326 AGRICULTrRAL, APPROPRIATION BILL, lf>24. 



this method of startint^j in definitely on tlie eastern border and just 

 going west they will finally eliminate them from the State. Wlien 

 they get a county cleaned it is cleaned; there is no way of reinfesting, 

 except from the west, and they will keep pushing that line to the 

 west. As I say, during the last year they cleaned up the prairie 

 dogs in four of the Kansas counties. 



In northwestern Arizona for some years now — the last 10 years 

 or more- the prairie dogs have been extending their range several 

 miles a year into new territory, going west. We have cleaned up a 

 belt along that western extension border of over 50 miles long and 

 about 5 miles deep, and are going to stop that western extension. 

 At the same time we are carrying on the general work of destroying 

 the animals elsewhere. 



Mr. Charles Springer, who was chairman of the Council of National 

 Defense in New Mexico during the war, and who is one of the largest 

 stock and land owners in the State, became very much interested in 

 our work at the time of the war. In the food-saving campaign he 

 backed the intensive work we were doing in helping to destroy prairie 

 do^s in crop areas. I asked him in a letter if he had ever made any 

 estimate of the effect of prairie dogs on the grazing industry in New 

 Mexico, and he wTote that he had; that when he oecame chairman 

 of the Council of National Defense for New Mexico he had taken 

 it up with his county chairmen, and they had made a survey of the 

 State. He states here that — 



In the 50,00U-acre unit now being investigated and treated — 



That is where our men worked — 



in the Moreno Valley in Colfax County, the prairie dogs destroyed nearly all of the 

 grama grass and I believe the damage to that range amounted to 75 per cent. Gen- 

 erally the damage done by prairie dogs in the infested areas with which I am familiar 

 ranges from 40 to 50 per cent to 100 per cent. I have seen in Rio Arriba and Sandoval 

 Counties, and in some of the other counties, large areas rendered practically worthless 

 for grazing |)urpose8 by these pests. It is safe to estimate that the annual damage 

 made to ranges in New Mexico has amounted to destroying the grass on more than 

 f),0(H(,(X)0 acres of the very choice grazing land of the State, the areas selected and 

 infasted by prairie dogs being generally the best grama grass flats and draws. Opinions 

 differ as to the nural)er of acres of grazing land re(|uired to support one head of cattle. 

 In Colfax <'ounty on the grama grass ranges, where there is much rough, unpro- 

 tluctivc land, we generally estimate that it re(|uires '20 acres, one year with anotlier. 

 for each cow or grown bovine animal: and as the lands infested by prairie doijs are 

 \ery niuch lictter than the average, I believe it is safe to estimate that the 6,000,000 

 acres rendered worthless bv them would sui)i)ort 400.000 head of cattle or more 

 than 1,500,000 head of sheej). 



That indicates his opinion as to the damage. Considering the fact 

 thiit New Mexico is one out of 12 or 13 States that have prairie dogs, 

 if you get rid {»f the prairie dogs in all of the States we figure that 

 you could add more lluiii 1, ()()(), ()()() head of cattle to the range in 

 the West from the increased forajre alone. 



111 tins <-(>ntn'cli()ii, I have here a |)hotograpli of wheat from a 

 s(|uar(' yard (if hind from which the prairie dogs have been poisonetl 

 le.xhibiting photograph to the subcommitteej, and here (indicalingl 

 where the |)r!iiri(' dogs are operating, which is also a sipiare yard of 

 production, 'i'hc prairie (htL's cleiiiU'd it up and left the stubble 

 fexhihiliiig niiotlicr photograph to the connnit teej. 



Here in nortlierii .\rizona we fenced a small area with prairie dog- 

 proof fence. Then we put stock-proof fence on another area ri»]:ht 

 adjoining, keeping the stock oil", but leaving free access to the pran'ie 



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