PARK AND CEMETERY. 
181 
ASKED AND ANSWERED 
An exchange of experience on practical matters by our readers. You 
are invited to contribute questions and ansvuers in this department 
Killing Ground Squirrels, Gophers and 
Chipmunks. 
Editor Asked and Answered : Tn our 
principal cemetery we are having a plague 
of ground squirrels — chipmunks. Can you 
suggest some way of getting rid of them? 
They destroy thousands of our early bulbs. 
— \V. J. P., Vt. 
If your Vermont subscriber will get 
Gopher Death, made by the Fort Dodge 
Chemical Co., Fort Dodge, la., and have 
his lawn men carry it with them, and 
every time they see a chipmunk go in his 
hole, drop two or three tablets in the hole 
it will get them almost every time. We 
have been using it for two seasons and 
you very seldom see one in our cemetery ; 
before we got this Gopher Death, we had 
them by the thousands. It comes in SOc, 
75c and $1.25 sizes. Leroy Christie, 
Supt., Ottumwa Cemetery. 
Ottumwa, la. 
[Gopher Death is advertised on another 
page in this issue.] 
Replying to your inquiry of the 27th re- 
garding the extermination of the ground 
squirrel or chipmunk would say that in 
past years I have found the best way is 
to take a lump of cheap cotton, saturate it 
with bisulphide of carbon, push it quickly 
down the hole or run and immediately 
cover the hole with a piece of sod. This 
is a very deadly poison, and must be used 
with caution by anyone handling it, and 
also must be done very quickly. 
This gas is extremely heavy and pene- 
trates to the remotest part of the run, 
being heavier than air, and this will wind 
up with due form of “burial” the careers 
of these little pests. .Another means is to 
place a piece of carrot or similar vegetable, 
in which some grains of arsenic or strych- 
nine have been placed with a knife or in- 
strument, at the hole, and in nearly every 
case the chipmunk will eat it and die. The 
former way, if carried out right, is the 
best, for you do two things at the same 
time, kill the animal and cover up his bur- 
row. E. ,A. Merri.\.m. 
Supt., Forest Hills Cemetery. 
Chattanooga, Tenn. 
As to the best method of getting rid of 
ground squirrels, we have had most satis- 
factory results killing gophers with bisul- 
phide of carbon used in the following 
manner ; Saturate a ball of cotton the 
size of a walnut with bisulphide and drop 
into the entrance to their runs, then cover 
the hole with a piece of sod and press in 
with the foot. The gas from the bisul- 
phide being heavier than air will fill the 
run and suffocate the squirrel. Should 
there be two entrances to the run, both 
should be plugged. Great care must be 
used in handling this fluid as it is very 
inflammable. Arthur \V. Hobert, 
Supt., Lakewood Cemetery. 
Minneapolis, Minn. 
In reply to question as to how to get 
rid of ground squirrels that destroy the 
tulip bulbs would say that I should try 
and keep the little fellows, and instead of 
destroying them would feed them, as it is 
hunger that makes them eat the bulbs. 
However, as this is an expensive thing to 
do your correspondent might want a 
cheaper way out of it. He can choose any 
of the following ways: Shooting them, 
or trapping with a little spring trap that 
can be bought for about five cents a piece, 
baited with grated apple, oatmeal, or any 
kind of nuts, especially peanuts, and placed 
around the bulb beds in the spring or fall ; 
or he can use any of the poisons, such as 
arsenate of lead, mixed in the same baits. 
Alex H.\nton, 
Barre, Vt. Supt. of Cemeteries. 
Following is a recipe which I have found 
worked very satisfactorily: Dissolve one 
ounce strychnine sulphate in one pint of 
water (boiling) ; add one pint of sugar 
syrup or 1 ounce commercial saccharine 
into this solution ; soak corn or something 
of that nature and scatter near their abode. 
Robert E. Scrivener, 
Supt., Cedar Hill Cemetery. 
Hartford, Conn. 
Preserving an Old Chestnut Tree. 
Editor Park and Cemetery : With re- 
gard to an inquiry in your “Asked and 
.Answered” department in your June issue 
about “Preserving an Old Chestnut Tree,” 
now free from disease, I should like to 
offer a word. Contrary to the generally 
accepted theory that this cannot be done, 
I did not find it so, because it has already 
been done, while all trees not treated have 
died. T have not now the time and data 
to elaborate on the problem, and let me 
hope that “M. C.” will make it his duty 
to endeavor to save his tree. .A whole lot 
of impossible things are being accomplished 
every year now : therefore, don’t get dis- 
couraged by the answer you received — and 
report results to this magazine. T have 
excellent formulas for this, but they are 
not now within reach. Therefore, for the 
present, I would advise “M. C.” to spray 
thoroughly with standard bordeaux mix- 
ture. being careful to reach every part and 
crevice of trunk and branches. You will 
find it an excellent repellant in contact 
with which the germs of this disease can- 
not develop. W. M. O. Edwards. 
Pencoyd, Pa. 
Cemetery Nurseries. 
Is it profitable for a cemetery to main- 
tain a nursery? A'es and no: Most mod- 
ern cemeteries are developing their grounds 
toward definite landscape plans, whereon 
all roads, lots and walks as well as the 
location, variety and number of all plants 
to be used are recorded. The usual method 
is to develop a few blocks at a time in 
advance of the requirements, rather than 
maintain unnecessarily large areas for 
years before used. Unless changes are to 
he made in the grading at the time of the 
final development, many of the deciduous 
trees and some of the evergreens can be 
placed in permanent position at first and 
be attaining their growth there. 
Shrubbery planting is most successful 
when medium-sized stock is planted from 
three to five years previous to the opening 
of the section for sale. 
It is my opinion that stock of the ordi- 
nary nursery size can usually be bought in 
quantities, cheaper than it can be propa- 
gated, or grown from small plants by the 
cemetery company, and with more satis- 
faction as to obtaining the varieties and 
quantities needed. In a small private nurs- 
ery in connection with a cemetery there 
is usually considerable loss and expense 
due to lack of equipment and organization 
of labor, or the cost of the proper equip- 
ment per plant, failure in dry seasons, etc. 
One way in which plants can be grown 
profitably, perhaps, is in planting small or 
medium-sized plants fairly heavy in the 
shrubbery beds of the sections developed 
first. This close planting will give the best 
immediate results, but in the course of five 
to ten years will require respacing. .At 
this time the surplus plants can be used 
where the given varieties are specified in 
the new sections being planted, and there 
they will give immediate results. 
Hake & Hare, 
. Landscape .Architects. 
Kansas City, Mo. 
In reply to the question, “How many 
cemeteries maintain nurseries and do they 
find it profitable?” I should say that many 
cemeteries do but that more should do so. 
.Almost every cemetery has some area of 
ground that is not platted to lots or for 
some reason can be used to grow nursery 
stock. With a stock on hand that is grow- 
ing more valuable each year and requiring 
little labor when additional planting is de- 
sired a nursery on the ground is certainly 
a good investment and a great convenience. 
The stock can be purchased in quantity 
and of small size which in.sures its growth. 
The stock can be grown for two to five 
years before planting in the permanently 
prepared areas, as may be desired. 
Paul L. Mueller, 
Landscape .Architect. 
Minneapolis, Minn. 
^’ou ask me, “Does your cemetery main- 
