Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1871-11-25
NEWPORT, SATURDAY, NOV. 25, 1871.

to have prevented it from becoming prevt-
lent in some places. Equally unfounded is
the idea that these birds eat the wood Of the
trees they visit. Aside from the fact thai
they very rarely attack those trees which art
rich in sweet sap, such us the maple, but, on
the contrary spend nearly all their time OF
Apple-trecs, Pines and other trees whose sal
could hardly be regarded rs inviting, they
visit the trees most in September and Other
fall months, and not 50 much in the spring
when the sap is most readily obtained. The
whole structure of the bill and tongue il
against any suppositon that the birds eat s;lI
OF wood. One species is however an eAcep-
ton to these statements. his Is the 1cl
low-bellied Woodpecker OF Sap-sucker o
the West. There is no doubt that the injury
done by this bird has been greatly eXagger
ated, but yet it seems doubtful whether it is
wholly beneficial, and il probably does ea
some of the inner bark of trees while search
ing for insects. It's tongue is smooth and il
differs IN other respects from the true Wood
pecker, but yet IN examination OF the stom
achs of quite IL number of these species has
shown that their chief diet is probably i'll
sects. 1t seems probable that, notwithstand
ing the. great outcry that has been raisec
against them IN some sections OF the country
this Yellow -bellied Woodpecker will yet bt
setting aside this doubtful species, there re-
maip six or seven other species, in regard t.
winch there is no doubt, and which, inste;.t
of injuring the trees they visit, most certain
ly benefit them.
AS every fruit grower knows well hi
worst enemies are often the various borers
The borcr is so hidden while ut work tha
man finds it almost impossible to preven
its ravages and very difficult to even checl
thn,,, h,,t find hs
the grub is located and with its sharp chisel
like bill easily digs into the wood and, wher
the worm is reached the barbed tOngu,
transiiXes and draws it out. So deity is the
work done that IL very small amount o
wood is cut away and no injury done tn,
tree. 1t is the uniform testimony of obscr
vers that those trees which have been often
est pierced are most thrifty. In more thar
fifty apple orchards examined by Wilson tn,
best trees without exception were those tina
had received frequent attacks from tn,
over sixty years old, their trunks covered
with holes, while the branches We're broad
uXurant and loaded with fruit" "Of de
cayed trees more than three-fourths wer,
untouched by the Woodpeckers."
Probably the most useful of our Vernon
species is that called the Downy Woodpecke
(Pscus pubesccns, Linn.) II black and whit,
bird, usually not over SIX inches long, ant
another called Hairy Woodpecker (Picu
rHlosuS, Linn.) which is very similar in ap
pearance, though larger. These birds M,
quite common about orchards and should b,
encouraged to stay. Some of the larger spe
cies, ut certain seasons, eat corn and littl,
fruit, but the amount they take is too small t,
be made any account of. The Red-headet
Woodpecker is more destructive to fruit thai
any of the others. 1t eats apples, pears i'm,
such fruit, always selecting the ripest ant
hest and it is said, besides this, to eat SOM
corn, especially when it is in the milk. Not
withstanding all this their proper food is in
sects, and there can be little doubt that the
do far less to destroy, than to save fruit, 70
what they eat is only small part of tina
they have saved from destruction by destroy
ing thousands of insects.
Leaving this not very large but useftl
group, let us pass on to the consideration o
Il very large and important order, that of tn
Insessores on Perching- Birds. The species @
this group are very numerous and the indi
viduals, are numbered by the thousands, an