the agricultural college, an experienced representative of the Bio- 

 logical Survey was detailed to assist in organizing a community cam- 

 paign against these animals. Farmers and business men joined 

 heartily in the work, with the result that every pocket gopher in 

 the area treated was reported killed, and an excellent crop of peanuts 

 was planted and harvested. 



MOUNTAIN BEAVERS AND WOODCHUCKS. 



The investigations were continued into the habits of the mountain 

 beaver, or sewellel, a curious rodent living in the humid region of 

 the Northwest coast. With the development of agriculture in its 

 region this animal, which was formerly considered harmless, has be- 

 come increasingly injurious to croj3S, particularly to small fruits and 

 to market produce. Methods for its control have been devised, and 

 demonstrations were made by a representative of the bureau in vari- 

 ous localities in Washington and Oregon where there was need for 

 the adoption of active measures. 



Woodchucks have continued to be a source of annoyance and 

 loss to gardeners and truck growers throughout the northern and 

 northwestern sections of the country. In many parts of the North- 

 west the planting of alfalfa and clover and of other succulent crops 

 has attracted the attention of woodchucks, which have concentrated 

 about these new sources of food supply, with attendant losses to 

 the farmer. In some of the Northwestern States where the wood- 

 chucks live in the rocks adjacent to cultivated fields, strips of alfalfa 

 and clover several hundred feet wide along the borders are often 

 completely destroyed. It was found that the methods of destroy- 

 ing these animals used successfully in places where they live in 

 burrows in the open country were not effective in this region. Suc- 

 cessful methods were here developed, hoAvever, and as many as 55' 

 woodchucks have been killed in a single field demonstration. 



NATIVE MICE, WOOD RATS, AND COTTON RATS. 



Widespread damage to orchards by the depredations of native 

 mice continue to be reported, the most conspicuous occurring in the 

 States of Virginia and Washington. In Winchester County, Va., 

 the loss is reported of more than $200,000 by pine mice, which gnaw 

 the bark from the roots of orchard trees. Demonstrations have 

 been given for the control of these pests. 



In Florida surprisingly successful experimental plantings of 

 sugar cane on a considerable scale have been made within the last 

 two years, but during the year reports have been received of ex- 

 tensive damage to the cane by rodents which destroy the seed cane 

 and cut the groAving stalks. So serious has been this damage 

 that the principal company interested in the development of the 

 sugar-cane industry in that State has Avritten the bureau that unless 

 some method can be found for successfully controlling the cane- 

 destroying rodents the development of the industry there Avill be 



151352°— 19 19 



