Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-04-27
THE GAZETTE.
TUESDAY MORNING, APRIL n, 1858
SPARE THE BIRDS.

SPARE HE DlhDS.
from an address before the Wabash Agricuitu-
raj Society, in 1897, by Hon. John U Petit
Year by year. our orchards are assa'Ied by
destroying insects, and with increased VIC
lence The enemy is p-otean. 1t does lite
oulrages sometimes in one form, sometimes,
another: sometimes in strip ing the leaves, On
which the Larvae feed. whereby the trees dies
Of consumption, for leaves are the lungs Of
trees; sometimes by depositng eggs in the
erecn fruit, making it, like genius, die young;
sometimes, by laying eggs within the under
cuticie Of the leaves, as in the case Of the To-
Gusts, how perishing. ali around US; and
sometimes, as in the case Of the big borer,
who carries half inch auger with him, and
enters the body of the tree, and bores out It's
whole heart. making the whole tree as mol
low as a pump log. No matter what may be
tie means, we are spectators Of the meiaD-
cbaly fact that all our fruit trees are suiferng
from insect rsvages.
The bes, remedy for this, is birds, the far
ners's friends the field aud orchard BIRDS,
that come to us, prophets OF sErlng' out Oh
the chill, raw, blue sky. of March, dressed IN
painted plumsge, aud with bosoms fuii OF
happiness and song. At break Of day. they
recite mathis on the tree-tops, and, at its
close, chant vesrer, Of the same worship, still
undiminished, whose whole ltany is love,
and the heart Of man, it right, will answer
with its echo. Now, all these field and or
chard birds, tina; love go much the habita-
tions Of man, and that always look on TAT
mer as an honest mar, aud set up their
domestic establishments as close to his house
as possible, in bis lilacs and grape-vlnes and
goOseberries, singing in his ear 50 many be-
twitchipg airs. only asking now and then u
crumb of bread for their children--Ill these
brds--rubin, oriule, linne:, goldtncb, cat
bird, thrush. sparrow, biu'Jsy, staring, bob
olink, and wOodpecSers and sapsuckers, and
the winged legion besides--are friends OF the
farmer, aud the covenauted enemies OF all
fying and creeping things that annoy the Or
chards. II the farmer can persuade these
cheap and efficient servants into his ministry,
he is in far way of getting rid of the In-
sect pests that are so various and pcrseger-
ing in doing him injury.
There is popular but unreasonable dis
like felt to many Of these birds. The far.
mer thinks well of the blackbird, on seeing
him, in the spring, following industrious'y
the iurrow and picking up the cut-worms.--
But he is regarded as public eneuy IN au-
tump, when be musters his colonies IRON
his summer haunts among the willows aud
aldo,s that fringe the ponds aud marshes and
rivers. and leads them forth to visit and
plunder the corrfelds. The most hearty
and persistent aDtipathy is INDUCED at the
sapsucker, who is always suspected OF mis-
chief, when seen running up and down and
around the apple trees, and hammerng on
their bark, when, in fact, the sapsucker IL
only an inductive philosopher, and knows, by
long study and practice. that there is Il worm
inside, that stands more 10 need oil extraction
than bad tooth. When we come TO scrn-
TIME them, all these apparent misdeeds are
virtues, aud the active instincts OF these 1T
tie families seem created for our use. "A
siuple household Of these birds, farther and
mother and little ones, is as good to an or
cbard as so many bushels of apples, aud bet
ter than an insurance Office for the perpetui'
ty of the trees If any person Is sSeptlcai
of this. and at the same time wicked enough,
let him kill any one Of these birds that bave
been named, and inquire how he lives, and
he will find the little bosom full OF slugs,
snails, caterpiliars, and flies, slowly getung
cut OF the way by an untiring digestion, to
make room for another meal. Each little
fea;hered breast is a populous prison, were
multtudinous insect enemies are shut up, to
prevent them from criminal enterprises on
the orchard and berry bushes and grain
fields. Therefore, in this economical view,
pains should be taken to induce the birds to
establish colonies on our farms. Some OF
them, TO be sure, have apretites tor cherries,
raspberries. and apples. but the inconsldera-
bic tribGte they exact is only reasonable due
for I. care, more sedulous than the owners,
that they take of the orchard: and hath not
the Master said, The latorer is worthy OF
his hire"
These familiar field and orchard birds very
rarely tuild uests in the dense forests, or away
from the protection and society OF man
Bnt, Notwithstanding this, there is but one
wav to induce them to settle on the farm, ano
be enga ged at the work OF keeping the or
chaId clean 1t ia by multiplying timex
leaved trees and sbrubbery and garden bush
es. in convenient reach of the farm houses
For. u.nst of the birds that pay US summer
visits are householders. or expect to be, ano
will not be content it they cannot lease from
the landlord shade and cover for themselves
and little ones. Farmers must then provide
trees about their houses AID helds, waile
yonng orchards are growing, or predatory 10
sects defying Ill other vigilance, will lay them
waste. because the birds are not present to Ut
the avengers OF their havoc
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