'/352 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  7,  1897. 
OUR  FRIEND  IN  VELVET. 
IIow  does  the  dictionary  classify  or  describe  vermin  ?  ”  “  All  sorts 
of  small  animals  or  insects  which  are  destructive  to  grain  or  other 
produce;  noxious  persons,”  Now,  this  is  clear  and  delinite  at  any 
rate,  and  it  remains  with  us  to  look  closely  at  evidence  before  us 
ere  we  can  truly  designate  our  little  friend  the  mole  as  vermin. 
Set  a  report  afloat,  and  see  how  difficult  it  is  to  stop  that  report ; 
nay,  indeed,  how  impossible  it  is  to  prevent  its  being  magnified, 
distorted,  and  twisted  till  at  length  little  of  the  original  matter 
remains.  The  old  proverb  about  the  dog  and  his  bad  name  and 
ultimate  end  is  as  true  to-day  as  in  the  days  of  ^sop.  Once  let 
the  idea  get  thoroughly  established  in  men’s  minds  that  a  certain 
animal  or  plant  is  obnoxious  or  detrimental  to  their  welfare  in  the 
smallest  degree,  not  the  most  circumstantial  evidence  will  convince 
them  to  the  contrary.  So  few  people  cultivate  habits  of  close 
observance — we  are  so  ready  to  take  all  on  trust,  and  ready  to  swear 
by  (not  on)  the  printed  book.  We  have  a  beautiful  faith,  but  it  is 
the  faith  of  ignorance,  not  assurance. 
It  is  almost  a  wonder  that  among  an  agricultural  ‘population  we 
do  not  find  more  students  of  natural  history  or  science — perhaps  there 
are  these  students,  but  modesty  keeps  them  Irom  lifting  up  their 
voice  in  the  street,  or  at  the  corners  of  the  market  place.  The 
agriculturist  has  the  grandest  of  opportunities,  he  is  for  ever  out  and 
about  with  Nature  in  all  her  moods,  and  might,  if  he  had  the  observant 
eye,  daily  learn  some  lesson  of  her  gracious  teaching. 
We  have  looked  through  much  evidence  with  regard  to  the 
manners  and  habits  of  the  mole,  and  the  conclusion  w'e  have  arrived 
at  is  this — that  the  harm  they  do  is  so  infinitesimal  as  to  be  quite 
overbalanced  by  their  good  properties,  and  to  our  mind  there  is  a 
very  great  question  as  to  whether  they  do  any  harm  at  all.  The 
indictment  against  them  is  that  in  grass  or  freshly  tilled  land  they 
throw  up  unsightly  hillocks.  These  hillocks  consist  of  fine  earth,  and 
on  grass  they  cannot  but  be  productive  of  much  good,  the  earth,  if 
spread  with  a  spade,  forming  a  most  excellent  natural  top-dressing. 
Now  about  the  freshly  sown  field.  Possibly  a  few  seeds  are  dis¬ 
placed  (not  eaten)  ;  and  displaced,  why  ?  Because  the  mole  was  in 
pursuit  of  some  insect  or  grub  which  might  have  been  injurious  to 
the^  growing  crop.  On  land  where  moles  are  found  exists  a  most 
capital  system  of  surface  drainage.  The  mole  constructs  its  runs  for 
nothing ;  no  other  drainer  works  for  us  on  the  same  terms. 
This  little  mammal  is  furnished  with  most  wonderful  digsring  and 
excavating  tools.  The  forepaws  or  hands  are  furnished  with  long  and 
strong  claws ;  the  bones  of  the  forearm  are  short,  and  the  muscles 
most  powerful.  When  the  mole  is  not  in  a  hurry  it  flattens  and 
compresses  the  superfluous  earth  worked  out  of  its  passages ;  it  is  only 
when  in  active  pursirit  of  prey  that  it  forms  the  well-known  molehills. 
Now  as  to  its  food  supply.  It  is  not  a  big  animal,  and  yet  it  requires 
a  large  amount  of  food.  Then,  too,  its  family  has  to  be  provided  for, 
and  five  or  six  young  moles  do  not  live  upon  air. 
