CONTROL OF CALIFORNIA POCKET GOPHER By LORNE S. NEVILLE ARTICLE TWO Results Obtained By Using Rodent Virus, Gases, Flooding, Traps and Poison In the effort to control gophers there has been more or less experimenting with a rodent virus, both in this country and in Europe, in an attempt to spread contagious diseases among different species. To date nothing worthy of recommendation has been found along this line. Another method that will have to go into the discard, for the present at least, is the use of repellant plants, as the little pest seems to take to about everything that anyone really wants to grow. Nature, when unmolested of course, generally preserves a balance. In the progress of civilization, however, man has upset this balance by increasing the food supply by making it easier. to obtain and by practicing or allowing the destruction of the natural enemies of many pests. As it is, countless numbers of these natural enemies are at work night and day in the destruction of our rodent pests. It would Locating Main Runway with Gopher Probe be as reasonable to destroy all the dogs in the country because one dog was seen to kill a chicken as it is to kill every hawk, owl, weasel, skunk, fox, snake or badger simply because an individual of one of these species commits a similar crime. Because the list of birds, animals and snakes that might be classed as more destructive than beneficial is so short in comparison with that of the beneficial ones, I will enumerate them: Western goshawk, cooper hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, coyote and rattlesnake. Underneath the nest of a pair of barn owls located at the bottom of an old well, the writer found the skulls of 200 gophers, 300 mice and two ground squirrels. It is to be regretted that the farmer and sportsman, who should be most interested in the protection of such friends of man, is more often guilty of their destruction. If a large supply of water is available so that a piece of comparatively level land can be flooded, with the use of a good dog and a club, a great number of gophers can be killed. However, if you are not very observing and are without a dog, many of the gophers are missed, as the gopher will elevate only enough of his nose above water to breathe, and after you are gone will seek higher ground until the water has receded and then move back to his former location. The gases used with the greatest success in rodent control are those that are non-irritating and heavier than air, such as carbon bisulphide. While the use of this gas is the most efficient method employed in the control of ground squirrels, it cannot be generally recommended for the control of gophers, due to the great difference in their burrows. The burrow of the ground squirrel being comparatively short and its general direction down, the heavy gas penetrates to all parts. The gopher burrow, as has been stated elsewhere in this article, is comparatively level and long, so a heavy gas will be lost in the soil before it gets very far from where it is applied to the burrow. There are two methods of applying the gas. A small piece of waste jute is saturated with two ounces of carbon bisulphide and placed in the burrow. The burrow is then closed. The liquid, being very volatile, forms a gas. The other method is to use a hand-pump with a large chamber in which is a mixture of air and gas is formed and forced out through a short piece of hose placed in a burrow. One objection to the use of this gas, other than the expense (or to that of any other gas and water) is the gopher's habit of plugging the living burrow from six to eighteen inches from the point where it connects with the main runway. The plugging of this burrow and that of the lateral, in all probability, is to shut out the natural enemies such as weasels, snakes and other gophers. Should the gophers be in the living burrow with the entrance plugged, no amount of gas or water introduced in the main runway would reach them. One objection to the use of an irritating gas such as sulphur, or the exhaust of an automobile, is that it arouses the suspicions of the gopher, so that he immediately plugs against it. In a lawn or some such place where a gopher has just moved in and is discovered before it has extended its system very far, the use of carbon bisulphide is very efficient. Very often, too, by inserting the garden hose in the burrow, you can drive the gophers to the surface with the water. On small areas, or where the gopher infestation is light, traps, when properly set and tended, serve very well as a method of control. Space will not permit of a discussion of the traps on the market. I will, therefore, discuss the use of one kind of trap, of which there are success of the small spring trap; it can be set without disturbing the burrow, except in a very small degree. To secure the best results, find a fresh mound, locate the main runway by probing about six or eight inches from the low side, or the side in which the plugged hole is located; then with a shovel dig down to the runway and set two traps-one in either direction. Set the trigger pan so that the slightest touch will release it, then place your trap firmly and as far in the runway as possible and close the hole entirely. In other words, set in the main runway, using two traps and always close the burrow after setting the traps. Anyone who has followed the practice of trapping, no doubt has come in contact with the so-called "wise" gopher-one that persistently fills up, pushes out or digs around the trap. This is usually is a wise old male or one that has been nipped