98 FORESTRY IN NEW ENGLAND 



distasteful to birds. In the large commercial nurseries where 

 birds are a serious menace the seed beds are covered with a wire 

 netting of three-fourths-inch mesh. Moles and mice in a nursery 

 can be trapped. One of the simplest methods is to sink pails half 

 full of water and covered with grain in the paths of the nursery, 



Fig. 41 



A fine stand of hard maple and beech. Note absence of reproduction owmg to 

 heavy grazing and compare with ne.xt figure. 



where the rodents will soon fall into them. Woodchucks, squir- 

 rels, and crows frequently damage seedlings in plantations, es- 

 pecially where nuts have been planted. Much of this injury 

 can be obviated by coating the nuts with tar before planting. 



More a matter of interest than of economic importance is the 

 service squirrels sometimes render in helping in the collection of 

 forest seeds. The Shakers of Enfield, Connecticut, used to seed 

 down an area of sand plain each year to pine and buckwheat. 

 After taking off the crop of buckwheat they allowed the area to 



