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320 AGRICULTURAL APPROPRL^TION BILL, 1924. 



Mr. Anderson. Has this work jjot to be kept up on its present 

 basis indefinitely ( 



Doctor Nelson. Apparently it has, at lejist until the animals are 

 destroyed. Just as quick as you stop this work the annuals breed 

 back and become so destructive that in many places it puts the stock 

 business out of commission. In northern California, for instance, 

 thev had stojiped orrowino: sheep in some sections owing to the depreda- 

 tions of coyotes. Since we began working there they have started 

 again to grow sheep, and we have reports from various places that if 

 this work was not being carried on it would be impossible to con- 

 tinue growing live stock, particularly the smaller stock. 



COOPERATION OF STATES. 



Mr. Buchanan. Before we went into that business, some of these 

 States were taking care of themselves. Now, the Federal Govern- 

 ment has gone into it, and they just withdraw and turn the whole 

 thing over to the Govermnent? 



Doctor Nelson. No; the States are putting up money: for instance, 

 their cooperative funds for 1922 for this work in the States amounted 

 to $196,405. 



Mr. Buchanan. Prior to that they had rewards offered at so much 

 per scalp ? 



Doctor Nelson. Since we have shown the superior effectiveness 

 of the work as we are doing it, many wStates have ceased to rely upon 

 the bounty system. 



Mr. Buchanan. That is just what I told you. 



Doctor Nelson. I beg your pardon. 



Mr. Buchanan. That is just what I said, since the Government has 

 taken it up they have stopped. 



Doctor Nelson. But they are appropriating money in place of the 

 bounties. 



Mr. Buchanan. Oh, yes; two or three dozen States appropriate 

 $100,000, but we appropriate S502,000. f 



Doctor Nelson. The $502,000 is not appropriated for the preda- 

 tory-animal work alone. For the predatory-animal and the rodent 

 work combined the Government puts up about $400,000, ami the 

 States are putting up approximately $1,000,000 in cooperative funds. 

 They are contributing practica'ly two-and-a-half times as much as 

 the Federal Government. 



EXPERIMENTS AT DENVER LABOR.VTORY. 



We have established in Denver a laboratory where experiments are 

 being made in developing an improved type of poison, which is com- 

 bined in such a way as to make it palatable to predatory animals. 



Tiierc has been great dilliculty in the use of strychnine, which is 

 the main poison, owing to its l)itter taste. The predatory animals 

 are very acute in detecting it, and wheji thev take the bait in the 

 m(»utli and notice the slightest bitterness tliey droj) it. We are 

 working out a method whereby the particles of strychnine are coateti 

 and disgjii.sed in such a way' that the development of the taste is 

 delayed until the iiiiinuds swallow it, and we are getting exceeilingly 

 ell'fctive results. We have found that th<> plan on which we started 

 the trapping of predntory aiumals re(|uires too large a body of men. 



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