OTHER ANIMALS 671 



Injury to Field Crop.?. Rabbits feed upon nearly all growing 

 crops, but the damage to small grains is usually so slight as to pass 

 unnoticed. Wheat and rye afford abundant pasture for rabbits dur- 

 ing open winters, and this without apparent effect upon the yield of 

 grain Rabbits eat very little mature grain, except corn in winter, 

 and this is but seldom damaged as long as green herbage can be ob- 

 tained. Clover and alfalfa are favorite foods with all our rabbits, 

 and these crops are badly damaged by them. In the West alfalfa is 

 the principal forage crop over considerable areas, growing often amid 

 arid surroundings. 



RABBITS. 



Injury to Gardens. Rabbits are fond of nearly all garden 

 vegetables^ but are particularly partial to peas and cabbage, eating 

 the plants in all stages of growth. They often invade market gardens 

 and truck patches near towns and do much damage. 



Injury to Trees. Rabbits injure trees and shrubs in two ways, 

 by ^cutting off the ends of branches and twigs within reach and by 

 eating the bark. ^ Young nursery trees and forest seedlings, both 

 evergreen and deciduous, are destroyed in the first way, while orchard 

 trees and even forest trees are badly damaged and frequently killed 

 in the second way. (U. S. Year Book, 1907.) 



Rabbit-Proof Fences. When rabbits are abundant and the area 

 to be protected is not too great, a rabbit-proof fence may be profitably 

 employed. Woven wire nettings are generally used for this purpose. 

 In the Australian colonies such fences are erected by the Government 

 to confine rabbits to certain districts, as well as by private owners to 

 protect crops. As the Australian pest is a burrowing species the 

 European rabbit (Lepus cuniculus) the requirements for a rabbit- 

 proof fence differ from those necessary in this country. Even with 

 our species there is some danger of their digging under fences, and 

 this may be prevented either by the use of a barbed wire in contact 

 with the ground or by plowing a furrow against the lower edge of the 

 wire netting. A netting of galvanized wire with l^-inch mesh and 

 from 2 to 3 feet high is a sufficient barrier against rabbits. Many 

 market gardeners and nurserymen use the 2-foot width. 



Tree Protection. The devices that have been recommended for 

 protecting trees from rabbits are too numerous for separate mention. 

 The majority consist of paints, washes, or smears of various kind.*, 

 supposed to be distasteful to the animals. Unfortunately, those that 

 are sufficiently permanent to afford protection for an entire winter 

 often injure or even kill the trees to which they are applied. Coal 

 tar, pine tar, tarred paper, and various oils are likely to kill young 

 trees. Blood and animal fats when freshly applied will protect from 

 rabbits, but are objectionable, since thev are highly attractive to the 

 destructive short-tailed field mice. Carbolic acid and other volatile 

 substances afford only temporary protection, and must be renewed too 

 often to justify their use. Bitter substances, like commercial aloes, 

 or quassia, are useless against rabbits. Among the most promising 

 washes that have been recommended for tree protection is the "lime- 

 and-sulphur" wash, so effective in winter for the destruction of the 



