THE CALIFORNIA GROUND SQUIRREL. 
13 
WHEAT FOR WINTER POISONING. 
Wheat, since it has no outer hull to be removed by the squirrels, 
is better than barley for winter poisoning. It must be remembered, 
however, that poisoned wheat is very destructive to birds, particularly 
meadowlarks, doves, quail, and the smaller seed-eaters, so that great 
care is necessary in distributing it. If put out in the early morning 
close to the holes it is likely to be eaten by the squirrels before the 
birds find it. During the spring of 1910 poisoned wheat was used with 
good results in Riverside County by placing it in the squirrel holes. 
Boil a small quantity of gum tragacanth in 1^ pints of water to make 
a medium thick paste. When cool, add the strychnine and sacchar- 
ine and mix thoroughly. Pour the poisoned paste over the wheat 
and stir until evenly distributed. Then spread the wheat and allow 
it to dry before using. Gum arabic may be used instead of traga- 
canth. The advantage of tragacanth over starch is that it is more * 
resistant to moisture and therefore better for mnter use. 
Of the various baits experimented wdth in southern California, green 
barley heads proved most irresistible to the squirrels. During June 
and July, 1909, they were used with marked success at Banning, in an 
area of 8,000 acres in and adjacent to the orchard district. Here the 
squirrels were feeding on green grain and green almonds and doing a 
vast amount of damage. 
In selecting barley heads for this purpose the grain should be in the 
paste or ripening stage, and the long beards should be snipped off 
with scissors. They should then be immersed in a solution made by 
dissohdng one ounce of strychnia sulphate in a gallon of boiling 
water to which a teaspoonful of saccharine has been added. When 
the solution is cool, as many trimmed barley heads should be put into 
it as the liquid will cover, and they should be allowed tc soak for 
fifteen or twenty hours. 
The poisoned heads should be distributed in the early morning so 
that they may be eaten before drying. Two or three should be placed 
near each hole inhabited by adult squirrels, and six or eight in the 
case of families of young, as each squirrel is likely to eat an entire 
head before the poison takes effect. It is probable that green heads 
can be successfully coated with the starch-strychnine preparation, 
but this has not yet been done. 
Formula for poison ivheat. 
Wheat (clean) 
Strychnine (alkaloid, powdered) 
Saccharine 
Mucilage of gum tragacanth 
25-30 pounds 
1 ounce 
1 teaspoonful 
1 quart 
POISONING WITH GREEN BARLEY HEADS. 
