THE POCKET GOPHER 113 



loosened by cultivation, so that the living conditions of the animal 

 were improved rather than harmed. As a result, in many places 

 where strict and cooperative methods of control have not been in 

 vogue, the animals have increased in numbers and extended their 

 range. 



Among the cultivated plants most attacked by these pests are 

 clover, alfalfa, timothy, potatoes, and garden vegetables, in addi- 

 tion to fruit and other trees; while of the uncultivated plants the 

 roots of wild sunflower, spike-flower, rosin-weed, and other weeds 

 form the main items. 



FIG. 30. A section of the Apricot tree shown in the preceding view. The injury 

 was under ground. (From U. S. Department of Agriculture.) 



Besides this, gophers do much harm in other ways; they cover 

 hay lands with earth, thereby preventing close mowing; the 

 burrows allow the entrance of surface water, and on hilly ground 

 these form the beginnings of gullies; and burrows in dams often 

 cause serious breaks. In fields of small grain and corn in the 

 sho-ck, they sometimes do a good deal of damage by throwing up 

 mounds of earth under the shocks, thereby burying considerable 

 grain. 



One reason that may be advanced for the extreme destructiveness 

 of pocket gophers is the fact that since they work beneath the sur- 

 face their ravages may remain unseen for some time and con- 

 siderable damage be done before suitable control measures are 

 thought to be necessary. 



8 



