DALLES POCKET GOPHER 



31 



carrots. On 2 quarts of bait sift i/ 8 ounce of powdered strychnine 

 alkaloid 9 and mix thoroughly by tossing gently in a pail. Baits that are 

 properly prepared have a grey cast. 



The runways are located by probing the soil with a gopher probe 

 (fig. 14); care should be taken not to break in the runway by trampling. 

 A single bait is dropped through the probe hole into the burrow and 

 the hole is covered with a clod, a handful of moist dirt, or some object 

 that will shut off the light. Each burrow system should be baited at two 

 or three places, and only those portions of the system showing fresh 

 workings should be treated. 



ROUND, SOLID 

 IRON END- 



8R0CM 

 HANDLE- 



V 



SHOVEL 

 HANDLE 



H-- 



L-J 



4 GAS 

 PIPE " 



FOOT REST- 



2 GAS 

 PIPE * 



h r 1 



8 NUT BRAZED TO 

 T- JOINT 



J STEEL 

 R00 



ROUND, SOLID 

 IRON END 



f SET 

 SCREW 



8 STEEL 

 ROD 



A B C D 



Figure 14. — Runway probes used to reach burrows when trapping or poisoning pocket 

 gophers: A, Made from broom handle and steel rod; B, from shovel handle; C, from 

 gas pipe, for use in soft soil; and D. preferred type of probe, from gas pipe with 

 steel rod, for use in hard soil. 



Success in eradication depends largely on keeping bait clean and plac- 

 ing it correctly (fig. 15). Bait that is placed in side runways or in holes 

 in the floor of main runways is not likely to be found by the gophers. 

 Even when bait is correctly placed, an occasional gopher may refuse to 

 take it. Trapping may then be necessary. Several inexpensive types of 

 pocket gopher traps are on the market. However, the use of traps exclu- 

 sively in a control operation is much more costly than poisoning. 



9 Strychnine sulfate mav be substituted for strychnine alkaloid but, being water 

 soluble, it is more readily washed or leached from the baits and therefore is often 

 less effective. 



