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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Due to the prolonged deep snow cover I was
concerned that our orchards might have suffered animal damage. Today I visited
the Medway and Wrentham orchards. The snow is mostly gone at both orchards. At
Medway there was slight vole damage to some trees. It looked like
they tried the bark and found it not to their liking. No trees were
completely girdled. Some had only a few chew marks. There was evidence of heavy
vole pathways chewed through grass at the ground surface in several
places.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>There has been good mowing between rows and this
makes voles visible to hawks and owls when there is no snow cover. Two hawks
were flying overhead while I was there. Some Autumn Olive at the edge of the
field had heavy bark girdling.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>As a sign of the coming spring, redwinged
blackbirds were in the nearby wetlands.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>There was no vole damage in Wrentham and I saw no
deer damage at either orchard. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Rufin</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>