The Canadian Horticulturist. 55 



GUARD AGAINST MICE. ' 



HERE snows cover the ground for a large part of the winter, and 

 often for a considerable depth, mice are well protected from obser- 

 vation by their natural enemies and are enabled to carry on their 

 work of injury without molestation and without exciting suspicion. 

 As they burrow their way from one place to another, or from one 

 tree to another, either along the surface of the ground between 

 the soil and snow, or through the snow itself, it is an efficient 

 and inexpensive preventive of injury to trample the snow until it is quite firm 

 and compact about the plants. This is very quickly done and leaves the snow 

 in a condition which mice find it impossible or inconvenient to work through. 

 The greatest danger is to be feared in the vicinity of fences or hedges, where 

 snows drift and He deepest. In such places the destruction of the bark some- 

 times extends from the ground to the lower branches of young apple and 

 other trees, especially as mice are liable to be most abundant about the 

 boundaries of an orchard, as such boundaries are usually in such a condition as 

 to be really a refuge for vermin. Where snows are not deep or permanent in 

 winter, it is often necessary to furnish the trunks of small trees with some kind 

 of protection. They are particularly liable to injury if growing in the vicinity of 

 grass or herbage. 



For such protection any material may be used which is unpalatable or im- 

 pregnable to mice, and is not too expensive. I^ths and pieces of boards and 

 staves are effective if loosely bound around the trunks by string or wire, the lower 

 ends resting upon or slightly inserted in the ground. These are sometimes left 

 on all the year, but in other cases are removed in the spring and replaced in 

 autumn Tarred paper is also used, but, unless very thick, it is liable to become 

 broken down and insufficient. What is known as asbestos- paper has been found 

 useful. This or the heavy tarred paper should be cut into strips which will 

 reach a foot or more up the trunk of a tree, and wide enough so as to go around 

 the stem and overlap at least an inch ; and also leave half an inch loose space 

 between the bark and paper, which should not be bound tightly around the stems. 

 The lower ends of the paper may rest on the ground, and the sheath can be held 

 in place by a couple of strings. If there is plenty of room for growth allowed, 

 the paper need not be removed, and it will still last for several years. Painting 

 the trunks with tar has been advised, but it is doubtful whether this would not 

 injure young trees, and, although painting with other substances may answer the 

 purpose, they are not so reliable as is an actual barrier. — Garden and Forest. 



Naturalists assert that a healthy swallow will devour 6,000 flies every 

 day. 



