Man and Nature 



39; 



had boon made to cut down tlie weeds; and where tliey liad 

 been mowed they liad been raked into piles and not burned 

 or removed. 



"In this neglected orchard field mice — the prairie vole — 

 had found a congenial home. Already abundant in 1002, 

 they bred plentifully in the open fall of that year and in the 

 early warm spring of 19();i The ensuing moist sununer also 

 was favorable for continued- reproduction, and by llie fall 

 of 1903 they were present in hordes. All the orchards of 

 the neighboriiood — a comparatively level upland prairie — had 



Apple Tree Girdled by Meadow Mice 

 CoiirtcsD of the I'. S. liurtitu of Blvlogivnl Sum if. 



been neglect<'d and all were invaded by mice; buf the one 

 above mentioned was the largest and most neglected, and 

 therefore it suffered most severely. By Decend)er 18, the 

 date of my first visit, mice had wholly or partially girdled 

 at the surface of the ground fully 5, 000 apiile ti'ces and had 

 denudeil of bark numy of the low branches. The owners of 

 the orchard, thinking that none of the trees could survive the 

 injuries, then estimated their loss at fi-om $'25,000 to $30,000. 

 "Examination showed that the ground evi'rywhere was 

 honeycond)ed by mouse burrows and tunnels to a depth of 

 3 or 4 inches, and that the surface was almost covered by a 



