Sec. 13.] WILD AND TAMIC AXIil.VXS OF THE FARM. 249 



to hill, severing the corn, melon, or other seeds from the tender plant, thus 

 greatly impeding its progress, and in many instances wholly destroying it. 

 In a scarcity of earth-worms he will prey upon beets, potatoes, and other 

 roots with voracity ; still tlie damage he thus docs is of little account com- 

 pared with that produced by his relentless ])li)wiug or rooting. "Where 

 the soil is fertile and not too wet, this intruder will be found undermining all 

 vciretation, and is a source of discomfort to the airrieulturist, which must be 

 realized to be appreciated. 



" Failures in Held and garden, which arc ofren attributed to drouth or in- 

 sects, are many times produced in a great measure by moles. At morning, 

 noon, and evening the mole goes firth on his depredations, making the mo-t 

 rapid movements (for an underground i'>crformance), and in less than twenty 

 minutes finishes his repast, and returns again to his hiding-place deep in the 

 earth, lievond the reach of all intriulers. 



"The Yankee mole is too shi-ewd lor the English trap, or, indeed, for anj-, 

 with a single exception. I have examined several traps, beautiful in theory, 

 but they are splendid practical failures.'' 



Wm. S. CImvPkntek — 1 am satisfied about the injury of moles to the farmer, 

 being much more than all his benefit in eating worms. I had a bed of 

 tulips destroyed by nxjles. 1 traced them by their paths from root to root. 



Prof. Mai'ics — 1 have tried careful experiments with moles in confinement, 

 and have never succeeded in getting them to eat any kind of vegetable 

 nuxttcr. 



Mr. Moody, of Kew Jersey — I have f >und that moles do cut off the stems 

 of thorns in my hedge. I can not say that they eat thorns. I am satisfied, 

 too, that they will cat potatoes. 



Prof Mapes — I find that i)otatoes are eaten in the vicinity of moles, but I 

 am satisfied that they are eaten by grubs that the moles feed upon. 



Dr. Tkijiele — The potato is eaten by the grub of the cockchafer, and not 

 by the mole. 



Jlr. FuLi.KU — I have known moles to gnaw potatoes, but not for food. 



The Chairman, IIobekt L. Pell, made the following remarks ujion this 

 subject : 



Miih-Hllls. — In rich alluvial soils, mole-hills are thrown up in imnunso 

 numbers, because such soils usually abound with the food that these .'subter- 

 raneous creatures seek for. They destroy the roots of grass immediately 

 contiguous to their mounds, besides often impcdiTig the free action of the 

 scythe, for these reasons. Some think it well to exterminate them ; still they 

 no doubt do a vast deal of good by destroying obnoxious worms and grubs. 



In the spring of the year it is an easy matter to spread out these mounds 

 over the surrounding ground, as they arc dry and jiowdery, and act to a 

 certain extent as an enriching top-dressing. 



The mole can not bear access to the atmosphere, being wholly subterra- 

 neous by nature; they never drink, but live entirely upon worms, insects, 

 and the roots of grass, and are never found in gravelly or clay soils. 



