Traps for Gophers. 463 
gopher mounds until it strikes their runway, then drop in the 
poisoned bait. Close up the hole with some grass; level down 
mounds, so that if the poison does not kill all the gophers, you 
will soon discover their new mounds. If there are many 
mounds, put the poison in a number of places. 
Bisulphide of carbon is also successfully used in killing 
gophers, while the ground is wet, using an injector which is 
furnished with the poison to force the vapor through the long 
burrows. 
Trapping Gophers—Some are very successful in using 
gopher traps, of which there are several styles sold. Gophers 
come to the surface in the night, and generally close their holes 
soon after daybreak. They frequently emerge again about noon, 
and a third time late in the afternoon. It is best to set the trap 
in an open hole; still, the holes may be opened if the dirt is still 
fresh, with a good prospect of the gopher’s return. Therefore, 
the trapper may make his rounds three times a day, as above 
indicated. Care should be exercised in preparing the hole for 
the insertion of the trap, a straight hole for a distance ot at 
least ten inches, with no lateral branches, otherwise the gopher 
in pushing out the dirt will likely enough thrust the trap to one 
side, cover it up, or spring it, without being exposed to its grasp. 
The trapper should be supplied with at least two varieties of 
traps—one for the larger gophers, and the other for the smaller 
ones. The common iron gopher trap, which springs downward, 
is excellent for the former, and the small wire trap, which springs 
upward, is generally successful with the latter. The size of the 
hole is indicative of the size of the gopher. Either trap should 
be inserted nearly its full length into the hole, pressed down 
firmly, and a little dirt piled at the outer end to prevent its being 
easily pushed out. After the trap is set, it is well to cover the 
opening with some grass or weeds. Sometimes the holes re- 
quire a little enlarging, but ‘care should be taken to make the 
fit as close as possible, that the body of the gopher may be kept 
near the center, and thus more exposed to the prongs of the 
trap. In the fourth place, the trapper should have a small spade 
and a little gouge-shaped implement for trimming the hole. 
Gopher Pitfalls—If gophers are abundant, large numbers 
can be captured in this way: Dig a trench around the orchard 
or vineyard about the width of a spade and from fourteen to 
sixteen inches deep. In the bottom of the ditches, about a hun- 
dred feet apart. sink five-gallun oil cans, leaving the tops level 
with the ditch bottom. The gophers migrate in the night, and 
in attempting to come into the inclosure will fall into the ditch 
and then run along the bottom until they drop into the cans. 
Of course the ditch must not be wider than the cans. As many 
as fifteen live gophers have been found in one can. The cats 
