182 SEEDING AND PLANTING 



strewn over the top. The weight of the rabbit causes the lid to 

 turn on the rod, precipitating it into the barrel. After the barrel 

 is set it is covered with brush, thus forming an attractive place 

 for rabbits to congregate. 



In fencing against rabbits a wire netting 4 feet wide with 1-inch 

 mesh should be used. The netting should be supported on stakes 

 at intervals of 18 feet. The fence is more effective in turning 

 rabbits when constructed to slope away from the field, thus pre- 

 venting them from climbing over, and when sunken into the 

 ground for a depth of 4 inches to prevent them from burrowing 

 under. If a heavy No. 5 wire is strung to the stakes at suitable 

 height and the netting fastened to the wire, it forms a more sub- 

 stantial fence than when the netting is fastened directly to the 

 stakes. 



The damage by rabbits is usually confined to girdling or strip- 

 ping the bark from small trees; sometimes, however, even the 

 foliage is eaten. Peavy, 1 in a report on a plantation of knobcone 

 pine and Coulter pine in Southern California, states: 



" Of 4000 plants set in the early spring of 1906, all were destroyed 

 by rabbits within a period of ten days. The greater number were 

 eaten so completely that one had to dig below the surface in order 

 to find the stem." 



When serious damage by rabbits is apprehended and it is im- 

 practicable to exclude them from the area by fencing, their num- 

 bers can be reduced by poisoning. The scattering of poisoned 

 grain over the area is useless, as it is seldom eaten. Cox 2 recom- 

 mends the scattering of poisoned twigs of forest trees or native 

 food plants along the rabbit trails a few hours before sundown. 

 The twigs are cut into small pieces and poisoned with strychnine. 



The "Wellhouse" poison is prepared as follows: 



Sulphate of strychnine 1 part 



Borax 3 part 



White sirup 1 part 



Water 10 parts 



When thoroughly mixed it is applied to the fresh-cut twigs with 

 a brush. 3 



1 Peavy, G. W.: Annual report to the forester. Manuscript. 1906. 



2 Cox, W. T. : Reforestation on the national forests. (U. S. Forest Service, 

 Bui. 98. 1911.) 



3 Cunningham, J. C.: Protecting trees from rabbits. (Kansas Agr. Exp. 

 Sta., Cir. 17. 1911.) 



