PROTECTION AGAINST ANIMALS. 123 



forests are surrounded with fields upon which a rich 

 grass-cover exists. They hide during the winter under 

 the grass and direct from thence their feeding expeditions 

 to the neighboring woods. It i^, therefore, advisable to 

 cut late in the fall the grass in and around young plan- 

 tations as short as possible, thereby preventing the mice 

 from making their headquarters near the young trees. 

 But if the damage is done, the girdled trees should be 

 cut early in spring clean above the ground, in order to 

 invite a stump growth. True, girdled trees will also 

 sprout, but as the sap is unable to circulate in the trees, 

 their vitality is weakened to such a degree that they die 

 off during the next season. If the mice increase so much 

 as to become a plague there is no better means in which 

 to fight them than to foster their natural enemies in the 

 animal kingdom, and to often drive hogs and cattle into 

 the endangered groves, thus disturbing them in their 

 feeding-places. In fenced-in forest nurseries mice may 

 be destroyed by putting poisoned grains in drain pipes ; 

 but to do the same in the forests is not advisable for the 

 reason that useful animals would be killed when feeding 

 upon the poisoned mice. 



The squirrel, rabbit, rellrnouse and some species of the 

 dormouse are just as injurious as the mice ; the first one 

 besides gnawing the trees, consumes the eggs and young 

 of small birds. Squirrels and rabbits should, therefore, 

 be shot or trapped. The other named foes cannot be de- 

 stroyed except by promoting the multiplication of their J \J 

 natural persecutors, as is recommended in regard to 

 mice. 



Game, especially deer, when too numerous, will do 

 much harm to young plantations by feeding upon small 

 seedlings, and rubbing their horns or branches against 

 the taller ones. Ashes and spruces, grown up to the 

 size of hop-poles are sought out by deer, and their bark 

 is peeled off the stem as far up as the animals can reach. 



