A discussion of the vital problems of lawn making and maintenance O. M. SCOTT & S O NS COMPANY - MARYS VILLE, OHIO PUBLISHED SEVERAL TIMES YEARLY BY - SEEDSMEN June-July 1931 No. 3 MOLES, Potent Destroyers of Good Turf Vol. IV WI T H IN the boundaries of the there United States five groups of true moles. Inasmuch as they are quite alike as far as activities are concerned we shall not classify them. WHAT MOLES FEED UPON. are All species live chiefly upon earth- is It that t h e y, farmer but worms and other in- sects that inhabit the ground. To the ex- tent they de- stroy harmful insects they are beneficial to the in l a w ns of course, do consider- able d a m a ge by heaving up the soil, w h i ch causes the to dry out grass q u i c k l y. in moist rich soils that moles usually oper- ate. When a mole is living in a lawn it cannot conceal the evidence of its pres- ence. Ridges or con- spicuous m o u n ds plainly indicate the runways. The ridges show the direction and course of the ani- mal's hunting paths, which are so close to the surface that the sod or soil crust is raised. The mounds indicate deeper tunneling for they are formed of earth pushed up from lower workings where the soil is too compact to be simply crowded aside. In Farmers' Bulletin No. 1247, distributed by the U. S. Depart- ment of Agriculture, we find the opinion expressed that moles work only at regu- lar intervals each day, morning, noon, and evening. But they are no more active at one time of day than another. If an opening is made into a mole's runway the little animal will invariably repair the breach when it next comes that way. MOLES MATURE RAPIDLY Moles grow and de- velop with astonishing rapidity. For exam- ple, the Puget Sound country most of are born latter half of March and spend the month of April in the nest. By the last of May they are so well grown that the ordinary ob- server would not be able to distinguish them from the par- ent. T h is r a p id growth accounts for the fact that the small young mole if ever trapped. The mole's appetite seems insa- tiable. In captivity it will sometimes eat more than its own weight in a day. the young is seldom the in in CONTROL METHODS. But our problem here is to explain the VOLUME 4 [ 5} The Mole and his handiwork various methods by which moles may be destroyed and not to dwell at too much length upon their personal habits. The three accepted methods of combating moles are and apshyxiating. trapping, poisoning, KINDS OF TRAPS. Many types of mole traps are manu- factured in this country, all of them be- ing made of metal and depending for their operation on some sort of trip- ping device. The trigger pin is designed to rest upon an obstruction, such as a board, placed in the mole's runway when the trap is set. The trap is sprung when the mole follows its natural instinct to reopen the runway by burrowing through or upheaving the obstruction. The Ameri- can traps are of three types: (1) choker loops, (2) clipping or scissor jaws, and (3) importance need be attached to the admonition that one should use gloves to prevent the animal's getting the scent of human hands. Experience has shown that this doesn't affect the catch in any way. A good strong garden trowel is the best tool to use in setting mole traps. impaling spikes. No POISONING MOLES. So many satisfactory experiences have been reported in the killing of moles by poisons in lawns and golf courses that we feel more inclined to recommend it rather than trapping. Various poisons and methods by which they are intro- duced are as follows: CALCIUM CYANIDE. Open the burrow every five feet and place in it a teaspoon- ful of this poison and close the opening without stamping it down. into CARBON BISULPHIDE. Pour a tea- spoonful the burrows at points about five feet apart. Close the holes as recommended for Calcium Cyanide to retain the poisonous fumes. STRYCHNINE. of Savannah, Georgia, for this (Credit is due Mr.Inglis idea.) Take raw peanuts, squeeze the end of each shell, insert a crystal of Strychnine and then put a peanut in each runway. This method Mr. Inglis finds much more effective than trapping. PARADICHLORBENZINE. T h is vicious sounding chemical is recommended by the Department of Agriculture for de- stroying the peach tree borer. It is com- mercially obtainable in the form of a powder which, when placed the ground, gives off a heavy poisonous gas which penetrates the soil. It should be dropped into the runways every six to ten feet and the soil put back. About a teaspoonful should be used. The moles end their activities immediately. in POTASSIUM CYANIDE. (Here is a poi- son used successfully at Edgewood Ar- senal, Maryland.) Small cubes of raw potatoes were immersed in a 20% solu- tion of this poison and inserted in the burrow at 10 or 12 foot intervals. There is no danger of injury to children or livestock in using the poison in this man- ner. ARSENIC ALSO USABLE. Still another remedy has recently been reported by one of our thoughtful cus- tomers, Mr. W. T. Whittington, Mar- ion, Illinois. "I successfully rid my lawn of moles by digging down in their run- ways at various places and putting in a handful of shelled corn that I had pre- viously soaked in a water solution of arsenic. There is no danger to dogs or chickens because the poison is covered." ASPHYXIATING. Attach a garden hose to the end of the exhaust pipe of an automobile. The connection may be made secure by using electricians' tape or by wrapping with an old inner tube. Insert the other end of the hose in the runway and allow the motor to run for twenty minutes. Car- bon monoxide will kill the moles if the runway is tightly sealed. Any openings should be closed with mud. [ 6] VOLUME 4