The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-11-29

r. u.
, James Grant, Union.
Julius Poppe, Anderson G. II.
MR. EDITOR: In one of the Ger
man. ILLUSTRATED family journals,
published q short time ago in Phila-
delphia, we read the following hum
bic petition. At the approach of
winter, no paper should omit the
repetition of an admonition which is
contained in the following petition
We, the undersigned, sparrows,
fnches, wrens, &c., herewith respect
fully request all the lovers of nature,
animals and philanthrophists. but
more especially agriculturists, to take
US for short time as humble board
ers, after winter has set in with all
its terrible force, with snow and cold.
and TO scatter from time to time, on
suitable places, few handfuls of
seed, corn, bread, &c. We pledge
our honor to repay such charitable
deed, by devouring, in the spring and
summer time, all noxious vermin;
and already we are very busy in re-
connoitering on caterpillars' nests,
larv@s and eggs of that rabble. In
the name of the hungry chief society,
THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE.
- 10 this petition we srbjoin an arti-
Gle which is in the news from Ger
many and Switzerland, dated Sep
tember 49,, No. 72. at the desire of
the Tessiner Government, the federal
diet has inquired at the several can
tons if they were willing to enter into
compact which object is to prevent
the killing Of birds for a number of
ears; the counsellor of the Govern
ment OF Zuerich has already consent
ed to take part in the proceedings.
An imitation of this law for the pro-
lection of the feathered inhabitants
of the air would be of incalculable
benefit. in order to stop the bad
practice of destroying the poor birds
by lazy sportsmen and ignorant boys.
1t has been proven by learned pro-
fessors, (naturalists.) that most spe.
cies of small birds destroy myriads of
noxious insects, while the latter dis
appoint, in short time, all the
hopes of the planter, after having
labored for months on his crop.
Most of the experiments tried to
overcome this pestilence have only
met with partial success, and the
planter, with all his trials and often
expensive endeavors to clean his crop
from the ers-discontented at
the i'll success of all his trials-at
Inst leaves his rich fields at the
mercy CT the unwelcome and devour-
ing guests.
Most of the small birds are guided
by nature to devour insects, and a
careful observer will see at glance
the unremitting zeal of these small
birds; and how MUST il is, therefore,
to make war against them.
In the Ph@nir, of September "a and
29, we read some deplorable accounts
about the depredations of the cotton
worm on some plantations in our
State; but how large the depredations
are In general, by noxious insects, we
extract the following words from the
Anaertcdn Entom0logist," No. l, Sep
tember, 1868, published in st. Louis.
Missouri.
10 the agriculturists and horti.
cniturists of the United States. It
is. notorious that the cotton crop is
often diminished at least one. third in
value by q single insect-the cotton
worm-thus at ono fell swoop pick
ing the pockets of the nation of some
fifty millions of dollars"
On the whole, we are certainly
speaking within bounds when we
assert that. taking one year with an
other. the United States suffer from
the depredations of noxious insects
to the annual amount of three hun
dred millions of dollars.
This enormous annual loss should
induce us to try and to save all the
means with which kind Creator has
provided us against the murderous
attacks OF these small but powerful
enemies to our harvests; and even IL
this enormous loss of several millions