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June 12, 1918.

Mr. E. W. Nelson, Chief,
Bureau of Biological Survey,
Washington, D. C.

Dear Sir:

This is in reply to your inquiry of the 5th instant, relative to the depredations of crosw in Goodoe Hills and Sundale regions, Klickitat County in this state. About one year ago now, I visited this region in order to get an idea regarding the production of apricots and almonds there. I find that they have an acreage of about 1000 for the apricots and 600 for the almonds. The crop of 1916 was very good of the apricots, but that year the crows devastated the entire almond crop as far as the soft-shelled varieties go. These latter constitute the larger part of their planting. The hard-shelled varieties such as Drake, were not seriously injured, but are used only for pollenizers and lack of value of the I X L, and the Ne Plus Ultra and other soft shelled varieties.

At the time I was there, I suggested that they might keep them away by poisoning or by shooting and the resident told me that they had tried both of these methods without apparent results. Very few people live in this region and it would be difficult for them to guard the acreage they have by means of shotguns or even the distribution of poisoning.

The 1917 crop of apricots was badly injured by the crows at about the time they began to ripen. The crows then came from across the Columbia River, apparently from up the John Day River Valley and from a creek some four or five miles away on the Washington side of the Columbia. One of the growers there wrote me that they would settle down almost by the