THE GROUND SQUIRRELS OF CALIFORNIA. 



731 



the bounty plan has proved itself a hopeless source of relief. No county 

 in California can say that an approximate control has ever been reached ; 

 nor has any county continued payment for several years at a time 

 under the bounty scheme of extermination. Owing to the lack of con- 

 certed effort on the part of landowners, or on the part of bounty hunters, 

 of which there were a number of professionals, the amounts expended 

 were really wasted, for reinfestation was rapid. 



SUBSTITUTES FOR BOUNTIES. 



After it had been so frequently demonstrated that bounties were 

 inefficient and inadequate, boards of supervisors naturally looked for 

 a means whereby they could carry out the part of a law entrusted to 

 them. 1 The plan of free poison not only seemed to point toward a 

 solution of ground squirrel eradication, but opened an opportunity for 

 political patronage to many of their constituents rather than to a few. 

 The Tulare County Board of Supervisors in 1902 allotted to each 

 supervisor the sum of $500 to be used in making up poisoned grain for 

 his district. This county merely serves as an example of the change, 

 for many others tried the plan but discontinued it after it was learned 

 that many a pound taken was never used for squirrels at all. Often 

 it was placed on a shelf or suspended from a rafter to remain for 

 several years. Often it was found to make fairly suitable seed grain 

 if supplied in large enough quantity and when found to be compara- 

 tively ineffective against ground squirrels served as chicken feed when 

 mixed with other unpoisoned grain. One plan adopted by the Modoc 

 County Board of Supervisors did away with a great deal of misuse of 

 the free poison privilege. Most ranchers in that county raise sufficient 

 oats for horse feed, consequently it was quite feasible to follow a sug- ^ 

 gestion to furnish the ingredients necessary to making a good prepa- 

 ration in a form ready to apply to the grain. This was started in the 

 spring of 1915, following the payment of $9,159.62 on squirrel tails at 

 three cents apiece in 1914. 



Preparation of the ingredients in this way proved very satisfactory. 

 The fluid was mixed fresh each week, consequently no cause for inef- 

 fectiveness could be charged to the preparator of the dope. If anything 

 was Wrong with the poisoned grain the one mixing the grain would 

 generally be found to blame. It might be noted that the individual 

 compounding this fluid could be dishonest, since a ready market could 

 be found for the ingredients; however, it would soon tell in the rate of 

 mortality among the squirrels per quart of grain. This method was 

 pursued even during 1918 with an expenditure for this year of $6,308.03 

 for necessary ingredients to make the paste to be applied to the grain. 



With the advent of the County Horticultural Commissioners Act 

 of 1917 it was very obvious that some expedient would need to be 

 adopted whereby poisoned grain or supplies for properly mixing a 

 - suitable product should be furnished by county horticultural commis- 

 sioners. At the County Horticultural Commissioners' Convention at 

 Sacramento during November, 1917, the plan suggested and already 

 adopted by many commissioners, namely, to furnish poisoned grain 

 mixed according to the best known formula at actual cost, was generally 



*See footnote, p. 729. 



139 



