2 SEED-EATING MAMMALS AND REFORESTATION. 



may not prove as effective elsewhere with other species of rodents. 

 The investigations will be continued in other parts of the country and 

 the results published later. 



PROTECTIVE COATINGS. 



Although frequently employed as a protection against rodents, 

 coating seeds with distasteful substances, such as red lead, copper 

 sulphate, and coal tar, has proved ineffective. The animals ap- 

 parently always hull such seeds, thus removing the disagreeable coat- 

 ing before eating the kernel. 



PREPARATION OF POISONED BAIT. 



When a tract is to be seeded, the most satisfactory way to avoid 

 loss of seed is to exterminate the pests prior to planting. When 

 this is to be done on a large scale, a bait prepared as follows is 

 recommended : 



Wheat 1 bushel. 



Water 1 quart. 



Starch 2 tablespoonfuls. 



Saccharine 2 tea spoonfuls. 



Strychnia .(pulverized) - 2 ounces. 



Add the starch, saccharine, and strychnia to the water, heat to boil- 

 ing, and stir constantly after the starch begins to thicken. When 

 the starch is fully cooked, stir it into the wheat, every kernel of which 

 should be coated. A galvanized-iron washtub is an excellent mixing 

 vessel, especially as it is easily cleaned. Either the sulphate or the 

 alkaloid of strychnia may be used. 



During rainy weather it is better to substitute melted tallow for 

 the starch solution as a coating medium. In this case, the wheat 

 should first be slightly warmed and the saccharine and strychnine 

 added ; and then the tallow applied, in the ratio of a quart to a bushel 

 of wheat. 



A much more attractive bait, and one much easier to prepare, is oat- 

 meal, or rolled oats, the sole objection being its cost, which consider- 

 ably exceeds that of wheat. Excellent results have been obtained 

 with poison prepared as follows: 



Rolled oats 25 quarts. 



Strychnia (pulverized) 1 ounce. 



Saccharine 1 teas^oonful. 



Water 6 quarts. 



The strychnia and saccharine are first added to the water, which is 

 then mixed with the oats to produce a thick dough. This dough may 

 be distributed by the aid of a spoon or small wooden paddle, a piece 

 the size of a small marble being put in each place. 



