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THE GROUND SQUIRRELS OP CALIFORNIA. 



757 



their vigilance. Right now every county that has immediate prospects 

 for a good control of its rodent pests has had a thorough educational 

 campaign and has established the handling of poison supplies on a 

 firm basis (Fig. 46). The county officer in charge in some cases has 

 turned the work over to his deputy commissioner, who, if a man trained 

 in rodent control, will likely be more successful than the commissioner 

 in properly executing the duty imposed by the County Horticultural 

 Commissioners Act. 



If the centralization of the many duties of all these fifty county 

 horticultural commissioners could be obtained by placing one leader in 

 charge, far greater general efficiency can be expected. In this day of 

 standardization, results commensurate with the amounts expended by 

 county horticultural officers can be looked for more expectantly when 

 they report to one chief. This is a general statement, and, of course, 

 has exceptions. The present independence of the county commissioners 

 has shown what can be accomplished by men of high caliber, hence it 

 follows that what can be done by one county horticultural commissioner 

 ought not be considered more than a reasonable attainment by the 

 remaining. 



County commissioners of horticulture were not experts in rodent con- 

 trol work. They were so scattered from one end of California to the 

 other that to make their common needs felt would necessitate the 

 establishment of a bureau for disseminating suitable educational matter 

 and bringing together co-operative agencies, many of which could 

 render invaluable aid. 



To fulfill such a requirement the State Commissioner of Horticulture 

 organized in his office a Rodent Control Division, the duties of which 

 are outlined elsewhere. Of what value this division was in assisting 

 the county officials to perfect their technique of dealing with their new 

 duties can not be fully realized at so early a date. However, it can be 

 said that such value depended largely upon the amount of use these 

 men would make of the division. An important phase of the activities 

 of such an office would be the relieving of complaints filed against the 

 infestations of rodents upon state and government lands. The Bureau 

 of Biological Survey was handling the latter in very good fashion ; still 

 handicaps by lack of funds were being confronted. By a co-operative 

 agreement exchanges of operations could be made whereby duplication 

 would be eliminated. In exchange for work on government lands the 

 Rodent Control Division received the word that state lands would be 

 attended to in localities where this federal agency was engaged. In 

 consequence county horticultural commissioners knew that they could 

 overrule the complaints that federal and state governments were doing 

 nothing. Hence, attempting control of rodent pests of economic impor- 

 tance upon state lands in California was one of the prime tasks con- 

 fronting a newly organized Rodent Control Division. One most essential 

 step to bring about a control was first to learn of the situations of the 

 areas in question, then to ascertain in detail the amount of infestation 

 to proceed against. Field assistants followed maps prepared at head- 

 quarters giving the location of such areas which they were to seek out 

 for control operations, often being called upon to resort to pack animals 

 to reach the remoter regions when on this reconnaissance work (Fig. 47) . 



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