MAMMALIA 257 



Such a trap will last indefinitely and may be located under a fence, 

 Fig. 163, or in some other spot that cannot be plowed up. 



Under some circumstances it might be necessary to resort to 

 poisoning, in which case about the same methods would be used as 

 already described, observing the same care to avoid poisoning birds 

 and domestic animals. Apple twigs may be coated with strychnia 

 and used as bait with little or no danger to birds. 



It is often cheaper to protect crops against rabbits than it is to trap 

 or kill the animals. In the case of trees which are particularly apt 

 to be injured during snowy, winter weather when other food is scarce, 

 it is necessaryjx) protect the lower parts of the trunks. This is done 

 by either painting the bark with some substance poisonous or distaste- 

 ful to rabbits or by surrounding it with some material to keep the ab- 

 bits from getting at the bark. Various washes have been used with 

 greater or less success; one of those that seems to be fairly effective 

 is the common lime-and-sulphur spraying mixture. This may be ap- 

 plied to the trees with a whitewash brush and is a fairly successful 

 protection against rabbits and meadow mice; some users claim that one 

 application will last all winter. Perhaps the best material to use to 

 keep the rabbits away from the trees is one-inch mesh, galvanized 

 wire netting 18 inches wide. This is cut in pieces of sufficient length 

 to loosely, surround the trees; it may be kept from touching the 

 trees, and thereby allowing the rabbits access to the bark, by short 

 sticks. If a finer mesh be used the trees will be protected against mice 

 also. Corn stalks, wood veneers, gunny-sacking, etc., may also be used, 

 though they have the objection that they serve as insect harbors, if 

 not removed in the spring. In large orchards all of these mechanical 

 protectors are rather expensive, either to buy or to attach or both. 

 Feeding rabbits in winter to protect orchards has been successfully tried. 

 Corn, cabbage, turnips, or the prunings of the trees may be scattered 

 about the orchards for the rabbits, and mice, to eat when other food 

 is scarce. 



To protect small gardens and nurseries and even small orchards 

 a wire netting of iJ/2 inch mesh and 24 to 30 inches wide may 

 be used to fence out rabbits. Two feet is high enough and the 

 other six inches may be bent outward as a ground wire to prevent 

 rabbits from burrowing under the fence; of course snow-drifts may 

 allow rabbits to get over such a fence. 



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