Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 99, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 March 1920 — Housecleaning Hedgehogs. [ARTICLE]

Housecleaning Hedgehogs.

It is said that when in camp during the winter the woodsmen of Maine entertain many strange guests—blueJnys, chickadees, wood mice and hedgehogs among them. One woodsman on leaving the camp on a Saturday afternoon used to neglect purposely to close the door of his shack in order that the hedgehogs might enter and clean his floor. Inasmuch as the principal constituents of the camp menu are pork and beans, bacon and other dishes rich in fat, grease is spilled upon the floor In a week and a hedgehog will risk his neck for a bit of fat. Just as soon, therefore, as this particular camp was deserted by its occupants the spiny gluttons would hasten In and begin to plane off the surface of Hie floor with their chisellike teeth, eating away all the wood that held a trace of grease. On his return to camp the owner could sweep up and enjoy the comforts of a clean house for another week. The only serious objection to this method of housecleaning lay in the fact that it was necessary to lay a new camp floor frequently.