in a trap. In order to get him you will have to use poison or resort to another type of trap. There is another way of using the small wire trap to fool the too-wise gopher. Loosen the wire that holds the trigger pan in position, slide the pan forward about an inch, bend the pan backward at right angles just above the trigger hole and cut off the trigger to meet the changed position of the pan. After the trap has been changed it can be set in the burrow and completely concealed. Place a small piece of cotton underneath the pan, then cover up your trap with loose earth. Traps are used with the greatest success during the breeding season, as the gophers are less cautious during this period. When all points are considered, poisoning is, without doubt, the most efficient method of gopher control used at the present. Strychnine (alkaloid) is the recommended poison. Strychnine in this form is very quick in action and requires only a very small amount to kill. It is more or less insoluble and it will not dissolve and penetrate the bait, making it so bitter that it will not be acceptable to the gopher. The common practice is to insert crystals of sulphate strychnine in a raisin, prune, or small piece of vegetable. The result is that the strychnine dissolves and penetrates the bait, making it bitter; therefore, use strychnine in alkaloid form. While gophers are fond of many bitter plants, strychnine seems to overstep the line, so in order to disguise the taste of strychnine, saccharine is used. Saccharine is a product from 500 to 550 times sweeter than sugar. It has been discovered that by using one-tenth as much saccharine (by weight) as strychnine, you can disguise the poison to a degree that is acceptable to rodents. In selecting a bait, we are reminded of the natural foods of the gopher, such as carrots, parsnips, sugar beets and sweet potatoes. Raisins and dried prunes are sometimes used with suc cess. In poisoning ground squirrels, a grain coated with poison is used, for the reason that the squirrel has a cheek pouch on the inside of the mouth which is lined with a mucous membrane. The squirrel, in carrying the grain in this pouch to his store-house, absorbs the poison directly into the system and it has been demonstrated that it requires only about one-fifth as much poison to kill a ground squirrel when the dose is absorbed in this manner as when it is taken into the stomach. The cheek pouches or pockets of the gopher are on the outside and are lined with fur, therefore, any amount of poison grain or other bait carried in the cheek pockets of the gopher will not produce death. After selecting your bait (sweet potatoes are recommended for the reason that they will keep well and are very acceptable to the gopher), cut into cubes from one-eighth to onehalf inch square and about one and one-half inch in length. The baits are cut this size to discourage the storing habit of the gopher, that is, the gopher, when he finds the bait, will eat it or whittle it down to a size small enough to be carried in the cheek pocket. For example, prepare four' quarts of the cut baits, put them in an old bucket or colander, rinse them with water and allow to drain. While they are yet damp, from a spice can or pepper shaker, slowly sift one-eighth ounce of powdered strychnine (alkaloid) and one-eightieth to one-fiftieth ounce of powdered saccharine (insoluble) that has been thoroughly mixed, stirring your baits so that each one will receive some of the poison. Allow the baits to dry for an hour or so and they are ready to use. MAN RUNWAY. NEST Diagram of Gopher System showing traps properly set The poison is cheap and easily prepared. The next step is to get it to the gopher. This can be done in two ways. Locate the main runway by probing, then with a shovel remove the soil and place the poisoned bait as far back as possible in either direction and close the (Continued on Page 11) Mexico to Irrigate The Mexican Federal government has appropriated $20,000 to be used in irrigating in the Yaqui River Valley, Sonora. Greece Has Good Citrus Crop In spite of heavy frosts in November causing a total loss in many places, the lemon and orange crops in western Greece escaped any loss from that source. Considerably fly damage was sustained in that locality. Returns from the Patras, Greece, district show an increase of 20% in production and an increase of 30% in prices ranging from 25% on low grade fruit This interests to 40% on the best grade. American buyers who last year imported 1,007,The increase 686 pounds of citrons in brine. cost is due to advancement in cutting, brining and barreling. 150,000 metric tons being raised in 1920. Apples, pears, olives and walnuts are raised in quantities. Orange Box Industry in Jaffa, Palestine Orange boxes are made in Jerusalem of lumber usually imported from Rumania and Austria. Some Norwegian and Swedish lumber is now being used. The orange season in Palestine lasts from November to March. Facts About Our Competitors in Italy Orange and lemon growing is carried on in the provinces of Salerno and Naples in Italy in spite of the necessity of extensive terracing. Retaining walls are built of tufa blocks set in masonry. Small patches of land and steep slopes are cultivated. Because of the early fall rains, irrigation is not needed, although cultivation is required from about May until the the Sorrento rainy season. The groves on Peninsula average 17 boxes of oranges and 12 boxes of lemons per acre, there being 240 trees to the acre usually. American shook is used in the boxes, which carry 82 pounds of fruit. Labor receives about 