118 FIELD MICE. 
known in this section for many years. From early 
in December, snow-storms followed each other at 
short intervals, ustally accompanied by heavy wind, 
in certain places drifting and piling up the snow 
several feet high. About the first of March nearly 
all our pear orchard lay under a bed of snow five 
feet in depth, a part of which remained on the 
ground until the beginning of April. When the 
surface was clear, I soon found, on examination, evi- 
dence of the activity of these mice. Forty-one pear 
trees were injured—some half way round the body, 
others had but a narrow connection of bark left— 
and, to my great dismay, twenty-six trees, for which 
I would not have entertained an offer of $500, were 
completely girdled. There were a number barked 
two feet above the surface of the ground, and some 
of the main branches were eaten badly. 
Under the circumstances, it was imperative that 
something should be done. If left as they were, the 
trees could not survive. From each of them the 
bark had been most effectually removed, leaving a 
bare place of wood twelve inches wide. 
Some years ago, in hunting up horticultural curi- 
osities, I found, to my surprise, on the farm of John 
Brill, near Newark, a large cherry tree, about ten 
inches in diameter, that, when young, had been 
girdled, and in which he had inserted three scions in | 
