NURSERY PRACTICE FOR PRAIRIE-PLAINS PLANTING 141 



GROUND SQUIRRELS 



The three species of ground squirrels (Citellus sp.) that have caused 

 some damage in nurseries in the prairie plains are the Richardson 

 ground squirrel or flickertail, the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, and 

 the Franklin ground squirrel. Ground squirrels eat some seed, but 

 most of the damage caused by them is through the burying of seed or 

 seedlings with soil deposited at the surface of their burrows. 



These pests may be completely controlled on small areas by shoot- 

 ing or catching them at the mouth of the burrow in No. steel traps. 

 As a bait method of control on larger areas, poisoned oats are especially 

 effective. For safety, the control area should cover a strip extending 

 about 100 yards past the outer boundaries of the nursery. 



A satisfactory strychnine bait may be prepared from the following: 



Strychnine alkaloid 1 ounce. 



Powdered borax 2 ounces. 



Wheat flour 1 ounce. 



Powdered dry glucose (corn sugar) 1 ounce. 



Water l}i pints. 



Glycerin 2 ounces. 



Whole recleaned oat?_ lc pounds. 



Blend the first four dry materials. Paste the mixture with % pint of 

 cold water. Bring to a boil % pint of water and stir in the paste, 

 heating until a smooth mixture is obtained. Now add the glycerin 

 and mix well. Pour this while hot over the grain and stir until the 

 grain is completely coated. Allow to dry before sacking. 



MOLES 



Several species of moles (Scalopus) occur in the prairie-plains and 

 have occasionally caused some loss in recently sown beds or seed 

 rows, chiefly through caving-in of the tunnels under seed rows or 

 drying-out of seedlings above the runways. They can be controlled 

 by use of any one of several types of common steel traps on the 

 market, working on the spear, loop, or jaw principle 



POCKET GOPHERS 



Pocket gophers (Geomys and Thomomys) can do considerable harm 

 in a nursery by covering up parts of the seedling rows and by feeding 

 on the roots. Their tunnels are excavated below the ground surface at 

 a depth varying from 4 to 12 inches or more and are easily located by 

 probing in the vicinity of the numerous mounds of earth thrown up at 

 distances of a few yards to several rods. The gophers live almost 

 exclusively below ground and traps and poison baits must be placed 

 accordingly. The animals may be caught best with a regular pocket 

 gopher trap. 



Pocket gopher workings have a main runway and many short 

 lateral tunnels from 1 to 3 feet long through which soil is brought to 

 the surface to form a mound. If a mound is carefully examined it 

 will be noted that there is a depression on one side and that the lateral 

 connecting the mound to the main runway is on this side. The 

 runway leading to a fresh mound should be opened, and if the lateral 

 is long enough, a trap should be set in it. If the lateral is short, set a 

 trap each way in the main tunnel. Leave the hole open, or cover it 



