SCHOOL SOLDIERS. 



DEAR BOYS AND GIELS: 



Is there one of your number who would like to be a member of a company made up of 

 American boys and girls righting to protect your big brother or cousin at the front in 

 Europe? We have enemies here at home more destructive, perhaps, than some of the 

 enemies our boys are fighting in the trenches. 



Food for the soldiers will prove one of the greatest factors in winning the war. Our 

 ally friends are so busy fighting and their land is so torn with shells that many of them 

 can not work and produce stuff to eat as they did before the war; so you can see how 

 vitally important it is we should see to it that our rich acres in this country produce the 

 food not only to feed our soldiers, but to feed the boys and girls and grown-ups in Europe 

 who can not farm while the war lasts. 



Have you ever noticed the work of the ground squirrel? Probably you know that 'he 

 destroys a great deal of grain and does no good to the war nor the w r orld. Our federal gov- 

 ernment has found from making very dose investigation that the squirrels in California 

 destroy about thirty million dollars' worth of foodstuffs each year. Some of this is grain 

 that would make bread for our soldiers and some is alfalfa and food for stock that would- 

 make beef t.o feeo 1 these boys. 



Now we must not allow this destruction to continue. We are not loyal to our govern- 

 ment and its interests if we fail to perform our part in the conservation of food, whicli 

 i::eans saving every bit of it we possibly can. Think of it ! Thirty million dollars' worth 

 of food lost in our 8e^oved^J2alifornia means fifty-five dollars' worth for each of the five 

 hundred forty-one thousand and sixty-five (541,0(>5) school children in the state. The way 

 this is estimated is by dividing thirty million by 541,005, which gives $55 for each child. 



Now you can see how it is your duty to try to stop this loss. After you have thought 

 this over and realize that you can do your part the same as a soldier in uniform in helping 

 Uncle Sam, I am sure you will begin at once to organize a company of soldiers in your 

 class or in your school, march them out where the squirrel army is eating the food that 

 should go to your brothers and cousins, and win your battle in the war we are making 

 against the destruction of food. You can do this so easily if you will just say to yourself 

 that you will. 



This little leaflet tells you just how to go about it to poison the squirrels and what 

 methods to use. Your County Horticultural Commissioner also will gladly tell you more 

 about it because he is interested in this great battle for Uncle Sam. Remember that 

 every squirrel you destroy means that you have saved more than one dollar's worth of 

 food during the year of 1918. 



I will leave it to you to answ r er whether or not this is a good work for boys and girls 

 to do to help their government. As soon as you have organized consult your school 

 teacher, superintendent, county horticultural commissioner or farm adviser. 



I am going to help you too, and so that you will do your very best I will give a prize 

 of $50.00 to the grammar school whose pupils kill the most squirrels ; $30.00 for the next 

 greatest number and $20.00 for the third largest. I will give the same prizes to the high 

 school whose pupils kill the first, second and third largest numbers. Your teachers will 

 tell you more about the prizes and help you win one of them. 



Remember that poisoned grain is dangerous to handle and be careful in using it. 

 Place it carefully so that your pets, or other domestic animals, will not be poisoned. 

 It probably will be best to secure your grain from the county horticultural commis- 

 sioner or farm adviser. 



Let us make these "squirrel-less" days. 



Always at your service for the protection of our glorious state. 



G. H. HECKE, 

 State Commissioner of Horticulture. 



