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BULLETIN OF THE BUSSEY INSTITUTION. 423 
take precedence of the bi-sulphide, at least here in the Atlantic 
States. Such naphtha might readily be prepared by the refiners 
of petroleum and could be supplied by them in any quantity at a 
nominal price. It is to be noted that while both these compounds 
are highly volatile, the vapors which they form are very heayy. 
These vapors are in fact much heavier than air and they would 
naturally tend to sink or flow downward towards the lowest point 
of any hole or burrow. 
Poisons. — The idea of placing poisoned fruit or pieces of squash 
or some other vegetable in the burrows of the woodchuck is plainly 
inadmissible, because of the habit of the animal to bring up to the 
surface of the soil any edible matter which has been placed in his 
hole, presumably in order that he may find space to sit upon his 
haunches while eating. I have tested this matter carefully by 
pushing sweet apples down the holes of several woodchucks, in 
April, immediately after the animais had awakened from their 
winter’s sleep. But in several instances I found afterwards half- 
eaten pieces of the apples lying upon the mounds of earth at the 
mouths of the holes into which they had been thrust. The marks 
of the woodchuck’s teeth on the fragments of uneaten fruit thus 
brought up, left no doubt as to the habit now in question and 
showed how utterly inadmissible it would be to put poisoned fruit 
or vegetables in the holes, because of the risk that children or 
farm animals might subsequently find and eat some pieces of it. 
Sulphur on Touch-Paper.— My attention was next turned to an 
old pian which is said to have been found useful for smoking out 
moles from their burrows, viz. the burning in the holes of sheets of 
touch-paper which have been saturated with Cayenne pepper, only 
that instead of the pepper I thought of using sulphur. After several 
trials of this idea, it became evident that pains would have to be 
taken to make the touch-paper highly inflammable and to add to it 
gunpowder or something such in order that heat enough should be 
generated to keep the excess of sulphur burning continuously. As 
a means of carrying out this plan, I sought to obtain some mealed- 
gunpowder from a neighboring pyrotechnist, Mr. B. M. Wedger 
of Roslindale, Mass., and was agreeably surprised to find that he 
had already worked out the idea of smothering woodchucks and 
had put it into practicable shape. On finding that he was prepared 
to supply ‘‘ woodchuck torches” in any quantity at the modest 
