8 



farmers' bulletin Wi 



The basis of classification in determining these percentages was the 

 appearance of the leather side of the dried pelt — clear tan color for 

 the prime skins and spotted or blotched with bluish black for those 

 not prime. Moleskins are mainly thus graded by fur buyers, although, 

 of course, the size of the pelt and the care with which it has been 

 handled will partly determine its value. Skins are considered mar- 

 ketable no matter at what season of the year they are taken, but 

 clear, prime pelts command the better prices. 



MOLE TRAPS. 



In Europe a great many moles are taken by means of homemade 

 snaring devices. The trappers there also make use of both wooden 

 and metal traps that are cheap and of simple construction. All 

 types of mole traps in common use in America are made of metal and 

 depend for their operation on the same sort of tripping device — a 

 trigger pan designed to rest on an obstruction produced in the mole's 

 runway when the trap is set. The trap is sprung when the mole 

 follows its natural instinct to reopen the run by burrowing through 

 or upheaving the obstruction. The entire mechanism of such traps 



is aboveground or concealed in 

 the loose soil, no part being 

 within the runway proper. It 

 is a waste of time to try to 



FIG. 5.-A good, strong garden trowel is the best tool for ^^^^^l molcS with Ordinary Steol 



use in setting mole traps. 



traps, rat traps, gopher traps, 

 or Uke devices, for the animal almost invariably burrows under any- 

 thing thus introduced into its runs. 



The catching and killing mechanisms of American mole traps are 

 of three types: (1) Choker loops, (2) gripping or scissor jaws, and 

 (3) impahng spikes. Several different makes of the impahng or 

 harpoon trap are on sale, particularly in the East and Middle West. 

 In actual use, however, they are the least efficient of the three types. 

 They are large, clumsy devices, record a low percentage of catch, 

 and have the additional disadvantage of injuring the skins of moles 

 that are trapped for their fur. The other two types are illustrated 

 in figures 7 and 8. 



HOW TO SET TRAPS. 



No better tool for use in setting mole traps can be found than a 

 good, strong garden trowel, such as is illustrated in figure 5. Make 

 the break or opening into the burrow no larger than is necessary to 

 accommodate the trap; otherwise the mole may deviate from the 

 original course and pass through without being caught. Even when 

 placing the trap on one of the shallow hunting paths, it will pay to 

 dig into the runway and adapt the setting to known conditions. 



