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spring. A newly revised leaflet from the Fish and Wildlife Service, ORCHA.RD MOUSE 

 COI'TROL, presents the whole story in i;-l/2 well written pages. The situation concern- 

 ing Meadow Mice and Pine Mice is clearly stated, Alsp, the possibilities of mouse 

 control from five control practices, namely, (l) mechanical protectors, (2) clean tree 

 bases, (3)trapping, (I4) natural enemies and (5) a baiting program. Full details of 

 bait preparation and placement are presented, A copy of this leaflet may be obtained 

 from your county extension office or frcan the Fish and Vifildlife office, 59 Temple 

 Place in Boston, We quote from this publication on two new developments; 



" Mechanical Trail Builder , The Fish and Wildlife Service has developed a 

 tractor-drawn machine which is used to construct artificial mouse trails in which the 

 poisoned baits may be plared and thus eliminate the time-consuming and costly job of 

 searching for the natural mouse trails. Preliminary tests made in sod orchards indi- 

 cate'- that the method is effective in controlling both Meadow Mice and Pine Mice, 

 Further field tests are necessary before any general recommendations can be made; 

 however, specifications of the machine are available if orchardists wish to have a 

 machine constructed for use on an experimental basis. The machine is used to make 

 parallel trails dovm each side of the tree row, just under the drip-line. The trail 

 is made just under the sod and baits are placed at k to 5-i"oot intervals along the 

 trail. The baits recommended are the same as referred to in the fore part of this 

 leaflet, 



" Use of Insecticidal Sprays in Rodent Control . There has appeared within 

 recent months considerable publicity on the use of toxaphene in the control of meadow 

 mice in orchards, hay and other field crops. The use of toxaphene and other chlorin- 

 ated hydrocarbon insecticides applied as a blanket spray to the ground cover for the 

 control of small rodents is a matter of current research by the U, S. Fish and 'wild- 

 life Service and State agencies. Procedures still are in the research category and 

 the method should not be used in operational rodent control at this time. The eff- 

 ectiveness of toxaphene in controlling meadow mice (Microtus) varies with the density 

 of the ground cover and the amounts of active toxaphene employed per acre. Field 

 results to date have been very erratic. Currently, large amounts of active toxaphene 

 per acre are being used experimentally. At this rate of application, a serious hazard 

 exists to game birds, domestic poultry and livestock that may enter sprayed areas. 

 The Fish and Wildlife Service recommends that until research investigations have been 

 completed and appropriate recommendations formulated, no toxaphene or any other toxic 

 insecticide be employed as a ground spray in operational rodent control," 



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Every Week Should Be Fire Prevention Vfeek, Although the week of October 

 I4-IO was officially designated as National Fire Prevention V/eek, the year- 

 round nature of the campaign is stressed in President Eisenhower's proclam- 

 ation, "I earnestly request all our citizens to initiate, during that week, 

 a year-roundc ampaign in their homes and in their communities against the 

 needless waste of life and property caused by destructive fires". This 

 further statement emphasizes the seriousness of tne situation, "Farm fires 

 caused the loss of about $133,000,000 worth of farm property and the death 

 of 3j000 farm people during the past year. This loss of manpower, live- 

 stock, farm products, buildings and equipment is staggeringl Approximately 

 y^% of these fires were the result of carelessness and neglect", 



it it it it it it it it it it it it it 



The National Apple Crop , The recent estimate, about 100,000,000 bushels, is nearly 

 9,000,000 bushels below the 10-year average. But in New England the estimate of 

 7,8UU,000 bushels is more than 1,000,000 bushels larger than the 10-year average. 



