MICE AND SHREWS MOLES GOPHERS WOODCHUCKS. 369 



CHAPTER XVI. 

 THE ENEMIES OF GRASSES AND CLOVERS. 



Mice and Shrews. These small animals often damage mead- 

 ows by eating some of the stems and larger roots of grasses and 

 clovers, especially the thickened portions stored with starch near 

 the surface of the ground. They could be trapped if too trouble- 

 some, or caught by cats and dogs, but it has been shown that 

 they are not an unmixed evil, as they build nests of old stems 

 and leaves, which, when deserted, are the favorite abodes of 

 bumble bees ; and these should be encouraged, because they help 

 fertilize the flowers of red. clover, and thus increase the yield 

 of seeds, which are very valuable. 



Moles. In permanent pastures or meadows where the land is 

 dry and sandy, moles sometimes become very troublesome, rais- 

 ing large numbers of unsightly mounds, which are a great an- 

 noyance to the mowers. Xo doubt the moles eat some worms, 

 large numbers of white grubs and qthe*r insects, some of which 

 feed on the roots of grasses and clovers, but we know from ex- 

 periments that moles will eat vegetation in considerable quan- 

 tities. We should rather run the risk of dispensing with the 

 services of the moles, but the writer is sorry to say that he 

 thinks this kind of game is not often easily caught. Where 

 fields are plowed, and a rotation of crops is followed, moles are 

 seldom troublesome. 



Pocket Gophers. With these diggers the writer has had no 

 experience, but from all accounts, they will often do a good deal 

 of damage. Their burrows are a great nuisance, to say nothing 

 of the grass and clover which they devour or tread under foot. 



Woodchucks. These large rodents are often very trouble- 

 some to the farmer who owns dry, sandy, or gravelly land. They 

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