The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-06-07
What l Know of Farming.
NY HORACE GREELEY.
InscctS--Birds.

from llllS Nlly, must amount IN value 10
Millions. In my neighbOrhOod, the Peach
once tlOurished, but ilOurishcs no more,
and Cherries have been all but annihilat.
ed Apples were till lately our most
profitable and perhaps our most import.
ant product; but the worms take half our
average crop and sadly damage what they
do not utterly destroy. Plums We have
ceased to grow or expect; our Pears are
generally Stung and Often blightcd; even
the Currant has ut lust its truit.destrOying
worm. We must fight our paltry adver-
saries more efficiently, or allow them 10
drive us wholly from the field.
Now, have no doubt that our best al.
lies In this inglOrious warfare are the
Birds They would save lis, II we did not
destroy them. The British plOwman
turning his sod with Il myriad Of crows,
blackbirtls, &c, chasing his steps and HlI
but getting under his feet in their eager
quest Of grubS, bugs, &c, is spectacle to
be dcvoutly thankful for. whenever
clouds Of birds shall habitually darkcn our
fields in May and less notably through
out the summer months, We may rcaSona-
bly, hope to grow fair crops of our favor.
tie fruits from year to year, and realize
| that we owe them 10 the constant and
Jealous, though not quite disintcrcsted cl-
Orts Of our friends, the birds.
But do not regard the ravages Of in
scCts us entirely due to tho reckless de-
struCtiOn and consequent scarcity OF our
birds l hold that their multiplication
and their dGvastatiOns arc largely melted
by the dcgcneraCy Of our plants, caused
by the badness OF our culture. On this
point consider u statement made 10 me,
some fifteen or twenty years ago, by the
late Gov. VIM. +. Packer, of Pennsyl-
vania:
al know (said Gov. P) the narrow val
lev OF stream that runs into the west
branch of the SuSquelanna, which was
cleared OF the primitive forest some fifty
or sixty years since, and has ever since
been alternately in tillagc and grass. A
road ran through the middle OF It, di-
viding it into two narrow fields. A few
years ago this road was abandoned, and
the whole Of this little valley, including
the roadway, thrown into single field,
which was thGreupOn sOwn TO wheat. AT
harvest.timc, this remarkable phcnOmc.
non was presented: A good crop of sound
grain on the strip four or five rods wide
formerly covered BY the road; while near
" every berry on either side OF it was de-
str0yed by the wccvil or nudge"
Now 10 not infer from this fact that
insect ravNgcs are Th0lly due TO our abuse
and exhaustion Of the soil. l presume
that Wheat and other crops would be de-
vaStated by insects il there were no sloven-
", niggard exhausting tillagc. But do
firmly hold that ut least half our losses by
insects would be prccluded if our fields
were habitually kept in better heart by
deep culture, liberal iertiliZing and Il
iudCiOus rotation Of crops. heard little
Of insect rlvages in the wheat fields OF
Western New York throughout the first
thirty years Of this century; but, when
crop after crop Of Wheat had been taken
from the same fields until they had been
well nigh exhausted Of their Whcat.torm-
ing elements. we began to hear Of the desc.
laliOn wrought by insects; and those rava-
yes increased in magnitude until Wheat
culture had to be abandoned for years. |
believe that we should have heard little Of
insects had Wheat been grown on those
fields hut one year in three since their re-
dcmptiOn from the primal forest.
But, whatever might once have been,
the Philistines are upon MS. We are
doomed, for ut least generation, TO wage
Il relentless war against insects multiplied
beyond reason by the neglect and short
cOmings Of our predecessors. We are in
like condition with the inhabitants of the
British Isles II thousand years ago, whose
fOrcfathers had so long endured and so I'M
sEillfully resisted invasion and spOliatiOn
by the Mortimer that they had come to
be regarded as the soaking natural prey.
For generations, It has been customary
hereahont TO slaughter without remOrsc
the birds, and let Caterpillars, worms
grIsshOppcrs, &c, multiply and mvage
unrcsistcd. We must pay for past errors
by present loss and years Of extra effort
And, precisely because the task is so ar
duous, VIC ought 10 lose no time in nd
dressing ourselves to its execution.
The first step to be taken is very sim
pie. Let every man who realizes the I'M
portanCc and benelCiencc of Birds teach
his own children ind hirClings that, eX'
Ccpt tho Hawk, they are to be spared
protected, kindly treated, and when ne
ccssary) fed They are to be valued and
cherished us the voluntary police of our
fields and gardens, constantly employed
in fighting our battles against our ruth
less foes. The boy who rObs birds nest
is rObbing the farmer Of part of his
crops. lie who trnvcrscs u farm shooting
and mangling its lcathered Sentinels d.
minishcs its future product Of Grain and
nearly destroys thai Of Fruit The farmer
might us well consent that any strOlling
rutliHn should shoot his Horses or Cattle
as his Birds, Begin ut home tOmaEc this
truth felt md respected, and it will be the
easier 10 impress it also on your neighbOrs
Next, there should be nCighbOrhOod OF
township associations for the protection Of
inscct-cslting birds. We must not merely
agree to let them liye-wC must cherish
and protect them. l believe that very
simple cups or bowls Of Cast.irOn, having
each Il hole in its center Of suitable size
TINT need not cost SiXpcnCc each, and
could be fastened to the side Of tree
with one nail lightly driven, would in
time, he adopted by many birds MS nest
ing stronghOlds, whence they might laugh
to scOrn their productions enemies. II
every harmless bird could build Its nest
among us in place where its eggs would
be safe from hawks, crows, cats, boys, and
other robbers, the number Of such birds
would quickly be doubled and Quadru
Piled.
And we must summon the law to Oul
aid. Though law can do little or nothing
against stcalthy, skulking ncst-plundCrers
ii can help us materially in our warfare
against the COwNrlly vagabonds who
traverse our fields with musket or rifle
blazing away Mt every unsuspecting robin
or thrush that they can discover, Make
II trcspass, punishable with fine and I'M