592 
The annoyance and injury caused by the burrowing of moles in 
lawns, cemeteries, etc., is well known; but besides this mechanical 
and as it were accidental injury, gardeners and farmers have main- 
tained that moles did other injury by eating newly planted seeds and 
the subterranean parts of garden vegetables. Extensive investiga- 
tion in this state and elsewhere has shown conclusively that while 
by far the largest part of the food of the mole consists of worms, 
grubs, and insects, they do also eat a small amount of vegetable food. 
They burrow along the rows of newly planted corn and sometimes 
certainly eat it. They sometimes eat potatoes also, and possibly 
other root crops. On the other hand they undoubtedly do con- 
siderable good by destroying harmful insects in the larval or mature 
stage. Whether they do more harm than good depends on cir- 
cumstances. There are occasions, however, when they become 
pests and should be destroyed. 
They have few natural enemies. Birds of prey seldom take 
them, and the Carnivora that kill them are no longer common. 
They may be driven out of small areas by odors which are offensive 
to them. They are very sensitive to those of naphthalin, moth- 
balls, carbon bisulphid, formalin, and the like, or even kerosene. 
These substances put in and around their runs will drive them from 
the immediate locality. Our own attempts to poison them have 
been of uncertain success, as it has been difficult to determine, even 
approximately, the number killed. In captivity they eat bits of 
raw beef readily, and it seems probable that they might be poisoned 
by putting strychnine or arsenic on bits of meat and scattering them 
in the runs. Some claim to have had good success with poisoned 
sweet corn. 
Trapping seems to be the most practical way of exterminating 
them. Of the various types of mole trap on the market, all have 
been found equally efficient, the only difference being a matter of 
price, convenience in manipulating, conspicuousness, and the like. 
It should be remembered that mole-runs are of two kinds: the tem- 
porary or exploring runways, which are driven in search of food, 
and which may never be entered again; and the main or permanent 
runways traversed every day. These latter are the ones on which 
the traps should be set. Whether a run is in use or not may be deter- 
mined by crushing in the roof with the heel and watching for repairs. 
If in use it will be repaired, and usually within twenty-four hours. 
