TRAPPING GOPHERS 319 



Gophers come to the - surface in the night and generally close their 

 holes in the morning soon after daybreak. They frequently emerge again 

 about noon, and a third time late in the afternoon. It is best to set the trap 

 in an open hole, as the gopher will be sure to return to fill it. Still the holes 

 may be opened if the dirt is still fresh, with a good prospect of the gopher's 

 return. Therefore the trapper may make his rounds three times a day, as 

 above indicated. 



In the second place, care should be exercised in preparing the hole for 

 the insertion of the trap. The trapper should assure himself that he has 

 found a straight hole for a distance of at least ten indie's, with no lateral 

 branches, otherwise the gopher in pushing out the dirt will likely enough 

 thrust the trap to one side, cover it up or spring it without being exposed 

 to its grasp. 



In the third place, the trapper should be supplied with at least two 

 varieties of traps one for the larger gophers and the other for the smaller 

 ones. The common iron gopher trap, which springs downward, is excel- 

 lent for the former, and the small wire trap, which springs upward, is gen- 

 erally successful with the latter. It is taken for granted that the size of 

 the hole is indicative of the size- of the gopher. Either trap should be in- 

 serted nearly its full length into the hole, pressed down firmly, and a little 

 dirt piled at the outer end to prevent its being easily pushed out. After the 

 trap is set it is well to cover the opening with some grass or weeds. Some- 

 times the holes require a little enlarging, but care should be taken to make 

 the fit as close as possible, that the body of the gopher may be kept near the 

 center, and thus more exposed to the prongs of the trap. 



In the fourth place, the trapper should be supplied with a small spade 

 and a little gouge-shaped implement for trimming the hole. 



Finally, the trapper should be supplied with traps as numerous as the 

 extent of the pest demands. He should not be discouraged by lack of suc- 

 cess at first. Perseverance is as essential in this work as in any other, and 

 will generally win. We have in mind the successful capture of a big gopher 

 after trapping for him a week, changing the trap two or three times a day; 

 he had then destroyed about fifty hills of corn. How much damage he and 

 his descendants might have done had not his career of devastation been 

 interrupted, can only be estimated by such multiples as attach to the propa- 

 gation of that particular species. 



Poisoning is an easier method of destroying gophers, and it is 

 very satisfactory if faithfully done. The poison is strychnine in 

 crystal form, which can be pulverized in the small bottle in which 

 it is bought by using the head of a nail. Take out a very small 

 amount on the tip of a knife blade and insert it into raisins, or pieces 

 of carrot, potato, alfalfa stems, or almost any succulent vegetable 

 substance which is handy at the time. Find where the gopher has 

 been at work last, and remove the loose earth from the surface, to 

 find where it has come from ; then dig down to find the main run- 

 way, generally from six to twelve inches. The runway being found, 



