Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-01-31
THg BIRDS ANo THE WORas.
The Boil Worm and the Cater.
pillar.

The following is from a eommuniea-
ton in the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph:
The boil worm and the caterpillar are
mortal enemies Of cotton. They are the
dread OF all planters. The plaques Of
Egypt were no more dreaded in the days
of Moses than are these IN the cotton
belt of the Southern States. The
planter in the spring Of the year care
fully plows up his grounds, ezpends ten
dollars an acre In fertilizers, plants the
seed, obtains a good stand, and rejOiees
in bright prospects Of a bouutiful yield
The season adyances-the tender plant
has grown into a large stalk-tne square
appears, and he is full Of the highest
hope. No matter how few the rains
may heneeforth be, lie Is certain of a
good yield,
He picks up a paper. Hark what
does this little paragraph say. The boil
worm Cor the eaterpillar) has appeared
in neighbOring county. His heart
sinks with in him. He can fight down the
grass, but he can do nothing when this
deadly enemy comes but fold his arms
and see his whole years work-his
whole erop-destroyed BY them. Is
there no no remedy? We think there is,
and will now proceed to suggest it.
WHAT A BIRD CAN EAT.
We believe it is a well known and a
well established fact that the egg of the
caterpillar is laid by fly, which matches
out the larvae, and that in a few hours
this insect gains sufficient strength to
destroy cotton. To prevent the insect
we must killed the fly. This can be
done by cultivating birds around our
plantations. One single birds will eat
hundreds IN the course Of a single day.
A friend writes Us that he had a pet
moeking bird which attracted his atten-
ton by It's ravenous appetite. In order
to test its capacity, he placed worms
twice its weight before it in one day, and
before night the last one Of them had
been swallowed.
HOW AN ALABAMA PLANTER sAvET
HIS COTTON.
An intelligent planter Of Alabama
entirely escaped the raEages Of the cater
pillar last year, although it destroyed
the cotton upon every other plantation
in his county. His crop was the finest
he ever raised. The caterpillar came up
to the fields of all his next door neigh
bors, but they did not cross his fences
The reason for this was he issued the
sternest orders that not a single bird,
except the jay, should be killed on his
/ plantation under any pretext whatever
He allowed little willow groves to grow
in his fields, and to them he sent a sack
Of oats every morning, which were seat
tered upon the ground. The birds fed
upon the oats, and swarmed in thousands
around his fields. They exterminated
the cotton fly. And hence there wer.
no eggs there we're no larvG but
there was a blooming garden in the
midst Of blighted wilderness. There
is no evil without its remedy there is
no disease without cure.
We know of no species of bird which
ought to be killed off, except the com
mon jay. They are deadly enemies, and
the common murderers Of almost every
species of the feathered tribe. They
rob nests, suck the eggs, rob them o.
the young and eat them. These or.
astrological cannibals should be killed
out for this reason.
THE WOODPECKER.
We have seen planters killing the
woodpecker for sport. They are regarded
as a nuisance, because they peck holes
in the shuck, and are charged with eat
ing young corn. But in this last par
ticular injustice is done them. IF you
will go to every ear they have pecked
and examine closely, you viii find that
a worm has been there eating the corn
but it is not there then because the wooC
peeker has taken it off the ear aRC
swallowed it. Instead Of eating YOU
corn it will protect it from the worm
He is therefore, your friend and No
your enemy and you should not xii
him.