No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 479 



"Eeplying to your recent letter, I note with interest that you injured 

 the bark on your trees with axle grease applied last winter to keep 

 away mice and rabbits. I have had this experience at other times, 

 and this is why I have not recommended it. You do not state 

 whether your trees are apple or peach, but I can say that you would 

 have no difficulty nor bad results in painting your apple, pear and 

 quince trees with pure white lead and raw linseed oil. It will keep 

 the mice and rabbits away, and will also keep out borers, and will 

 not injure the trees. I have used it on my peach trees without injur- 

 ing them, but for some reasons can not feel sure in recommending it 

 to others for peach and plum. 



"Spraying or washing with the boiled lime-sulfur wash, home- 

 made or commercial, will effectively protect your peach trees. Tramp- 

 ing straw down around the trees will protect them from mice, and 

 cutting off branches from old trees, which may need to be pruned 

 away anyhow, and dropping these on the snow in such a way that 

 the snow will not entirely cover them, will often bait or feed the 

 rabbits in such a way Ihat they will not attack the trunks of the 

 trees. 



''Babbits generally do not gnaw trees until the snow has been 

 on the ground for some time. This will give you an opportunity 

 to hunt them and desti'oy them. I certainly recommend killing rab- 

 bits as pests at any time of year they are to be found injuring an 

 orchard. I understand that it is not against the Game Law if they 

 are killed because they are injurious to the trees." 



THE PROPOSED STATE GUN LICENSE LAW 



The Game Commission and others have proposed that Legislation 

 be enacted providing for the licensing of guns to be used for the 

 purpose of hunting in this State. In general, it provides that a 

 license fee of one dollar be paid by any person hunting in Pennsyl- 

 vania, excepting on his own premises. This law would result in 

 preventing hunting by many careless and irresponsible persons, and 

 especially would make it possible for landowner to ascertain the 

 name of the hunter immediately upon demanding to be shown his 

 license, which according to the provisions of the law he is to carry 

 with him when hunting. It would thus give protection to the farmer, 

 such as he does not now have. At the present time it is impossible 

 for us to protect our premises, livestock or families from the unknown 

 gunners, who are often as fully bound upon errands of destructive 

 trespass and petty thievery as upon the mission of hunting. We 

 have no way of learning the names and addresses of such persons, 

 and there is no method by which we can arrest them on the spot. 

 To be obliged to go to town to swear out a warrant for their arrest, 

 means to give them time to escape into the next township or county, 

 or to other regions unknown, before we can return. 



The Gun License Law would also provide funds for the payment 

 of wardens and bounty, and would certainly result in giving the 

 farmers better protection and increase game, which are desirable. 

 We, therefore, recommend the co-operation of this Board with the 

 Game Commission and others in securing the passage of such le^s- 

 lation. 



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