70 ANIMAL COMPETITORS 



remarks D. E. Lantz, "is the offer of prizes for the 

 destruction of alleged 'game-destroying' mammals 

 and birds. In one instance nine competitors for a 

 club's prizes destroyed during twelve months 184 

 weasels, 48 foxes, 54 minks, 343 skunks, 15 great 

 horned owls, 6 'common owls,' and 148 hawks. The 

 fact that only 21 owls were killed in an entire year 

 by nine men trying for a record reveals a scarcity 

 of these useful birds that is not complimentary to 

 the intelligence of the community. The large num- 

 ber of skunks killed indicates ignorance or disregard 

 of the usefulness of that animal in destroying insects 

 and mice. Apparently, too, there was no discrim- 

 ination as to the species of hawks destroyed, and it is 

 probably safe to say that field-mice in a single year 

 have damaged the farmers of the region concerned 

 a hundredfold more than the value of all the game 

 and poultry saved through the offer of prizes. ' ' 



Protection of orchards and nurseries. In- 

 jury to orchards and nurseries by field-mice 

 may generally be prevented by forethought and 

 the exercise of ordinary care. Of first impor- 

 tance, always, is clean tillage. No grass or 

 weeds should be left in or near the nursery. 

 So well is this understood by the majority of 

 experienced nurserymen that by clean tillage 

 they secure practical immunity from the rav- 

 ages of mice except in winters of deep and long- 



