G CIRCULAR 3 81, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Moles will upset the arrangement of things in an exasperating way, 

 and by upheaving along the rows cause the younger plants to die out 

 there, 



Since the gladiolus is commonly grown in midsummer, with the 

 bulbs safely stored in winter, the risk of damage from burrowing 

 rodents is restricted to the season when the fields are under closest 

 observation. Offsetting this advantage, however, is the fact that the 

 plants are fed upon at night by wild rabbits of several species (fig. 3) 

 in the coast region and sometimes by deer in outlying districts. In 

 their nocturnal forays on the gladiolus plantings, the rabbits, coming 

 in from adjoining shelter of brushlands, feed consistently on the new 

 growth in areas already pastured, in preference to foraging on the 

 taller and less succulent plants at first neglected. 



B32802 



Figure 3. — Gladiolus planting eaten down by rabbits, near Encinitas, Calif. 



Plant breeders, originators of new varieties of gladioli, take the 

 utmost precautions to forestall any rodent damage to their highly 

 prized stocks. Whether founded on actual varietal differences in the 

 palatability of gladiolus bulbs, or possibly on other factors, there is 

 a widespread opinion among growers in some districts that rodents 

 show a preference for some horticultural varieties over others. 



BULBOUS IRISES 



Dutch and Spanish irises have come to be grown commercially on 

 the West coast in recent years, largely to supply a product for forcing 

 under glass. Bulbs and stems alike have found favor with some 

 rodents as a source of food supply, though the underground struc- 

 tures are more often attacked. In the extent of damage to bulbs, 

 meadow mice are the chief offenders in the Puget Sound district, and 

 pocket gophers in southern California and in Oregon. In southern 



