used a hedge of Mahonia (selling now at $1.50 to $2.00 each for 
18 inch plants). Another plan has Cosmos and Spirea Van- 
Houttii blooming luxuriantly side by side; "verily October wed 
with May." How was the architect to know that this was a 
Horticultural Anachronism ? 
Emily Perkins Knapp. 
Garden Pests and Remedies . 
For scale on Eaonymus radicans use an emulsion composed of 
one cake Ivory soap and four tablespoonfuls of kerosene with 
enough water to make it spray. Mix thoroughly. 
Fight Mice Among Fruit Trees Now. 
Anyone who recalls the damage done by mice — and partly 
perhaps, by rabbits — to young fruit trees during the winter of 
1920, will be interested in the suggestion made by the New York 
State College of Agriculture that now is the time to combat such 
pests and prevent a repetition of the injury. 
The plan is simply the use of poisoned bait. A standard 
formula is: one ounce powdered strychnine (alkaloid), one ounce 
powdered bicarbonate of soda, and one-eighth ounce or less of 
saccharin, thoroughly mixed and then sifted with a pepperbox 
over 50 pounds of crushed wheat, or 40 pounds crushed oats, or 
30 pounds of oatmeal, the grain to be constantly stirred in a 
metal vessel meanwhile, so that the poison will be uniformly 
distributed through it. 
In view of the dangerous nature of such material and its 
possible effects on poultry, pets and desirable bird neighbors, it 
is recommended that portions of the bait be placed in old tin 
cans of which the covers are partly pushed to. These cans 
should then be placed under boards, in brush piles or at the base 
of trees throughout the orchard, nursery or wherever tree injury 
may be anticipated. 
Such containers will not only keep the poison out of reach of 
animals that it is not meant for, but also provide attractive 
haunts and shelters for the marauding mice, which once lured 
inside will soon devour the bait and suffer the inevitable 
consequences. 
Of course, as in fighting cutworms, borers or any other pest, 
no one method will prove all sufficient in preventing winter 
injury to trees by rodents. However, the method outlined above 
is well worth being included as one of the ways of saving our 
fruit and ornamental stocks from unnecessary injury. 
ROMAYNE LiATTA WARREN. 
172 
