Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 January 1913 — POISONING PRAIRIE DOGS [ARTICLE]

POISONING PRAIRIE DOGS

They Are a Serious Rest to Western Farmers and Stockmen. Who would think that the prairie dog, .the shy and 1 amusing little rodent that we like to watch before the door of Ms burrow at the soo, wpuld ever become the subject of Government intervention or endanger the success of stock raising? Yet such is the fact, says the Technical World. Out on the national forests which Uncle Sam is guarding for the use of the public expert hunters have gone after the prairie dogs with zeal —and poison—and the work will go on yet more vigorously next year. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the work an area of some 60,000 to 75,000 acres of actual dogtown was selected for the test by the United States Forest Service. From 80 to 90 per cent of the dogs were killed with the first distribution of the poison. The poison is prepared by coating wheat with a preparation of strychnine, cyanide of potassium, anise oil and molasses. When a sufficient quanlty is ready the poisoned wheat is carried to the field of operations. There the stockmen gladly supply men and horses, and the wheat is given out to the riders and distribution begins. Each rider carries the wheat in a tin pail supported by a gunny sack slung across his right shoulder and hanging at his left side. His left hand is free for the reins. With his right hand he uses a tablespoon to measure out the poison and drop it near the entrance of the holes. A little practice enables the men to drop the wheat while keeping their horses on a sharp, trot By crossing the town to and fro, like a man sowing grain, they can cover a large area in a surprisingly short time. It is necessary to go over the ground a second time, and by spotting the occupied holes the remaining dogs will easily be killed with a very small amount of poison. The average cost an acre for the poisoning material is one and one-half cents. Prairie dogs are very obnoxious to the stockmen, for they devour much grass and undermine the surface ot the ground with their burrows. Where they establish themselves the destruction of the range is only a question oi time. While it is hard to say just what amount of feed a prairie dog will consume in the way of grass, it has been estimated by the United States Biological Survey that thirtytwo prairie dogs will consume as much grass as one sheep, or 256 dogs as much as one cow.