Litchfield enquirer., 1841-01-21
From tkc Farmers CGbinet. RTRDS ON FARMS. . f

beauty of their plumage delights the eye; !; their song cheers the hUsbandman iM his lOil, and gives q charm to the country which no residence can too highly appreciate. The joyful lwitter of the swallow and the martin, the song of ihe blue bird in the spring, the delightful wild notes of the partridge, the lark, the plover, the robin, the thrush, the mocking- bird and the sparrow, awaken an interest in these companions of the farmer, which should iuapel him 10 prompt and encr- getic cxerti0ns for their preservation. And let me ask, was there ever a time when these interesting creatures demanded protection more than at the present period! In this country our farms are overrun by parties of worthless boys, and more worthless men. who employ their time in destroying what. ever comes in their way. They break our fences, alarm and very often injure our cat tie; jeopardize the lives and limbs of our people, and the teams with which they are at work, and many of them do not hesitate to plunder us of our poultry, when an oppor- tunity offers. They tread down our crops, and injure and annoy us in various ways, and all for the ostensible purpose of destroy ing the few birds which yet remain with us, which are not worth to them the cost of the powder and shot used in their destruction.- When our horses are alarmed and become unmanogeable in consequence of their firing, they very often refuse to abstain from what they denominate their sport and many peo- pie have been compelled to quit their work for fear of some serious accident, and still they would persevere. l..r sg .,..@.-..
 The value of birds to a farmer, few are able to estimate. To say nothing of the songs of those warblers, to which always listen with delight, their value in the destrnc- tion of bugs, flies, worms, and noxious in. sects, is incalculable. The swallow, fhe martin, and many others, busily employ themselves in destroying mosquitoes, flies. and other tenants of the air, which annoy us with their sting, or iDjure us in other re. spects. ..,t.,,.,....sl ..t -
 The robin, wood -pecker. sap-sucker, and various other birds, protect our orchards, de-. StrOy the worms and insects that there do us mischief and in their absence there is no lit- tie labor required to protect and save the trees which their industry alone would re- lieve us from. Besides, they do their work better than we can. The presence of Q worm in young trec is only indicated to us by the borings thrown from the orifice made by his entrance, and in removing them with a knife serious injury is done to the tree.- The bird, on the contrary, eats the egg, de- stroys the worm when young, or if he has avoided his vigilance and got under the bark, nature has endowed the two last men. toned with strong bill with which to strike through the bark, and long and rough tongues with which to drag the lurking villain from his hiding place, and that too with the least possible injury to the tree. Where Is the farmer who has not seen his applet trees per- forated along the whole length of their trunk not seen such trees distinguished for their henlfh and Fr,,iffi,luoaaT tt .si.F f..t (y ..|
 T. can recoliect when there were large or chards of healthy trees in parts of this couil- try where it is now almost folly to attempt to rear an apple tree. Those orchards that are near clumps of wood, may still exist here, but where there is no such harbor for birds designed for their preservation. it is in vain to attempt to rear tree and preserve tt against the destructive ravages of the in. sects that feed upon it.
 The partridge, the blower and lark, too, feed upon insects, and labor diligently to promote the interests of the farmer in de- stroying his enemies. What gives man more pleasure than when walking over his grounds, he is welcomed by the shrill whis. tle. of tue partridge. who, grown familiar with his friend and daily companion, cheers him in his toil and delights him when at leis. lre! # '" 'dE f'.'uh |
 These birds have often seen SO tame that they would scarcely leave my path, and | a covey that, during one winter, would frequently come to my gravel walk 10 receive the feed that was placed there for them. They amounted to about twenty, and 1 set a high value upon them ; but there came upon my farm, during my absence, two gunners with their dogs, and destroyed them all. assure you I felt the loss of those birds more th0n l would that of tho best horse in my stable. "'e''- IL"
 For myself. feel in regard to my birds as the alicients did of their household goods nor can control feeling of indignation and sense of injury, when see my neigh bors or strangers wantonly destroy ing them upon my premises. There are many dep- redators in our wheat fields that are destroy. ed by the partridge, for 1t is on these he 1 feeds. The lark and the piover do their work in our grass lands. The sparrow, blue- bird, wren. and other small birds, labor dili- gently in our gardens, orchards and pleasure grounds, and they should be welcomed as agreeable visitors by all who reside in the country. |aii "&s ".' -.,. s ,'l v
 Boxes for their accommodation should be hd;iied to the trees, and by carefully avoid ing to alarm them, and other kind means, they could be domesticated among us. They will otherwise take 10 the woods and other UyspIdCGSV uuU W0 SuuI UC ucpttVcu Ot tttG pleasure of listening to their cheerful songs, and lose the advantages of their inccssant 1abors. | 12'' tTJ .. 'l t'1A l"i3,w
 Farmers, think of this. Let us not be un- kind to our neighbors. nor deny them reR- sonable privileges, but do not continue to re. lrain from expressing sense of injury at their depredations. and of making known to all the high value we set upon our birds.
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