Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-02-24

The emotion he exhibited as he
glanced his eagle eve over the past
of his life and over his attentive au-
dience was sutfusively affecting, be
getting great wonder at his present
altitude. He asserted that the best
food is wasted that the food valued
least by masses of the people is
thrown away. One man who lives
an forty thousand dollar house had
informed him that he sent every
| week to the yards for a beef's head
and that for ten cents he got sixteen
pounds of meat thereby. THE Pres
ident naturally and naigely remark
Ell that SAch genius could afford to
live in $40, ooo house. And over
600 beefs heads are thrown away in
New York City every week.
DIGGING POTATOES IN JANUARY.
"A gentleman called attention To
the fact that he saw potatoes dug a
week or two before on Long Island.
STOCKS FOR STANDARD PEARS
| VIM. II. Boyce asks how he can pro-
| cure stocks for standard pears-what
seed he shall SOW. He is informed
! by Mr.. Quinn that stocks are usual
ly grown here from important seed
of the common pear.
/ y W ohaN > SAbIoI NtsOP.-A
woman, whose name we did not
learn, from Bridgeport, Conn. ,exhib-
| tied specimens of carrots which she
cultivated personally after the
ground was prepared and producing
twenty-seven bushels of fine roots on
thirty square rods of ground.
| THE FRUIT GROWERS CLUE
meets on Thursdays. II is distinct
from the Farmers Club and yet its
membership seems to be composed
chiefly of eminently philanthropic
persons who do not hold Office in the
last named organization, and whose
earnest desire to do good is not salts
fled with the opportunities for gar
rulousness which the Farmers Club
affords them once a week. Hence
we have the same distinguished la
dies and gentlemen who give tone
and character to that organization,
| Tuesdays, self-denyingly devoting
Thursday afternoons also to the fur
! ther dissemination of useful knowl-
edge. a sweetfaced young gentle
man read very pretty little COM
position upon
| THE USEFULNESS OF LITTLE
BIRDS.-Nr. Carpenter, prompt with
good words and in every good work,
responded to the profound and learn
| ed composition by saying that dur
ing recent visit to the Shaker set
Element at Watervliet, he observed
great many birds upon the six hun
dred acre farm of theShakers ;andup-
| on inquiry he found that no gun was
allowed to be fired on the premises,
and the effect favorable to the crops,
therefore, was very marked in CON
co Of Z
emies. He desired to call attention
to the crow, who is generally regard
ed the worst enemy ii farmers
among birds, but who Is probably
his best friend. Mr.. 6. regards him
of great value on his farm and en-
cOurages him to come there. True,
he sometimes pulls corn but he has
found that if a half bushel of corn is
scattered on the surface of a corn
| field of five or six acres, not Il hlll of
that planted will be disturbed.
Crows destroy great number Of in
sects. All winter they forage for
them and they follow the plowman
in spring III search of grubs. He has
heard it asserted that they destroy
eggs but he has never known them
to do so.
Mr.. FULLER has kept tame crows
and studied their habits He had
never known a crow to eat AN egg,
and had given them opportunities to
do so. Did not think they would
unless starved to it, \ gentleman
from New Jersey said only hawks,
birds of the falcon family, should be
destroyed. SparroWs Were very use
ful, and robins also; and both are
easily domestiIated by a little kind
| ness and attention to their wants,
and by protecting them. The pre-
servation of everything which wears
| feathers preserves fruits. DR.. Hal
leck asks where English sparrows
can be obtained. \ gentleman re-
| plies in Jersey City, where they are
| sance, awakening people in the
morning before they desire to he
awakened.
A gentleman said he was taught
when Il boy that if lie killed spar
row the COWS would give bloody
milk, and he easily believed it and
| liking bread ana milk, he rcfrained
from killing them because he did not
want bloody milkfor food. Travelling
| in England he found the crows very
thick in all the fields and very tame
They are protected there.
Another member said the habit of
tame crows are no criterion by which
to judge of those OF the wild ones
| When hungry, wild crows will cut
eggs, peek out lambs eyes, and do
other predatory deeds. if we'll fed
| they would doubtless do differently.
| And it is true, too, that the robin
eats cherries and becomes a nui-
sance. Mr.. Moulton indorses the
crow a little. Had known a Long
| Islander to kill fifty or more crows
and insects were found in the crops
of all Of them. But he could not de-
| fend the robins. Had never found
an insect i'll their crops. They de
stroy all sorts of fruits They visit
| his grounds by thousands and de-
| stroy fruit in vast quantities. He
had shot thirty of them at a single
shot. Has found $50 worth of grapes
on the ground at once in his vine
yard which the robins had plucked.
Mrs. Halleck suggested that per-
| hapS birds knew and served their
| friends and were destructive to their
enemies. She protected them and
never suffered from them in her
vineyard so much as some of her
neigh bors do who are constantly
shooting them.