Dr.  Jessop,  writing  from  a  part  of  Norfolk  where  the  mole  has 
been  practically  exterminated,  draws  a  sad  picture  of  the  destruction 
of  vegetation  by  myriads  of  beetles,  which  have  practically  destroyed 
the  Sti-a wherry  beds.  Earthworms  appear  to  be  its  common  food,  and 
a  gentleman  who  kept  a  mole  in  confinement  is  of  opinion  that  it 
could,  eat  its  own  weight  of  worms  in  a  day.  Not  only  will  it  do  this, 
but  it  has  been  ascertained  that  before  the  beginning  of  winter  the 
mole  prepares  a  larder  by  making  a  cavity  in  a  bed  of  clay  and  filling 
this  cavity  with  worms,  evidently  considering  the  time  when  frost  will 
have  made  the  earth  too  hard  for  tunnelling. 
Here  is  the  bill  of  fare  for  three  days  of  a  mole  kept  in  confine¬ 
ment  :  “  Three  or  four  dozen  earthworms,  a  large  frog,  a  quantity  of  raw 
beef,  the  body  of  one  turkey  poult  and  part  of  another,  and  a  big  black 
slug  or  two.”  Another  naturalist,  Macgillivray,  states  that  the  mole 
devours  quantities  ot  grubs,  and  Frank  Buckland  records  the  fact  that 
in  Hampshire  where  the  moles  had  been  on  grass  land,  that  land  was 
alter  much  more  luxuriant,  and  that  when  all  the  grubs  were  eaten  in 
one  part,  the  moles  then  migrated  to  fresh  fields  and  pastures  new. 
Then  again,  as  every  seed  time  comes  round  we  hear  of  the 
ravages  of  the  wireworm,  and  the  papers  teem  wuth  practical  sugges¬ 
tions  for  getting  rid  of  this  plague.  We  have  destroyed  the  balance 
of  Nature,  and  now  have  to  provide  costly  measures  to  remedy  the  evil. 
The  mole  is  only  too  ready  and  willing  to  devour. wireworms  if  they 
can  get  the  chance,  and  they  will  do  it  much  more  effectually  than 
we  can. 
IMr.  Trevor  Ballye  gives  us  some  interesting  notes  on  the  habits 
of  moles,  especially  in  July  and  August,  when  these  industrious  little 
creatures  come  above  ground  to  search  for  white  slugs  and  the  larvae 
of  the  crane  fly  (daddy  longlegs) ;  these  larvae  are  perhaps  better 
known  by  the  name  of  “  leather  jackets.”  In  another  place  he  speaks 
of  moles  making  a  raid  on  the  larvae  of  the  cockchafer,  which  are 
particularly  destructive  to  the  roots  of  vegetation. 
Sir  Herbert  Maxwell  records  a  case  in  Somersetshire  where  on 
some  grass  land  moles  had  been  exterminated,  and  where,  in  con¬ 
sequence,  the  fields  were  simply  covered  by  craneflies,  the  larvae  of 
which  feed  on  the  young  grass  roots.  The  larval  stage  of  these 
insects  lasts  for  three  years,  so  it  does  not  require  a  great  stretch  of 
imagination  to  picture  the  actual  harm  done.  See  a  molehill  among 
young  growing  Turnips,  it  is  a  sure  sign  not  of  malicious  damage  by 
the  mole,  but  of  the  certain  presence  of  wireworm,  and  if  the  only 
thing  in  favour  of  mole  was  this  fancy  for  wireworm,  this  fact  alone 
should  save  its  life. 
[Ought  not  there,  then,  to  be  the  best  of  crops  where  moles  are 
prevalent  ?  Is  it  so  ?] 
WORK  ON  THE  HOME  FARM. 
If  proper  use  is  being  made  of  the  fine  autumn  weather  w^e  are  enjoy* 
ing,  there  should  be  little  work  left  amongst  fallows  for  next  summer.  We 
never  knew  a  better  time  for  autumn  work,  and  trust  we  may  have  a  con¬ 
tinuance  until  all  the  Potatoes  are  stored  ;  we  have  lively  recollections, 
and  not  very  pleasant  ones,  of  last  year’s  muddy  fields. 
The  second  early  Potatoes  are  all  marketed,  and  supplies  are  now  being 
drawn  from  later  kinds.  Few  of  the  latter  are  ready  to  take  up,  and  there 
is  so  much  second  growth,  that  the  quality  can  hardly  be  anything  but 
second  class  ;  what  they  require  is  fine  weather  to  ripen  them  off  slowdy 
and  naturally.  At  any  rate  we  cannot  hurry  them  out  of  the  land,  except 
for  immediate  consumption,  for  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  they  would 
keep. 
