The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-01-22
vol LUME NJ. Xxx N() E Z,

3. - s ..s9si75i7 Fii,3iit 4 ssft
4 vastations, reduced ito an average; of
/ four bnshels per acre. al
j Itjbas been efnitel ertained
that the surest, aud the only available
means Tor checking and pltimatsi 81
preventing this vast fdestruc 3
4 the fruits of the husband mani 0ss5s
/ Ito protect the inseeta HKdss
/ fromb being destroy red poSt6
man, and TO enc cenrag
]by penal Iaws.proh hihitip
of any such birds ST ahY aaon of
the yea, and pnnishin every s known
violation Of the law @ fne and iMls
prisonment. ss;. 80 f:,iSs
Taught by severe experience, neass
4 " all Of our sister States have enact
led, and rigidly etforce, Jaws for rhe
protection of insectiverousi birds. In
Ohio, the penalty is from two TO ten
| dollars for killing or attemptingsto in-
iure, at any season Of thel year, any
sparrow, robbin, .blue-bird, martin,
thrush, mocking bird swallow, mead
|ow-lark, finch, OF other etfesdigg
bird; and the same penaltysis incur
red, in each case, for disturbing the
nest Of ony one Of such cirds.; SINH
| lar statutes have been enacted by the
Legislatures of Massachusetts New
York, Pennsylvania. ann sixteen. 9th.
er States Of this Union. fftss a9;;f
These laws have been found neces-
sary to restore and preserve that
equilibrium established by an all wise
Providence in the mysterious and
kindly economy sof nature byiwhich
the, interests Of man are protected
and advanced; through the inoessant
wars which the lower orders ficrea-
ton wage upon each other. The
birds, thus destroying the insects,
save the plants which tke5 fast multi
plying insects would otherwise cnsl-
Esume. The occasional interference by.
man with ithis ,eqnipoise' in he,wide-
spread destruction Of, birds, either for
wanton sport or to supply the de-
mands of q luxurious appetite, has
more than once brought idisaster.t to
extensive regions Of country through
the ravages made by2insectsl upon the
growing and harvested grain siss:
Insthe year 1861, the French Gov
ernment,I at the instance Of the Minis
ter Of Agriculture, appointedsfa com
mission, composed Of experienced
naturalists. to yestigate and report
upon this subject. Theresult Of their
Investigations conducte With caft-
ful and infinite research, was t0ithe
effect thatithe rapid diminntion IN the
harvest Of France, which had been
apparent for several years them past,
was due, solely, oathe annatnralae-
cumulation of insects consequent
upon the systematic destruction 6f
the small birds They found for In
stance, that d certain prolific insect,
which is very destructive to grain
and fruits, laid 10000 eggs periyeaf,
but that asingle sparrow eat zoo, 900
Of such eggs annually, while SPAR
row devoured $50 ,of the; grain 5and
fruit-destroying insects themselves
every day. : ,.it 81.
Itcan readily be shown, By stats.
tics I have examined, that the IN
creased multiplication of.insecta, at
itributable directly tx. the extermina-
tion Of birds, causes the destruction
OF the products Of Industry, repre-
senting annually, thrnuGho1t, 1.-THE
world, the labor of several millions of
men.ssf .a .gs1c, 81;
In Sweden. for example, a small
flying insect is said to destroy, an
nualIy, one-tenth of the grain 10 tfiat
kingdom. In Devonshire County,
Eng land, the tnrnip beetle has caus.
ed in one season. a loss of $500 600
in the weld of turnips, and, in Nor. S
folk County, the entire produce of
thousands OF fertile acres has been
consumed by the black caterpillars6f
the saw ly,p In the Harts forests in
Germany. 10000 valuable timber
trees were killed in a. few years bv q
ANAL insect known as the harEhorino
heatle The locnst triba ~ ;nsG1fs