Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1858-07-01
Crows.

EDITOR FREEMAN.--I have often wondered,
as l have seen juvenile sportsmen hunting
for hours uuder hedges OR chasing from hill
to hill, in the faint hope of getting within
gunshot Of some unlucky crow, what could
be the impelling motive which induced them
to make this toilsome exertion for so meager
compensation. Can it be they are anxious
to exterminate the whole race of crows and
are devoting their time and strength to ac-
complish this end IF so, then they must
be prodigies of energy and perseverance.
Most probably, however, it is because they
have conceived such intense hatred towards
every one of these black cornfeld depredators
that to destroy one is to them source of
exultant qualification. am not at all dis
posed to quarrel with any one for hating
crow, though undoubtedly they are ordained
by their Creator for some useful purpose
which INCUR blind indignation we are apt to
overlook. Nothing isF more calculated to
arouse the ire of tyro farmers than to have
a field Of corn which they have with great
pains prepared and planted, and which is
fast springing up, suddenly pulled up by
crows the seed kernels picked off and the
tender sprouts, the foundation of their har-
vest hopes, scattered about withered and use,
less. Crows that have once tasted Of field
of corn will mock at all efforts to scare them
and will pull up the corn and destroy it to
their hearts content, the fields being literally
covered with searecrows to the contrary not
withstandng.
Now have a hint for you who are de-
termined to carry on the war of extermina-
ton You perhaps remember the story Of
the man who was so pestered with Bobolinks
pulling up his rye that he could not restrain
his vengence. His ingenuity conceived a
method of wreaking revenge upon the en-
emies of his granary as novel as it was sue
cessful. He strewed rye over the surface Of
the ground through each kernel of which q
horse hair was drawn and fastened at one
end. The next day he found an astonishing
number of dead Bobolinks that had TORI
their threats in pieces in endeavoriug to re-
move the tickling hair they had swallowed
with the rye. The same experiment has
been tried with crows and with complete sue
cess.
Take and pillow Il small piece of ground
and plant it with corn expressly for crows
tit will cost infinitely less than powder anc
shot for the same service) placing in each
hill one or more kernels prepared as above
described Probably they will not germin
ate as the preparation will destroy the vita
point. The crows when they come to pull
up the corn, as they invariably will, vii
swallow these baited kernels and kill them
selves on the spot Or fly away to commi
suicide at their leisure. In this way you
can XII as many crows as. you please an,
Z time during the season. If you wish t.
kill two birds with one stone " you vii
find these dead crows more effectua il
frightening away others from where corn il
planted than anything else that could be de
vlsed. The best manner of doing this is tt
drive four stakes into the ground in the form
of square about one rod distant from eacf
other and wind some strong Irvine arouuc
these and across the opposite corners. Thel
tie one or more as you can afford on these
lines where they meet and cross each other
Place a number CT these on field &C
) cording to its size and not crow will dar
venture near. They will regard it as a snar
made to entrap them into which some o
their companions have been allured and de
stroyed; consequently they will deem
prudent to maintain respectful distance
Grows are too sagacious not to heed so sic
) nifcant warning as this.
Now Mr.. Editor l very well know thi
, scrawl of mine is scarcely printable, but
jyou think it would interest any of you
'boy readers, or men even to try an ez
pertinent like this and test its utility you ca
pass this bit of information to them throug
your much admired and highly useful shee
WILDER Fisk.
. Tunbridge, June, 1858.