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Re: Fw: moles/castor beans

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

jallan6977 wrote:
> 
> Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: kathleen feingold <eric@INTERBOOK.NET>
> To: <OGL@LSV.UKY.EDU>
> Sent: Friday, March 24, 2000 5:02 AM
> Subject: moles/castor beans
> 
> > Hello Fellow Gardeners,
> >         A while back there was once again talk about combating moles in
> the
> > garden.  As every year, someone wrote to say that moles only eat worms and
> > grubs, but at least here in Southern Spain, that's not true.  Here they
> eat
> > all root crops and enjoy the roots of swiss chard, artichoke, and lately,
> > lettuces. I have tried various suggested remedies, all to no avail.  They
> > include pig hair, chewing gum, the anti mole plant a sonic device,
> homemade
> > traps and castor oil solution.  One thing I haven't tried yet is the
> castor
> > plant itself, having no seeds available.  I would like to try that this
> > year and would be most grateful if someone could send me some seeds.  I
> > would be happy to pay for them and the mailing costs too, of course. Can
> > anyone help?
> >   Resigned, but not totally, to sharing the garden,     Kathleen
> 
>    I found this and thought it might be of interest to some of us.  And I
> thought the only good use for castor oil was mixed with alcohol as a model
> engine fuel.  It seems other creatures dislike it as well as us:>)

There's some form of gopher or other small burrower involved.  Moles
don't eat plants.  They are as purely carnivorous as anything can get.
Yes, their tunnels can upset plant roots (especially on wide lawns
where Protestants in funny clothes are hitting their balls with clubs)
but that's a side effect of them going after real food, some useful to
gardeners (earthworms) and some where gardeners and moles are on the
same side (grubs and beetles and such).

There may be small burrowers mistakenly called moles -- since the
locale mentioned is Spain, there are translation effects as well.
Then again, most Americans can't tell the difference between coyotes
and wolves (hint -- if it's sniffing your poodle in heat, it's more
usually a coyote, especially in California where the only wolves are
in zoos).
-- 
Ward Griffiths      wdg3rd@home.com      http://members.home.net/wdg3rd/

"And if California slides into the ocean,
like the mystics and statistics say it will;
I predict this motel will be standing, until I pay my bill."
				Warren Zevon "Desperadoes Under the Eaves"


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