There  is  plenty  of  work  for  every  spare  hand  at  this  season  ;  w  ater- 
courses  arc  still  low,  and  many  large  ditches  have  little  water  in  them,  so 
there  would  be  a  good  opportunity  for  cleansing  or  deepening.  In  clean!  g 
ditches  or  making  new  ones,  it  should  always  be  remembered  to  make  the 
bottom  narrow  enough,  with  the  sides  shelving  to  the  desired  width  ;  they 
will  then  keep  themselves  clear  for  a  much  longer  period  than  with  a  flat 
bottom,  on  the  same  principle  as  does  a  sanitary  pipe. 
We  have  lately  had  the  opportunity  of  inspecting  the  farming  of  two 
neighbouring  counties.  Harvest  was  all  gathered  in,  but  the  stackyards  are 
not  very  full ;  pastures  green,  but  very  short.  Turnips  are  in  every  case 
deficient,  and  we  never  saw  a  decent  crop  ;  some  fields  have  hardly  a  root 
in  them.  This  is  a  serious  state  of  things,  and  must  have  an  effect  on 
prices  of  store  stock. 
Since  commencing  these  notes  rain  has  begun  to  fall  heavily  ;  this  is 
disappointing  for  autumn  work  ;  nothing  will  benefit  except  Turnips, 
which  require  rain  frequently  in  their  present  unhealthy  condition. 
METEOROLOGICAL  OBSERVATIONS. 
Camden  Squaee,  London. 
Lat.  .51°  32'  40"  N.;  Loug.  0°  8'  0"  W. ;  Altitude  111  feet. 
Date. 
9  A.M. 
In  the  Day. 
Rain. 
1897. 
September 
and 
October. 
Barometer 
at  32^,  and 
Sea  Level. 
Hjgrometer. 
Direc¬ 
tion  of 
Wind. 
Temp 
of  soil 
at 
1  foot. 
Sliade  Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
jn 
Sun. 
On 
Grass. 
Inchs. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Inclis 
Sunday  .... 
26 
30-138 
61-8 
58-9 
n. 
57-0 
68-4 
57-6 
112-1 
53-0 
Mom  lav  .... 
27 
30-3011 
51-6 
51-0 
N. 
56-4 
61-7 
45*6 
70-4 
40-0 
T uesday  .... 
28 
30-129 
58-2 
55-8 
N. 
55-8 
62-6 
51-8 
81-8 
42-9 
0-043 
Wednesday. . 
29 
29-986 
.')9-3 
58-7 
N.E. 
56-0 
70-6 
50-9 
87-9 
44-9 
6-683 
'J'hursday . . . . 
30 
-29-775 
51-3 
50-6 
N. 
57-2 
67-3 
60-1 
70-4 
46-3 
_ 
Friday . 
1 
2CC99I 
52-7 
50-9 
N. 
65-6 
61-1 
48-2 
95-6 
44*4 
_ 
Saturday  .... 
2 
30-215 
51-7 
50  2 
E. 
55-3 
62-4 
46-1. 
93-8 
41-0 
0-103 
30-076 
55-2 
53-7 
56-2 
63-4 
50-0 
87  4 
44-6 
0-829 
REMARKS. 
26tli. — Overcast  till  10  a.tn. ;  brijilit  sunshine  after,  and  clear  night. 
2Tth. — Tliick  fog  early;  the  sun  shining  through  from  9  a.m.,  but  slight  fog  or  haze 
all  day. 
28th. — Overcast  early;  rainy  from  9  a.m.  to  10.30,  followed  by  faint  sunshine;  overcast 
afternoon., 
29th. — Foggy  earlv,  with  spots  of  rain  ;  fair  morning;  sunny  alternoon;  heavy  thunder¬ 
storm  with  much  lightning  from  7.30  to  10  p.m. 
30th. — Fair  day,  with  taint  sunshine  in  morning. 
Isl.— Overcast  till  11  a.ni.,  then  sun,  and  cloudy  afternoon. 
2nd.— Fair  early  ;  generally  sunny  from  10  a.m.  to  2  p.m.,  and  cloudy  alter. 
Temperature  much  the  same,  but  the  nights  warmer. — O.  J.  Sv MONS. 
