Cottontail Rabbits in Relation to Trees and Farm Crops — Text and Context

A Government Bulletin's Dual Purpose

Published as Farmers' Bulletin 702 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the document carries the authority of the Bureau of Biological Survey. The introduction frames rabbits as “serious pests in orchards and tree plantations,” especially on lands recently opened to cultivation. Lantz, an assistant biologist, writes for a readership of farmers and orchardists, but he also includes natural history details—such as the northward range expansion of cottontails into Ontario—that go beyond immediate pest control. The bulletin thus serves both as a practical manual and as a snapshot of early conservation science, where the goal is not eradication but management.

From Washes to Wire: The Toolbox of Repellents

The section on tree protection catalogs a range of methods, from chemical washes to mechanical guards. Lantz is skeptical of many popular remedies: coal tar and pine tar can injure young trees, carbolic acid evaporates too quickly, and bitter substances like aloes are “useless against rabbits.” He endorses a lime-sulphur wash (used for San Jose scale) as a rabbit repellent, though he notes its poor adhesion. A more drastic option is a poisoned wash of starch, glycerin, and strychnine, which killed all rabbits in Idaho orchard tests. For non-lethal protection, Lantz recommends cylinders of 1-inch mesh poultry netting, costing less than 2 cents per tree, and warns that wooden guards should be removed each spring to avoid harboring insects.

The Voice of Practical Experience

Lantz's prose is direct and evidence-based, drawing on field trials and observations. He describes a strychnine wash recipe in precise detail: dissolve 1 ounce of strychnine sulfate in 3 quarts of boiling water, mix with starch and glycerin, and apply with a paint brush. The caution to “take care not to endanger domestic animals” reflects an awareness of broader ecological impacts. Similarly, his discussion of rabbit-proof fences acknowledges that deep snow and drifts can render them useless. This pragmatic tone—neither alarmist nor sentimental—characterizes the bulletin as a work of applied zoology, where the author's authority rests on his role as a government scientist rather than on rhetorical flourish.

What the Excerpts Leave Unsaid

The provided excerpts cover only the opening and a portion of the tree-protection section. Missing are the bulletin's treatments of natural enemies (such as predators and diseases), hunting and trapping methods, and poisoning techniques beyond the strychnine wash. Also absent is the discussion of bacterial diseases as a control measure, which the table of contents lists. Readers should note that the bulletin likely includes more on the biology of cottontails—their habits, reproduction, and population dynamics—that contextualizes the control advice. The full text would provide a more complete picture of early 20th-century wildlife management, balancing lethal and non-lethal approaches.

This bulletin rewards readers interested in the history of agricultural science or human-wildlife conflict. Lantz's methodical catalog of repellents and barriers, grounded in field tests, offers a contrast to modern pest-control literature. The work also subtly reveals assumptions about land use and the role of government in assisting farmers. For a first reading, pay attention to how Lantz weighs efficacy against cost and safety—a calculus that remains relevant today.

I think of the old bulletin on cottontails, that careful tally of gnawed bark and lost apples, and beside it I always picture The $100 Prize Essay on the Cultivation of the Potato. Prize offered by W. T. Wylie and awarded to D. H. Compton. How to Cook the Potato, Furnished by Prof. Blot. — Key Ideas to Explore—two patient works, each quietly devoted to coaxing sustenance from a stubborn patch of earth. Their kinship is that humble, honest labor.