Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1870-06-17
AerzcuHuraL
EN'SECTS-BIR DS.

If l were TO estimate the loss per annum
of the farmers of this country from insects
at slOO,OOO,OOO per annum, l should doubt
less be far below the mark. The loss of
fruit alone by the devastations of insects
within a radius of fifty miles from this
city, must amount in value to millions. In
my neighborhood, the peach once flourish
ed, but fiourishes no more, and cherries
have been all but annihilated. Apples
were till lately our most profitable and
perhaps our most important product; but
the worms take half our average crop and
sadly damage what they do not utterly de-
stroy. Plums we have ceased to grow or
expect; our pears are generally stung and
often blighted; even the currant has at last
its fruit destroying worm. We must fight
our paltry adversaries more efficiently, or
allow them TO drive us wholly from the
field.
Now, / have no doubt that our best allies
in this inclorious warfare are the birds.
They would save us, if we did not destroy
them. The British plowman turning his
sod with myriad of crows, black birds,
DC E, chasing his steps and all but getting
under his feet in their eager quest of grubs,
bugs, &C., is spectacle 10 be devoutly
thankful for. Whenever clouds of birds
shall habitually darken our fields in MAY
and 0ess notably throughout the summer
months, we may reasonably hope to grow
fair crops of our favorte fruits from wear
TO year, AID realize that we owe them to
the constant, and jealous, though not quite
disintcrested efforts of our friends, the
birds.
But do not regard the ravages of in
sccts as entirely due to the recl less dostruc-
ton and consequent scarcity of our birds.
hold that their multiplication and their
devastation are largely melted by the de-
generacy of our plants caused by the bad
ness of our culture. On this point consid-
or statement made TO me some fifteen or
twenty years ago, by the late Gov. William
+. Packer of Pennsylvania
81 know sud Gov. P.) the narrow valley
of stream that runs into the west branch
of the Susquehanna, which was cleared of
the primitive forest some forty or fifty
years since, and has ever since been alter
natCly in tillage and grass. A road ran
through the middle Of it, dividing it into
two narrow fields. a few years ago, this
read was abandoned, and the whole of this
little valley, including the roadway,
thrown into single field, which was there
upon sOwn to wheat. At harvest-timc this
remarkable phenomenon was presented:
A good crop of sound grain on the strip
four or five rods wide formerly covered by
,ho road. ,,,,iIo ronrI,, o,,or,, to.,... ~, -;
I'll 81 :, I,.'.e;',
.,,
Ivy ''',' ''0',. ''',' '"o' '''"' II"
o'e, '"' ,,' "o ".','S "ue ~ our apuSo
"'' VI 'io '''' presume
'""' w"e"' anu o,ne' erols "ou'u DC ue'-
~ '" - '"0'o "o'o "o s'o'e"'y'
nhss"iu' eAn"uSuns uiiasc' nut 40
'"'S "o'u '""' AT 'e''s' nan our LOSSES ny
i'seo's Wouiu DC preciuueu II our heius
"ero nnp''u"iiy AePt III petter heart ny
"o'' '"'uie' ""ei"' 'er'''iNi,s' anu Juu'-
''"'H io'"''"" va cups hearu iittie oi
'"'"s'9 :" '"o o"'-no''is vi west
CT" Now ioIN throughout 'he hrs' thlrty
years oi inns century pu'' "heh crop aiter
oioPoi WHEAT h"o' oeen NaAeI from tue same
menus u"''. '"oy "uu oeen weh hisn eA-
"'"s''' VI 'noif "ne"t-iorihlns elenlehls,
VIZ pos"" !" near oi lhe uesoia'loh wrought
ny i"se''s anu '"ose r"VaeeS Increased III
'n"el''uu1 u"'" wheat culture h"u 10 oe
"o""uo"o" ior years peiieVe tha' we
sn'"'u nave ne"'' mus Vi insec's hau
"ne"' o,on s'o"'' VI, ',oSo menus nut one
year III 'hreo s'n'o ''oir reuei''p'i"h from
'"u p'''''"' .o'e9''
~ """'o,o' "'s"' ''Iu nave peo"' 'ne
a,"nt |aas, ',oaaro',ar "o uoonleu ,
,oa, -, ,,ano,' IS ,
80, H. 1I,a a,,,ao, a,,1 a,1l, o''u
onr ,,rodooossor. We ara IL, ill., 80,
,ion with thc inhabitants or tho nri,,sh is,os