RECOMMENDATIONS TO FARME1 ♦'• 1 
Fhis can be accomplished most readil} by dragging ;i heavj log or 
ptick of timber several nine- around each block of trees, packing the 
Miow so tinnh thai mice can n<>( tunnel under it. II 1 1 1 1 ~ precaution 
i- taken promptly after tin* first -now fall, subsequent fall- will re 
buire but little attention. Some nurserymen ploia furrows on both 
Bides of ilic t rees, throwing up the soil in a ridge along the rows; la it 
the expedient is of doubt ful ut ilii \ . 
Much of what has been said about the nursery will apply as well 
to young orchards. Clean cultivation is equally important, and 
bnder no circumstances should matted grass be allowed around the 
punks of trees or litter be permitted to accumulate in the orchard 
or along it- borders. ' In case of heavy snows, dragging should be 
resorted to or the -now stamped down carefully around each tree. 
In the absence of -now. a cleared space of about 18 inches radius 
about the trunk of each tree is enough to prevent damage. The 
lurface of the cleared space should be a> smooth as possible, as even 
clods of earth may afford shelter for mice. 
[f any part of the orchard is so located as to be subject to snow- 
Irifts and mice are abundant in the vicinity, tree protector- should 
he used. These may be had of dealers for 60 to 75 cent- per hundred 
or they may be made by the farmer. Those offered for sale are usu- 
ally wood veneers of some sort. !n California the wood of a yucca 
yYucca brevifolia) is utilized for the purpose. Strips of wire cloth 
make excellent protector-, and tarred, paper is a favorite with some 
korticulturists. The wire cloth or paper i- (ait into strips about 7 
Inches wide and at least L5 inches long. A strip is secured around 
each tree with wire or cord. Tarred paper should never he used on 
very young trees, and when used on others should not he left in place 
luring the summer, since it may injure the growing tree. 
Various paints and washes have been recommended to prevent 
attacks of mice and rabbits in orchards. The majority of these are 
without merit and some of them are liable to kill young trees. Some 
of the washes require renewal after every hard rain. In experiments 
with a wash of whale-oil soap, crude carbolic acid, and water, for 
apple trees, it was found that in about forty-eight hour- the carbolic 
acid had so far evaporated that mice renewed their work upon the 
hark. Blood and grease, -aid to give immunity from rabbit attacks, 
would invite the attacks of field mice. 
Reports recently received by the Biological Survey seem to indicate 
that the ordinary lime-and-sulphur wash, recommended for the winter 
spraying of trees to destroy the San Jose scale, is an effective pre- 
ventive of the attacks of both mice and rabbits. Personal observa- 
tions during the winter of 1906-7 indicate that this claim i- well 
founded. Several correspondents state that they have tried the wash 
successfully, and the matter is worth further investigation. The wash 
i> very cheap (from 1 to 2 cents a gallon when prepared in 45 to 50 
