AGRICULTURE. 211 
We have not yet had time to produce many ornamental 
gardens; but I think the time is not far distant when no place 
in the world will, within so small a district, have so many fine 
gardens as the valleys round San Francisco Bay. 
§ 155. Pests of the Farmer—Certain “ pests” of the farmer 
must be mentioned here, among which are the spermophile, 
gopher, grasshopper, locust, grape-bug, orange-bug, army- 
worm, Canada thistle, mullen, dock, fern, and so forth. Of 
the spermophiles and their habits I have spoken in the chapter 
on the zoélogy of the state. The amount of mischief which 
they do is very great. The most effective means of driving 
them off are poisons, chiefly strychnine and phosphorus. About 
a drachm of strychnine is dissolved in a quart of whiskey, and 
then the solution is poured over dry wheat in such quantity, 
that the surface of the liquid is just on a level with the top of 
the grain. -In the course of twelve hours the wheat absorbs 
all the liquor, and a few grains may then be thrown in front 
of every squirrel-hole. When phosphorus is to be used, the 
wheat is soaked in boiling water until it is soft, when the wa- 
ter is drawn off, and the wheat in a pan is put in or over boil- 
ing water to keep it near the boiling heat. A stick of phos- 
phorus three inches long is put into the hot wheat, melts in ten 
minutes, and the wheat is stirred about well, so that the melted 
phosphorus will touch every grain. The wheat is then poured 
upon some bran in which it is rolled so that every kernel may 
be covered, and the grain is ready for its purposes of destruc- 
tion. A couple of kernels will kill a squirrel; and if a cat eats 
the squirrel, it will kill him; and if a raven picks out the eyes 
of the cat, he will die too: and such a progressive destruction 
has been observed more than once in California. 
The gopher is more readily caught with traps than the sper- 
mophile. In the chapter on zodlogy I have described the 
trench used for keeping gophers out of orchards and gardens, 
and for catching them. Several traps are in common use, but 
it is not easy to describe them; so I will not attempt it. 
The grasshoppers are the greatest pests of the farmer in 
