SPRAYING. FORMULAS. PESTS AND FRIENDS 63 



]\loles and field mice: These little animals burrow under- 

 ground and make small, irregular ridges in lawn or garden. 

 They often "follow a row" with great exactness, and there- 

 fore some people suppose that moles prey on plant roots, 

 seed, grain, etc. As a matter of fact the mole is after 

 grubs and insects that are feeding on the roots, and, there- 

 fore, he is — in this respect alone — doing the gardener a favor. 

 (Experts once captured and killed a number of moles, to 

 test the matter of their diet; only insects w^ere found in their 

 stomachs.) But, unfortunately, Mr. Mole, in his quest for 

 plant enemies, heaves up the ground, disturbs and breaks 

 plant roots, and upsets things generally. So the gardener 

 declares him a nuisance. The remedy? One or two mole 

 traps (sold by seedsmen and implement dealers), set in the 

 mole's regular runways. Field mice sometimes do injury to 

 growing crops, and moles are perhaps blamed for it. Reme- 

 dies: Traps, cats, poisoned bait, or the "Ratite" virus sold 

 by the Pasteur Vaccine Co., New York City. 



Birds: English sparrows are often a' pest in the garden, 

 eating tender shoots, leaves, etc. A few loads of fine shot 

 fired at them occasionally will frighten them away. If you 

 live in town where you can not fire a gun, no easy remedy 

 can be suggested. Poisoned grain will kill them, but on 

 account of the danger to pet animals and beneficial birds, 

 I can not advise its use. Cheap mosquito netting might be 

 spread over a small patch; or around currant bushes. I 

 know of one strawberry lover who screens in quite a fair- 

 sized ^bed_ of strawberries to keep robins, etc., from eating 

 the ripening fruit; he uses wire poultry-netting, supported, 

 top and sides, six feet high, and leaves the netting there 

 permanently. Crows and blackbirds 

 frequently pull up planted corn, and 

 pigeons are fond of peas, etc. Scare- 

 crows are of little use. The best pre- 

 ventive is to tar the seed, as follows: 

 Put the seed into a pail and pour on 

 enough warm water to cover it. Add 

 a teaspoonful of coal tar to a peck, 



and stir well. _ Throw the seed out on scarecrows are of 



a sieve or m a basket to dram, little use 



and then stir in a few handfuls of 



land plaster (gypsum), or air-slaked lime. Do not pour the 

 tar on the dry seed. (In this place let me say that nearly 

 all birds are beneficial to the garden in some way — crows eat 

 field mice, and birds in general eat many insects that do 

 harm. Toads, also, are friends of the gardener, because of 

 the many insects they devour. Never kill or drive away a 

 toad. Lady-bugs or lady-birds are friends, too; they eat the 

 tiny lice that suck a plant's juices. Bees are beneficial, for 

 they help the pollination of blossoms.) 



