Diseases and Pests of the Apple and Their Control 225 



attacked begins to wilt and is beyond recovery. For bad 

 infestation by pine mice, the orchardist must introduce 

 and continue careful and thorough poisoning. 



Control of mice by poisoning. 



It is a good practice for the orchardist to carry a can of 

 poison about with him and as he discovers holes or run- 

 ways, to deposit a few of the grains of poisoned wheat in 

 the openings, covering the latter with trash or leaves in 

 order to make the trap more effective. Poisoning must 

 be done systematically. Badly infested orchards should 

 be first disced and cultivated in the spring. In poisoning 

 it is well to send two or three men down a single tree row. 

 By following a zigzag course and carefully looking for 

 runways or holes, effective and systematic poisoning may 

 be done. One man should easily cover from one to two 

 acres in this manner in a day. A careful orchardist in 

 an infested area should go over his orchard several times 

 a year. 



Trees once girdled or partially so will soon die if 

 exposed to the sun or drying action of the wind. For this 

 reason the practice of poisoning should be accompanied 

 by a search for injured trees. If the wounds can be 

 covered by heaping fresh soil about the trunk, the tree 

 may be saved and later a permanent recovery may be 

 effected by bridge-grafting. 



A good poison formula for control of these mice is as 



follows : 



1/2 ounce strychnine 

 1% pints water 

 4 pounds sugar 

 1/2 peck wheat 