12 lire per day and the average cost per acre of picking, cultivation and pruning is 1,400 lire. During the first nine months of 1920, 63,107 boxes of lemons and oranges were shipped to the United States. The approximate value was rated at $109,374.00, taking the value of a lire as five cents. Freight rates from Naples to New York are 5 shillings per box of 82 pounds. Britain Puts Embargo on Fertilizers The British Board of Trade has prohibited the exportation of ammonium sulphate, superphosphate, lime, basic slag and compound fertilizers containing any of these products. The embargo is made under the Fertilizer Act of 1920 and has been in effect since February 7th, 1921. Mexican Fruit Stays Home Due to the prevalence of San Jose scale and other scales, Mexican fruits are denied entry into the United States, according to a recent letter from Carlton Jackson, U. S. Commercial Attache at Mexico City, Mexico. We are for everything that means a better Home, better State and better Nation. One of these is the citrus industry. Oranges are of great value to mothers in the case of bottle-fed babies. A little strained orange juice given between feedings supplies the vitamines lost through pasteurization of the milk. (Continued from Page 9) opening. Or locate the main runway by probing with the small end of a regular gopher probe near a fresh mound. Reverse the probe and enlarge the hole, drop in one of the baits and close the hole with a small pebble or bunch or grass. One gopher system may have anywhere from fifteen to fifty mounds. Treat each system in from three to five separate places. To be sure that you have killed the gopher, kick off the top of the mounds as you work a piece of ground. Go over the ground a few days later. If any fresh mounds are present, retreat them. Two or three such treatments will suffice to keep gophers under control. One soon becomes expert in locating the runs and a man can treat from 300 to 500 gopher workings in a day. The time to treat gophers is as soon as possible after the rains begin, or before the young are born. The probing method can be used to better advantage at this time, and every female gopher killed means from three to fourteen fewer later in the season. Your success in gopher control will depend a great deal upon the intelligent and persistent effort you put in the job. Rio de Janeiro Canning Fruit Brazilian preserves and marmalades are driving foreign products from Rio de Janeiro. Brazil now exports considerable quantities, sending 3,326,328 milreis worth out in 1919. It is said that the factories are to be increased to permit the canning of fish and vegetables on a large scale. SOIL FERTILITY (Continued from Page 3') From this mineral matter comes nearly all the materials needed by plants. Three elements, however, may be small in amount or lacking altogether. These are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Most of the available nitrogen in the soil is due to the activities of certain minute plants known as bacteria. There are several sets of these in all fertile soils, engaged in turning dead matter into nitrates. In addition, other bacteria associated with the pod or leguminous crops, have the faculty of fixing atmospheric nitrogen in a form that plant can use. The fact that a legume crop plowed under, in some way enriched the land has been known from the earliest times, but it was less than half a century ago, that the connection of bacteria with the process was recognized. The knowledge is now so widespread that in nearly all crop rotations one or more crops of legumes are included. Much of the air used by the underground parts of plants is supplied through tillage. Cultivating the soil is another way of adding fertility, for frequent tillage conserves the soil water, discourages the weeds that use up both the water and mineral salts and shut out the light from the crops, and it reduces the depredations from insects. As a matter of fact, the word manure is connected with the word manus, the hand, and implies that the soil may be made fertile by hand work about the plants. Sykes' Wraps Would Save $1,500,000 to Growers in One Season Alone Get out your pencil-figure 83 boxes of oranges to the bundle-cost of Skyes Safety Separator Wraps 42c box. Then figure out tissue and note what you have invested to COVER your fruit so that the buyer fails to see what fine quality you have until he has to stop and UNCOVER it. Tissue delays the buyer's decision-Sykes assists him-logically which will he prefer? Don't take CLAIMS but follow the record made THIS season. Here is an example-you know the manager-you know his well established reputation for conservatism-there are others who KNOW what Sykes Pack has done for THEIR houses THIS season. For further information address Sykes Sales System-523 Hollingsworth Bldg., Los Angeles. Redlands Mutual Orange Company Growers and Packers of Citrus Fruits Redlands, Calif., We were doubtful about our customers accepting the oranges with the SYKES PACK at their full value. After a few accepted shipments without complaint, we adopted the SYKES PACK for all 250s and smaller, and continued its use to the end of the season. Considering the high cost of tissue wraps, the use of the SYKES PACK netted us quite a saving in cost of packing and no loss in selling price. Yours Respectfully, REDLANDS MUTUAL ORANGE CO., XXX A Superior Preparation for Treating GUMMOSIS AND SCALY BARK Western Wood Preserving Co. 2421 East 25th St. Los Angeles M. O. D. members buy through your Supply Department or nearest dealer. 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