Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1869-04-23
Potomac Fruit Growers Association.
Reported for the Alexandria Gazette]

The great service; rendered by our little
feathcred friends are very seldom appreciated
or acknowledged by those who are most IN
debted to their kindnes The farmers boys
stone them, the young f. mer hunts them: and
the ''old man. grum bles at them. Even
many who recognize their usefulness give them
no food or shelter du. ng the hard times OF
brd.dom They may be unmolested, and per,
haps thanked, but unlimited, uncared Tor, and
unpaid. The writer then proceeded to speak
of the cruel treatment birds have received IN
the South of Europe, as for instance, 100000
900 birds eggs were annually destroyed IN
France prior TO 1862. In Germany the
birds enjoy comparative protection, and atten-
ton was called to the superiority OF their
crops over those Of France, where $50, 900
worth of wheat was destroyed in single de-
partment one season by one variety OF insects
alone But in truth We have no need to leave
our own country to see bird killing. Not long
ago it was the common custom tor the idle,
adde-h headed dolts of o community, after put.
ting in their crops, to combine in big hunt OF
the only earthly power that could save those
very crops from blight and ruin. LongfelioW
condemns the wanton destruction OF birds thus
"You STAY them all and wherefore for
the gain
OF q scant handful, more or less, OF wheat,
Or rye, or barley, or some other grain
Scratched up at random by Industrious eet,
Searching Tor worms or weevll alter rain.
There is another argument in favor Of the
birds beside that Of material aid. They are
beautiful, and the handlwork OF God. he
gave us beauty 20 least our hungry souls upon,
and to rest our weary eyes. Their beautiful
plumage, sweet songs and graceful movements
gladden. and tighten our hearts. 1t lets In q
little sunshine on our often dark and monoton-
Gus lives. The mission OF the birds is prac.
teal and useful one, and it is, also, a high and
lofty one. Farmers, because they lead rude
life, too often feed the body and starve the
soul. Many Of the different kinds OF birds OF
interest to the farmer and iruit grower we're
or robbers, all seem to be injurious, excepting
those which feed on carrion, as buzzards, vul-
lures, &c., and many Of the owls. The greater
part of the food OF the owl consists OF mice,
rats, insects, &c. A. steel trap set on the top
of pole by the hen house, would punish those
who are not i'll named ''the robbers" Wood
peckers are peculiarly the orchardists' friends,
climbing the trunks of the trees and picking
out all those lively grubs, and swallowing them
in spite of their hard names. Not the smallest
insect escapes their notice. They scrutinze
every scale of bark, they sound the tree to
detect the hollow cavities, their sharp awllike
bill penetrates every hole, and woe to the
saperd bivittata when one OF the Picidae raps
at his door. Wilson says: Almost every trunk
in the forest where he resides bears the marks
of his chisel Wherever he perceives tree
beginning to decay, he examines it round and
round with great skill and dexteriy, strips off
the bark in strips of five or six feet 10 length,
to get at the hidden cause Of the disease, and
labors with an activity really surprising. All
the woodpeckers are insectiverous, and the
idle story of their sucking for sap, is more
worthy of little children than educated far
mers. The cuckoo, sort of cousin to the
weodpecker, is q very accommodating bird In
asmuch as it devours the hairy caterpillars
that other birds refuse. The cuckoo, however,
destroys a great number OF the eggs OF moro
useful birds. 1t has been estimated that
100000 eggs are thus destroyed annually
The beautiful humming bird, the ladies' friend,
is very useful to the horticulturist. Its food
is the little aphides that suck the lite-sap OF
the plant, and feed upon the opening buds
The swallow is long and steady worker, and
a useful one, being often fourteen hours on the
wing IN pursuit Of its prey-hes and insects.
The kingbird is fycatcher, and most useful
friend. The robins, thrush and cedar birds eat
mostly insects, and the cherries they take are
in small proportion to the rest of their food
The favorlte food of the cedar or cherry bird is
the apple tree caterpillar. The wired and wren
are great insect dcstroyers. The cat bird, that
much prosecuted friend of man, is one of his
most valuable aids. 10 twenty-four hours one
of these birds will eat his weight IN insects i
True, he takes little grain occasionally, but
the farmer could afford to give for his services
many times the value of the grain he takes
The creeper, titmouse blackbird, oriole, and
common sparrow are all very valuable birds.
The jays and crows have always been consider
ed the farmers enemies, but many refute the
charges. with incontestble evidence. Audubon
says: THE crow devours myrlads OF grubs
every day in the year that might lay waste the
farmer fields; 1t destroys quadrupeds lnnu-
merable, every one Of which is an enemy to his
poultry and his focks. Why, then, should the
farmer be 50 ungrateiuI, when he sees such
services rendered to him by a providentlal
friend, as to prosecute that friend even to the
death ?' Again he says: Our crow feeds on
fruits, seeds, and vegetables of almost every
kind; it is equally fond OF snakes, lizards,
frogs, and other small reptiles. 1t looks upon
various species of worms, grubs, and insects
as danties, and if hard pushed by hunger will
devoIr even putrid carrion. 1t is fond OF the
eggs of other birds, and it plumbers the fields Of
their superabundance. 1t is blamed for so
doing, but seldom praised when it chases the
thievng hawk from the poultry yard" The
crow is a doubtful character, and should be
carefully watched, until his relations to the
farmer and fruit grower arc better known
Wild pigeons are of little use to the farmer,
and he can make game of them with impu-
nty. Quail have been accused of pulling corn,
but the charge is refutcd. The crop of one
that had been feeding on young corn field for
several hours, was examined, and in it were
twenty.o one striped vine bugs, one hundred
chinch bugs, and no corn. The rail and sand
piper we should hold iu great estimation Il
The English sparrow, too lis most indefatigable
destroyer OF insects. They were first introdu-
ccd here, l believe in the cities Of Jersey
City and New York, and have done good
work in delivering those cities from being ode
voured of worms,' as was Herod The Wood
lawn Farmers Club propose to introduce |
these sparrows here, but until we can and will
protect the birds we have it will be of little use
to import sparrows. 1t is time that farmers |
saw the folly of prosecuting birds, and awoke to |
he necessity Of protecting them. Besides pigs |
md poultry 10 an orchard, | would have birds. |
BY putting bird cots in every tree. The in