Death to the Rodents. 



427 



Going After the Rodents. 



Up to and including the year 1916 the Biological Survey 

 had worked largely on field investigation of damage caused 

 by prairie dogs, ground squirrels, pocket gophers, jack rab- 

 bits, field mice, and related pests, together with study and ex- 

 perimentation to determine effective methods for their con- 

 trol or eradication in localities where they were proving 

 seriously destructive of crops and range grasses. 



Field-party operations against prairie dogs had been con- 

 ducted on 15 national forests in Arizona, Colorado, Mon- 

 tana, New Mexico, Utah, and Oklahoma, on the Crow In- 



BI9696 



Biological Survey Field Party Distributing Poisoned Grain 

 to Destroy Rodent Pests. 



Over 132,000 men working afoot and on horseback in cooperative campaigns 

 distributed 1,610 tons of poisoned grain on more than 32.000.000 acres of 

 range and farm land during the year 1020. The resulting destruction of 

 prairie dogs and ground squirrels effected a saving of $11,000,000. 



dian Reservation in Montana, the Fort Sill Military Reser- 

 vation in Oklahoma, and on considerable areas of public 

 lands in Wyoming. Similar operations against ground 

 squirrels had been undertaken on the California and Sequoia 

 National Forests, and other forests in Modoc, Monterey, 

 Kern, and Santa Barbara Counties. Calif. ; on a small area 

 in the vicinity of Sopris, Colo.; and on the Fort Totten In- 

 dian Reservation, N. Dak. A small amount of work had 

 been done against pocket gophers on the Sequoia and Tahoe 

 National Forests, Calif.; the Nebraska National Forest, 

 Nebr. ; and the Ochoco National Forest. Oreg. Some dem- 

 onstrations had also been given to show farmers and stock- 



