Pests and Remedies 127 



below the reach of the spading fork, and when 

 the baby moles are able to leave the nest, Papa 

 Mole and Mamma Mole take them out and give 

 them a first-hand lesson in heaving the soil. 

 They make little branch galleries from the main 

 runs and seem to rejoice in passing under a 

 newly planted tuber, giving it an extra heave. 



Perhaps the tuber has grown a nice shoot six 

 or eight inches high. The ground all about it is 

 soft and we cannot see that a mole has been 

 working there until suddenly the tender little 

 plant drops dead. On putting the hand into 

 the soil around the tuber, we find a large hole 

 under it. All the rain water has run away 

 through that hole, and the air in the hole has 

 dried the tuber beyond repair. This will often 

 happen in mid-summer as well, even with large 

 plants having good- sized roots. The spring runs 

 of the moles are abandoned after a while and 

 mice, shrews, and ground squirrels use them, de- 

 vouring the roots as they find them. 



There are several methods of poisoning moles, 

 and many people have had success with them. 

 Poisoned grains may now be purchased, and are 

 far easier to handle than the home-made variety. 

 Generally directions are given with the package. 

 I always use a small stick to make a tiny hole 

 in the roof of the run every few feet, dropping 



