120 ANIMAL COMPETITORS 
just below the ground, the gopher cutting deep 
into the wood, causing immediate death. The 
girdling of large roots is also common. In 
California the fig seems to suffer most, but 
orange, lemon, apricot and all other fruit-trees 
are attacked. 
Complaints from western nurserymen of 
injury to their stock by pocket-gophers are 
frequent. The trees in nursery-rows are set 
small and close together. Consequently a go- 
pher by following the rows can in a short time 
kill many trees. Such injury is usually done 
in late fall or winter, and the nurseryman is 
often unaware of it until spring. The gopher 
takes the entire root, not merely the bark, cuts 
it into short pieces, packs them into its enor- 
mous cheek-pouches, and carries them away to 
its food-céches, which sometimes contain half 
a bushel of such provender. Plantations of 
young trees for wind-breaks or ornament, or 
to afforest a district, are equally hurt; in fact 
the gophers are worse than rabbits, because 
they work unseen and almost invariably kill in- 
stead of merely injuring the trees. Wherever 
they abound orchards are almost an impossi- 
bility. 
