324 AGRICULTURAL, APPROPRL^TION BILL, 1924 



special men appointed to work with him. They learn how to handle 

 tne work of kdlinfj the wolves, by trapping and poisoning. With 

 this instruction and direction of its men the State is enabled to 

 handle its problem. 



DESTRUCTION OF RODENTS. 



The destruction of rodents is a part of this work. The losses from 

 rodents of difrerent kinds amount to about 8500,000,000 a year, 

 according to the estimates that have been made after careful inves- 

 tigations, and there are many sorts of rodent pests in every State in 

 the country. 



In the West, where the dry climate is especially suitable, the in- 

 jurious rodents are much more abundant than anvwhere else — prairie 

 dogs, jack rabbits, gophers and cjuite a variety of others, and various 

 kinds of gi'ound scjuirrels. The organized campaigns, with the special 

 methods of poisoning that we have deveh)ped, have convinced the 

 people of the effectiveness of the work to such an extent that during 

 the last year about 105,000 farmers and stockmen cooperated, and 

 S799.974 was expended as cooperative funds in these campaigns. 

 They put up for this rodent work about five times as much as the 

 CTOvernmcnt. 



Mr. Anderson. It must be more than that, if it is S 700. 000 ? 



D(»ctor Nel.son. Yes, it is S799,974. 



Mr. Anderson. According to vour figures here, von arc spending 

 about .S12S,000 on that. 



Doctor Nel.son. On the rodent work ? 



Mr. A.N'DEusoN. Yes. 



Doctor Nelson. Yes; the cooperative funds amount to about six 

 times as much. Some of the States are makhig direct appropriations 

 which have to be spent in cooperation with the Biological Survey. 



Wc used 1,000 tons of poisoned o;rain, and 757,000 pounds of 

 bisulj)hide of carbon, a fumigant whicli is put in the burrows. That 

 was used by the cooperators and the survey combined. 



During the course of the work we have poisoned over 10,000,000 

 acres of Federal lands, and under j)ersonal direction or in cooperation 

 over 93,000,000 acres of private land. 



Mr. Anderson. That is altogether, during this period of operation ? 



Doctor Nelson. During the time since we began in 191(>. over 

 103,000,000 acres, in which the majoritv of these animals have been 

 destroyed; they have been either ground squirrels, pocket gophers, or 

 prairie dogs. . 



JACK Il.\HUITH AND FRAUtlK DOaS VERY DESTRUCTIVE. 



Mr. Buchanan. What is your objection to jack rabbits? 



Doctor Nelson. They arc terrilically destructive, where thev 

 increase as they do, and in one instance we killed over 1,000,000 jack 

 labbits in eastern Oregon by poisoning. 



Ml'. HrcHANAN. Destructive of grain, you nu»an ? 



Doctor Nelson. They concentrate on the grain. When the grass 

 (h-ies up iji the summer and the grain is growing in the ariil West, that 

 will be the one green spot in the whole region, and th(>v concentrate 

 for milw around, and in nnmy places they have actually destroyed in 

 ji single night n man's crop. Where a man has liad something like 



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