368 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



SQUIRREL CONTROL METHODS IN KERN COUNTY. 



By Kent S. Knowlton, County Horticultural Commissioner, Bakersfield, California. 



The ravages of the squirrels had to be checked. The new law came almost as a 

 godsend. As soon as we knew that Senate Bill No. 458 had been signed by the 

 Governor, we began work. 



Our office made a thorough canvas of the county to find the extent of the infesta- 

 tion and found practically no squirrels on the Mojave Desert, a minimum number 

 in the higher mountains, and a very heavy infestation in the foothills and valley. 

 In checking up on our survey we were able to report to the supervisors that 

 through the Bureau of Biological Survey, the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture was handling the squirrel problem in the forest reserves. The valley and 

 desert section contain about 104 townships for us to handle. The supervisors gave 

 ns their fullest support and asked us to give them an outline of our plans and an 

 estimate of probable cost. We reported back asking for five more Ford cars, six 

 additional inspectors, $6,000 and the privilege of using the balance of our annual 

 budget, if necessary, which will amount to about $3,000. In addition to the new 

 inspectors provided, we plan to use two or three of our regular inspectors. 



Our plan includes a double card index system, one set of cards for alphabetical 

 ownership, using a 240 subdivision index, with 100 additional metal tags. The cards 

 for this index contain on the top, the owner's name and address, also the name and 

 address of the man in charge. The balance of the card is ruled on both sides for 

 legal description and acreage of each separate ownership, no one ownership to include 

 more than one section. Twenty to thirty ownerships can be written on one card. 

 The other set will be for location index. The main guides will have the township 

 and range in the upper left-hand corner. Each township will contain thirty-six 

 section guides, numbered from one to thirty-six. These guides are ruled to contain 

 owner's name with the description of each ownership in the section. Back of these 

 section guides will be a separate card for each ownership in the section. These 

 cards will be used by the field inspectors and contain, on one side, first, the township, 

 range, section, owner's name and address, and the name and address of agent or 

 person in charge, in case the notice is served on one of them. It will also contain 

 the date of service of the notice, with description of real estate, as well as the date 

 of inspection, date of expiration of notice, and amount of infestation (light, medium 

 or heavy), estimated cost per acre of eradication, and the inspector's signature. 



The other side of the card will be printed to show that it is from the office of the 

 Kern County Horticultural Commissioner and is the memoranda of actual cost of 

 material furnished and labor performed on the land as described on the reverse 

 side of the card. This takes a small space at the top of the card and the balance is 

 printed to show the date, items, amount, date paid, and date charged. All of these 

 cards are 4 by 6 inches in size. 



Our abatement notice will be about the same as those generally used . in the 

 weed work. 



We have divided the infested portion of the county into districts, no one district 

 containing more than twenty townships. We do not feel that these are too large for 

 the inspectors, and they are necessarily large, as there are companies having very 

 extensive holdings in each district. In most of the districts the inspection work 

 can be done with a Ford, but in two or three districts we have made arrangements 

 for the inspector to have a saddle horse. 



All inspectors are instructed to watch closely any parties doing poisoning by con- 

 tract or day work, especially for nonresident owners, and report upon the results of 

 such work. Our aim is to kill as many squirrels as possible and at the same time 

 keep the expenses at the minimum. 



We have discussed the matter with some of the large land holding companies and 

 they have agreed to start poisoning on the outside of their holdings and work towards 

 the center, in this way protecting the small adjacent holder from having his land 

 reinfested after he once has it cleaned. 



We are assisted very materially by the Farm Adviser and the Farm Bureau. 

 The Farm Adviser has taken up the matter of squirrel control in all sections of the 

 county. He has also established depots in each Farm Bureau district where poison 

 can be purchased at actual cost. The directors of the County Farm Bureau, at 

 their last regular meeting, authorized the Farm Adviser to purchase twenty-five tons 

 of poisoned barley, and to make necessary arrangements to handle any other material 

 required in the work. 



