754 



THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



The plans upon which extensive campaign measures were instituted 

 by the public health service were very sound to start with. The camp 

 established to create a squirrel-free zone about Oakland, Berkeley and 

 Alameda served as a training camp for new men. Life histories, habits 

 and control measures of squirrels were taught to those needing such 

 information before starting into the field. Many of the employees had 

 seen military service during the Spanish-American War, hence the 

 establishment of camps upon a semimilitary basis was not at all difficult 

 and the men seemed to take to the procedure in a very satisfactory 

 manner. The last half of 1911 saw an augmentation of the field force 

 which resulted in the cleaning up of many acres of land. Every effort 

 was made to keep the bay cities in a rapidly improving condition by 



Fig. 53. A type of mixing box for small batches of poisoned 

 grain. Type of drying tray and shovel used in mixing is 

 shown. 



not allowing rats to become infected by fleas from squirrels, by means 

 of the formation of the Alameda-Contra Costa Squirrel-Free Zone. 

 A second zone, called "squirrel-free," was established in the region 

 east of the San Joaquin River to prevent spread throughout other parts 

 of California as well as to the East. Foci of plague infection received 

 special attention from the crews operating at the time and from the 

 persistent attitude displayed, great possibilities were anticipated. A 

 great many counties, about twenty, were covered in whole or in part 

 up until the close of 1911, but unfortunately depletion of the appro- 

 priation caused a suspension of active work in all but four counties in 

 which there was immediate danger of the plague spreading if vigilance 

 in any way was relaxed. In the four counties, San Joaquin, Contra 

 Costa, Alameda and Santa Clara, the concentration of all men from 

 the many counties pointed toward an effective country-wide cleanup, 

 inasmuch as smaller inspection districts could be allotted those engaged. 



By the end of 1913, the maintaining of a squirrel-free zone in Alameda 

 and Contra Costa counties was discontinued, the plague cases were rap- 

 idly disappearing and all indications pointed toward a cessation of 

 activities by the end of 1914. Some of the counties still continued to 

 ' contribute sums ranging from $200 to $500 per month, which amounts 



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