THE GROUND SQUIRRELS OP CALIFORNIA. 



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As community life became more and more an essential part of the 

 mission, centers of population called for increasing the agricultural 

 production. Truly everything that detracted from harvesting the limit 

 would be observed, hence the ravages of pests were considered in due 

 time. The ending of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth 

 centuries bring specific mention of damage done, which, however, 

 appeared to be largely local. No mention is made of any very wide- 

 spread destruction of crops. It seems that rats were prevalent, for 

 space is taken at times to mention the "ratones" which worked on the 

 harvested crops. These references may be to woodrats or may have 

 been a collective term to designate all rodents, including the squirrels 

 and field mice. 



Naturally, the first active ground squirrel campaign, the first symp- 

 toms of concerted and unified effort to effect a riddance of the pest 

 will evoke some interest. From all that can be gathered, this occurred 

 at Santa Barbara during the spring of 1808. The historian Bancroft, 

 speaks of it in this fashion : ' 1 That ground squirrels had already proved 

 a pest to the farmer at this early date is shown by the fact that about a 

 thousands of these animals were killed in nine days of May, 1808." No 

 clue as to the methods of control employed is given, but judging from 

 the rapidity with which the deal was consummated, bows and arrows 

 must have played a large part. We do have evidence that poisons were 

 used on rats at San Diego when they became a pest, and it may be 

 inferred that poison may have been used against squirrels. 



The years 1821 and 1822 seemed favorable for ground squirrel 

 multiplication, inasmuch as the Purissima and the Santa Margarita 

 Rancho of San Luis Obispo Mission registered complaints. Both are 

 in typically good squirrel country so the report necessarily need not be 

 surprising. Later, in 1829, it is found that throughout California 

 where missions had been established both squirrels and grasshoppers 

 did considerable damage. The fact that they were troublesome can 

 in a measure be accounted for in the dryness of the season. Lack of 

 natural food has forced the squirrel to seek fields anew for foraging, 

 especially as range stock became more numerous and wild horses were 

 getting to be very common as well. Again, in 1839, considerable damage 

 by squirrels is noted in the neighborhood of San Buenaventura. 



By this time some enterprising Americans and Europeans had come 

 to the Pacific coast, few in numbers at first but increasing annually. 

 During the "40 V when the land-grant system held sway, when the 

 land of our state was considered to be fit for naught but grazing, com- 

 plaints necessarily would be few. The large holders have never had 

 cause to worry about the damage by squirrels for it meant merely the 

 loss of feed for a few head of stock out of thousands. The loss in this 

 way would be less, perhaps, than the direct loss to stock from the 

 number of predatory animals which helped to keep squirrels in check. 

 It has ever been noticeable that the trouble and damage complained of 

 has come from agricultural communities where many people are fighting 

 against the adversities of climate and pests on small tracts under not 

 altogether favorable conditions; where every cent expended for mate- 

 rial or labor must be conserved in order that a profit may be realized 

 at harvest. In counties where large holdings are still the rule, a very 



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