24 THE NATIONAL FOREST MANUAL. 



The following formula for poisoning small rodents has also been 

 found very successful in direct seeding in the Black Hills: 



Wheat 1 bushel. 



Tallow (preferably mutton or beef) 1 quart. 



Strychnine sulphate 2 ounces. 



Saccharine 2 teaspoonfuls. 



Warm the wheat as much as possible without burning it. Pour 

 on the tallow melted and stir until thoroughly mixed. Pulverize the 

 strychnine completely, add this and the saccharine to the wheat 

 while still warm, and again mix thoroughly. The poisoned grain 

 can be spread by men walking on parallel lines about 15 feet apart 

 and dropping from 10 to 15 grains every 3 or 4 feet. Distributed in 

 this way, a bushel of wheat will poison about 40 acres. Poisoning 

 should be done at least a week in advance of sowing and when the 

 weather is dry, so that the poison will not be washed off. 



Both cotton-tail and jack rabbits take poisoned bait more readily 



For rabbits m wm ^ er or ear ty s p rm g than at other seasons. For 



rabbits the following preparation has been found 

 effective : 



Young shoots of alfalfa or green twigs from fruit trees or 



native brush, cut into 2 or 3 inch lengths 15 pounds. 



Water 1 gallon. 



Strychnine sulphate 1^ ounces. 



Saccharine ^ teaspoonful. 



Dissolve the strychnine and saccharine in the water and allow it 

 to cool. Press the alfalfa shoots or twigs into the solution until cov- 

 ered and allow them to steep three or four hours. This bait should 

 be scattered in small heaps, a few hours before sundown, along the 

 runways or about the area to be protected. 



Coating the seeds themselves with red lead has so far not proved 

 Red lead and coal an efficient protection. Further experiments on a 

 tar - small scale in the vise of red lead, and also in coating 



seeds with coal tar, are, however, desirable. 



When the damage done by rodents becomes serious and the methods 

 cooperation with ^ extermination used are unsuccessful in reducing 

 the Biological Sur- their numbers below the danger point, the Forest offi- 

 cer in charge should report the matter in detail to 

 the supervisor. The supervisor will submit a report in triplicate to 

 the district forester, who will forward the original and one carbon 

 to the Forester for transmittal to the Biological Survey. The Bio- 

 logical Survey will reply in triplicate through the Forester and dis- 

 trict forester, each of whom will retain a carbon copy of the reply. 

 Specimens of the species causing the trouble should be secured for 

 positive identification. The skin of the animal, with the skin of the 

 head, feet, and tail left on, should be thoroughly salted with fine 

 salt and dried; the skull should be roughly cleaned by carefully cut- 

 ting off the larger muscles and removing the tongue, and the brain 

 removed by a slender stick or bent wire. The skull should be labeled 

 with a tag numbered to correspond with a similar tag attached to the 

 skin. The skull should then be hung up until dry. Great care should 

 be used to avoid breaking the skull, since the proper identification of 

 the species may depend upon its being unbroken. When the skin and 

 skull are dry, they should be forwarded directly to the Biological Survey, 

 accompanied by a statement as to the date and place of collection, 

 name of collector, and proper reference to the report on the matter. 



