Nick Carter Stories No. 156, September 4, 1915: Blood Will Tell; or, Nick Carter's Play in PoliticsCarter, Nicholas (House name)
General
Nick Carter Stories No. 156, September 4, 1915: Blood Will Tell; or, Nick Carter's Play in Politics
Carter, Nicholas (House name)
Detective and mystery stories, American -- Periodicals; Popular literature -- Periodicals
“I have always been accustomed to much work,” declared Mr. Gillet, “and
have made it a point to take advantage of it. One can always learn
something new in the mechanical trade. I cannot be idle.”
Ground Hogs Invade Indiana Farms.
Farmers in the western part of Delaware County, Ind., are up in arms
against the ground hog. Hundreds of the pests overrun the farms in that
part of the country.
Many farms are literally honeycombed with ground-hog holes. It is said
that on one farm not far from Daleville there are as many as five
hundred ground-hog dens. The sport of shooting the animals has replaced
all others, and hunters who fare afield after these weather prophets
seldom go unrewarded.
Apparently the situation has proved to be of keen interest to the
squirrels, which are seldom hunted now in that vicinity, the hunters
preferring the larger and juicier game, and at the same time conferring
a benefit on the farmers by reducing the number of pests which destroy
so much corn. According to riflemen and others the squirrels, which are
numerous in that part of the country have become positively tame because
they have not been hunted. But the ground hogs have become wary and keep
sentinels posted, which, by their whistling, warn their comrades of the
hunter’s approach.
The ground hog’s call is a clear, distinct whistle, not greatly unlike
the singing of a canary bird, only much louder and even sweeter in tone.
It is interesting to observe a full-grown ground hog, weighing several
pounds, emitting a melodious warble that might well belong to a
feathered songster.
Doctor Camdon C. McKinney of Daleville, is perhaps, eastern Indiana’s
greatest “ground-hog expert” and what he does not know about these
little animals and their ways of living is not worth knowing.
Incidentally Doctor McKinney is a crack rifle shot and not only does
fried or roasted ground hog grace his family table as often as he may
desire, but he supplies a few friends in Muncie and elsewhere with this
delicacy on occasion.
“I like to observe the ground hog in his native habitat almost as well
as I like to eat his succulent flesh,” said Doctor McKinney. “The
farmer’s chief objection to him and the reason that he welcomes hunters
who will destroy the ground hog is because the animals insist on
destroying corn. As soon as the corn fills out and reaches the
roasting-ear stage the ground hogs get busy and devour the ears, either
on the spot where they find them or they drag the corn to their dens and
eat it there at their leisure, the whole family of the particular den
joining in the feast much as the human family does at the same season of
year.
“Family by family these little animals will fill their dens to
overflowing with the products of the farmer’s toil, and one family will
even assist a neighbor who is a little short of help in the ground-hog
harvest time. Thus it may be seen that a large colony of ground hogs may
cause a great loss in a corn community.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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