FOREST EXTENSION. 23 



During the growing season, when there is an abundance of green 



food, green or ripening barley or wheat heads should 



^For ground squir- be used; later, after the crop is harvested and the 



dry season sets in, whole barley or wheat may be 



used as follows: 



Grain 20 pounds. 



Strychnine (pulverized) 1 ounce. 



Saccharine 1 teaspoonful. 



Water 1 quart. 



Starch 2 ounces. 



Soften the starch in the water, which should be cold, or nearly so, 

 then heat to boiling, stirring the mixture as the starch thickens. Add 

 the strychnine and saccharine, and mix thoroughly. Pour slowly over 

 the grain (mixing continuously) until the heads or kernels are evenly 

 coated. In this case barley is preferable to wheat, as ground squirrels 

 take it quite as freely as they do wheat, and it is less likely to be eaten 

 by birds. The mixture should be scattered along runways and about 

 a teaspoonful placed in the entrance to each hole. 



Gophers may be readily destroyed by means of strychnine applied 

 For gophers * swee ^ potatoes, parsnips, carrots, or soaked corn, 



chopped to the size of small marbles. 



Roots or corn 1 bushel. 



Strychnine (powdered) 1 ounce. 



Starch 2 tablespoon fuls. 



Water 1 quart. 



Prepare this bait in the same manner as for ground squirrels, taking 

 care to see that the poisoned starch is evenly distributed. If corn is 

 used, it should be soaked until soft the process can be hastened by 

 heat then the surface of the kernels allowed to dry before the starcK 

 mixture is applied to avoid excessive moisture. 



By means of an iron rod the burrows of gophers may be located near 

 their mounds. Through the holes thus made about a tablespoonful of 

 the bait should be introduced into each burrow. The holes need not 

 be covered. Gophers are most easily poisoned when the ground is 

 damp. Not only are they less active in the dry season, but dry 

 crumbling soil renders it difficult to place the poison properly in 

 the runs, under which conditions traps should be used. 



For mice and chip- The following preparation has been used with good 

 munks - effect in the destruction of mice and chipmunks : 



Strychnine 1 ounce. 



Saccharine teaspoonful. 



Laundry starch ^ cupful. 



Water 1 quart. 



Barley 20 pounds. 



Dissolve the strychnine and saccharine in the water by boiling; 

 stir in the starch after having softened it in cold water, and continue 

 boiling until the solution thickens; mix thoroughly with the gram 

 until the kernels are all coated. The mixture may be used at once 

 or dried and kept for future use. It should be distributed in cavities 

 among small piles of stones, under roots, or under pieces of bark or 

 flat stones raised an inch or so off the ground in order to keep it out 

 of reach of birds. The baiting places should be numerous and only 

 a small quantity left in each. 



