. Control of field rodents on California farms. Rodents. %^0^. Fig. 16. The Demon Rodent Gun for pumping liquid carbon disulfide into rodent burrows. burned by the explosion from the bur- row mouth. Care should be taken not to set fire to nearby grass. Waste balls about 2 inches in diameter, made of short, frayed strands of jute (from grain sacks), are sold in sacks containing about 1,000 balls. Supplies of waste balls can be bought from some county agricultural commissioners. When only a few are needed, wool trimmings or scraps of cloth can be rolled up and tied to make waste balls. The balls
. Control of field rodents on California farms. Rodents. %^0^. Fig. 16. The Demon Rodent Gun for pumping liquid carbon disulfide into rodent burrows. burned by the explosion from the bur- row mouth. Care should be taken not to set fire to nearby grass. Waste balls about 2 inches in diameter, made of short, frayed strands of jute (from grain sacks), are sold in sacks containing about 1,000 balls. Supplies of waste balls can be bought from some county agricultural commissioners. When only a few are needed, wool trimmings or scraps of cloth can be rolled up and tied to make waste balls. The balls are soaked in fluid carbon disulfide (fig. 15), and one is placed 15 to 18 inches down each burrow. Each waste ball takes up nearly 2 fluid ounces, and 1 gallon of fluid will saturate up to 70 balls. Before being put into the bur- rows, the waste balls should be drained for an instant as they are lifted out of fluid. Immediately after a burrow is treated, the entrance should be closed with a shoveful of earth and quickly tramped down; or the entrance may be stuffed tightly with newspaper. Waste balls are especially useful in rocky areas. Several types of pump have been used in the past to force carbon disulfide vapor into squirrel burrows. The Demon Rodent Gun (fig. 16) has replaced most other pumps. This machine consists of a metal cylinder containing fluid carbon disul- fide. The central pump connects to a flexi- ble hose ending in a spray nozzle. The nozzle is placed 15 to 18 inches down the burrow, and the entrance is plugged with a shovelful of earth or a wad of crumpled newspaper to prevent loss of gas. Then a single stroke of the pump forces out 2 ounces of the fluid and vaporizes much of it just inside the bur- row. After the hose has been withdrawn, the burrow entrance is closed by tram- pling the earth or forcing in the news- paper. Some operators use only 1%-ounce dosages (by partial stroke of the plunger) in the early spring and the full 2 ounces later in the year.
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