THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



369 



With the hearty support we lia\.> received from the supervisors, the Farm Adviser, 

 the Farm Bureau, and the Bureau of Biological Survey, we feel that great good can 

 be accomplished this fall. 



The labor problem looks bad at the present time, for the most efficient results in 

 the campaign, but we are making plans to overcome that obstacle. 



THE SQUIRREL ERADICATION CAMPAIGN IN SAN LUIS OBISPO 



COUNTY. 



By S. V. Christierson, County Horticultural Commissioner, San Luis Obispo. Cal. 



Early this spring it was learned that a squirrel eradication campaign had been 

 carried on successfully by the County Agent and a representative of the United 

 States Biological Survey, in several of the counties in Oregon. When any one 

 mentions squirrels in San Luis Obispo County, in connection with eradication, the 

 other fellow generally takes notice, as squirrels are by far our most destructive pest, 

 not only to our horticultural interests, injuring severely our new fruit trees each 

 year, but to grain and feed. By conservative ranchers the loss of these two products 

 for the year of 1917 has already been estimated at $300,000, which is none too high. 

 Last year $10,000 was expended by the County Board of Supervisors for bounties. 

 At 5 cents apiece, this paid for the destruction of 320,000 squirrels, and estimating, 

 as the Biological Survey does, that 20 squirrels will eat as much as one cow, the 

 county paid for the feeding of 16,000 head of cattle. So when a few more details 

 • > r i what had been done in Oregon were received. I immediately proceeded • to 

 investigate how the same results might be accomplished in San Luis Obispo County. 



Al this time it was learned that in all probability the county horticultural com- 

 missioners of California would shortly be expected to superintend the eradication of 

 ground squirrels and other rodents, as the legislature had recently passed a new 

 section of the County Commissioners Act, adding this feature to one of his numerous 

 duties. This gave new impetus to the work, especially as at the time the campaign 

 was being organized Governor Stephens signed the above-mentioned bill, making it 

 a law. 



Following some correspondence, the Chief of the United States Biological Survey 

 at Washington, D. C, promised to detail an assistant from the bureau to help me 

 in this work. Accordingly, Mr. W. C. Jacobsen, Biological Assistant, United States 

 Department of Agriculture, came to San Luis Obispo in May, and a thorough 

 educational squirrel campaign was organized along the following lines: 



Fig. 120. Lecturing before a local farmers organ- 

 ization on the eradication of the California ground 

 squirrel. (Original.) 



