REPORTS FROM NURSERYMEN. 35 



Field mice are abundant in this vicinity, and in the winter of 1904-5 did much 

 damage to orchards. In neighboring orchards, where girdling is claimed to be 

 done by rabbits, T find that in five-sixths of the cases the injury is done by mice. 



— Cokato, Minn. 



We lost 2,000 trees in our orchards, not all killed— actual loss, about $4,000. 



— Topeka, Ivans. 



Mice are abundant here this winter, and have girdled 5,000 trees in the 

 nursery. — Moundsville. W. Va. 



Field mice are abundant in North Carolina. On account of the general lack 

 of snow in the vicinity of Raleigh they have not done serious damage to trees, 

 but are very troublesome in gardens. The general observer charges moles with 

 all the damage, but I have found that the mice, following in the mole runs, are 

 the most serious enemies. Following under the sweet-potato ridges they gnaw 

 the potatoes and do a great deal of damage. By using carbon bisulphid in the 

 mole runs I destroyed more mice than moles, and became satisfied that the vege- 

 table eating was mainly, if not entirely, done by the mice [pine mice]. 



—Raleigh, N. C. 



In the winter of 1904-5 my loss in the peach orchard from mice was fully 10 

 per cent of the 1-year-old trees and 5 per cent of the 2-year-old. One 2- 

 year-old peach orchard having turnips only on the ground was badly injured 

 where snow was drifted. Another orchard in rather grassy corn stubble was 

 injured in the same way. Peach seedlings in the nursery were also badly 

 injured. — Aspers. Adams County. Pa. 



Young trees and nursery stock were damaged by mice in 1904-5 when the 

 snow was deep. It is difficult to protect nursery stock. The common skunk 

 destroys field mice, and protecting the skunk is the best preventive of injury 

 of which I know. — Collinsville, Hartford County, Conn. 



Mice become worse every year, and its seems impossible to prevent damage 

 now. This year, while there has been but little snow, they have damaged many 

 trees. I have had 150 trees killed by mice in my orchard of 120 acres. They 

 eat the bark from 8 inches below the surface of the ground to 12 or 15 inches 

 above the ground. — Council Grove. Morris County. Kans. 



A lot of the trees heeled in the ground over winter and covered heavily with 

 leaves were damaged by mice. — Yersailles. Ky. 



During the winter of 1903-4 we had about 50 trees girdled in the orchard. 

 Field mice seem to come as a scourge periodically. I can remember of from 

 four to five seasons out of the past twenty-five when the pest was very, very 

 numerous here. It seems almost incredible how all of a sudden they come and 

 then seemingly mysteriously disappear. The country seems now to be almost 

 free of them. — Center Point, Iowa. 



Considerable damage has been done in the nursery, particularly to seeds of 

 trees and shrubs, and also in girdling young trees under heavy snow. The mice 

 [pine mice] work under mulching on trees and, in mole runs, on seeds and roots 

 of some plants. — Saginaw, N. C. 



No injury was noticed this open winter, but last year they girdled many 

 young apple trees, both in the nursery rows and when heeled in. 



Some few years ago this whole section suffered untold mischief by an unusual 

 incursion of short-tailed field mice. They seemed to be everywhere, especially 

 on roadsides and under hedges. While the snow lay deep they ate the bark from 

 the roots of apple, locust, and some other trees, including the Osage orange. 



