26 POCKET GOPHERS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Tabh \ showing amounts paid in Gopher bounties in Iowa, by counties — Continued. 



County. 



Ringgold . . . 

 Slieiln 



Do 



Do 



Tama 



Winneshiek 

 Boone 



Franklin 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Buchanan . . . 



Jolinsou 



Greene 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Plymouth... 

 Harrison . . . 

 Marshall..-. 



Do 



Cerro Gordo 



Benton.. . 



Do... 



Do . . . 



Do... 

 Hamilton 

 Madison . 



Do... 



Date. 



Bounty 

 on each 

 Gopher. 



Amouni 

 specified as 

 paid for 

 ( iophers 

 alone. 



Total paid 

 for Gophers 

 and ground 



squirrels — 

 not discrimi- 

 nated. 





C*/> > i / c 

 \ t II i o . 



10 

 10 ■ 







1870 



$34. 30 

 481 ! 50 

 3. 00 





1871 





1872 







TNTn lw*iiiitv t'civ 90 Vf*ifti*fi 





1887 



10 

 10 







to 1888 " 

 1885 









* 750. 00 



* 965. 00 



* 1 195. 00 

 *l] 546. 00 



* 1, 800. 00 



1887 





1888 







1889 







1868-1875 



10 





TCl> llllllTltV f*OV 90 





Iggg 



10 

 10 

 10 

 10 

 10 

 5 



337. 10 

 392. 50 

 256. 80 

 '24 i. 80 





1870 





1871 





187 -> 





1873 





1875-76 





No hounty since 1874 . . . 







1868 



15 

 15 

 10 



10 

 20 

 124 

 10 





2, 087. 10 



860-1870 





une 9,1864, to Oct, 18, 

 1865. 



1866 





' &54. 45 



2, 000. 00 

 10, 000. 00 



1867 





1868 





June to December. 1868 . 

 1874 ( ?) 





* 1, 800. 00 

 t5, 000. 00 





1864 



m 





1865 





t5,000. 00 







Estimated. 



t Approximate. 



OBJECTIONS TO THE BOUNTY SYSTEM. 



The objections to the bounty system as a means of reducing the 

 numbers of farm pests have been already stated in the publications of 

 this division. The matter is of such importance, however, that certain 

 facts of special interest in the present connection may well be repeated. 



The experience of nearly all the States which have paid bounties for 

 the destruction of injurious animals has been that the system is not 

 only very expensive, but unsatisfactory. In the case of Montana the 

 money in the treasury was exhausted before the act had been in opera- 

 tion six months, and yet the ground squirrels were not perceptibly 

 diminished. The experience of Benton County, Iowa, with Pocket 

 Gophers also shows the disastrous effects of offering high bounties. 

 In 1866 a bounty of 10 cents per scalp was paid. The- following year 

 the bounty was increased to 20 cents, and amounted to $10,000. This 

 caused the county to borrow $3,000, and still left Gopher warrants 

 unpaid to the amount of $3,000 additional. The bounty was then 

 reduced to 124 cents for six mouths, then to 10 cents, and was finally 

 abolished on January 1, 1800, the entire amount paid out in three years 

 being about $18,000; but the Gopher, although greatly reduced in 

 numbers, was not exterminated. 



The result wa s hardly more successful in the Dakotasand Minnesota, 

 and in several cases the bounties were withdrawn within a few months 



