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June 12, 1918 
Ur. E. 7/. Kelson, Chief, 
Bureau of Biological Survey, 
V/ashington, D. C. 
Dear Sir; 
I- 
This is in reply to your inquiry of the 5th instant, relative to 
the depredations of crosv? in Goodoe Hills and Sundale regions, Klickitat 
County in this state. About one year ago now, 1 visited this region in 
order to got an idea regarding the production of apricots and almonds there* 
I find that they have an acreage of about 1000 for the apricots and 600 
for the almonds. The crop of 1916 was very good of the apricots, but that 
year the crowa devastated the entire almond crop as far as the soft-shelled 
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varieties go. These latter constitute the larger part of their planting. 
The hard-shelled varieties such as Drake, were not seriously inj-ured, but 
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are used only for x>ollenizers and lack the value of the 1 X L, and the He 
Plus Ultra and other soft shelled varieties. 
At the time I was there, I su^estod that they might keep them away 
by poisoning or by shooting and the resident told me that they had tried 
both of these methods without apparent results. Very few people live in 
this region and it would be difficult for them to guard the acreage they 
have by means of shotguns or even the distribution of poisoning. 
•^e 1917 crop of apricots was badly injured by the crows at about 
the time they began to ripen. The crows then came from across the Colum- 
bia River, apparently from up the John Day River Valley and from a creek 
some four or five miles away on the ’.Vashington side of the Columbia. One 
of the growers there vnrote me tliat they would settle down almost by the 
