x le 
a | 
146 J. B. CLELAND. 
mice were becoming very plentiful at certain stations in the 
Wimmera and the North-West Mallee. The Victorian 
Wheat Commission, in order to minimise the damage as 
much as possible, shifted a number of the stacks to the 
seaboard. Sufficient stacks, however, were left to provide 
a breeding and feeding ground for the mice, which were 
daily increasing; at this period there were a great number 
of young ones in the stacks. During the harvest they were 
observed in the fields, and the old stacks at stations were 
now suffering severely, and it was apparent that a plague 
was about to occur. By the middle of ‘February, 1917, the 
damage to new wheat stacks was becoming serious, and 
loose wheat was pouring out all round these, and it became 
apparent that the great majority would collapse. 
‘““The Wheat Commission, during March, determined to 
shift the whole of the grain to sites selected near Melbourne. 
The railways were asked to make strenuous efforts, which 
they did; but in spite of all efforts, a number of stacks were 
by this time merely heaps of bran on the outside. However, 
on removing the outer covering, it was found that the lower 
layers of bags were very little damaged. This fact was due 
to the loose wheat running down through the stack and 
filling up the spaces. Incidentally, it proved that mice 
can do very: little damage to loose grain. 
‘‘Great damage was at this pericd caused by the roofs 
of the stacks collapsing, and allowing the water which 
fell on them to run in amongst the wheat. As a precaution 
and preventive, the Commission had erected a single gal- 
vanised fence round the stacks, with openings at every six- 
teen feet. Unfortunately, the manner of erection was a 
poor one, pegs being driven on each side of the iron. The 
mice soon learned to run up the pegs and jump on to the 
top of the iron, and then run down the opposite pegs to the 
eround. In the openings were placed kerosene tins with the 
