Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-19
UNION AND AMERICAN.
FARM AND GARDEN.
SPARE TIE BIRDs

of day. 1t is the early bird that
catches the worm, says the old maxim.
Last year army worms, bugs and 9th
er insects left little that was living in
our fields except eggs and their young
for a more destructive seourge the
present season. So many eggs, larva
and mature insects supply a great
abundance of nutritious animal food
for large focks of black birds, many
blue birds, thrushes, robins, patridges,
wrens and others whose names do not
occur to US at the present writing. Last
year our small crops Of corn, oats,
clover and grass were destroyed by the
enemies of agricultural industry; and
our only hope Of receivingany compen-
sation for seed oats which cost eighty
cents for 80 pounds, potatoes at four
dollars barrel, and small barrels at
that, and other seeds Of still higher
prices, Is, In the services Of small birds
In consuming bags, worms and flies, in
the different stages of their existence.
There are two species Of flies which
are often very destructive to wheat in
the field before it is ripe. Both of these
swallows consume on the wing. Of the
wheat fly proper, we have counted
seven of its small yellow worms in a
single seed of wheat; and we have
seen statements of there being sixteen.
Counties in Western New York that
produced 100000 bushels a year in
1910, each, had to abandon their crop
on account of the insect.
Civilization and GENERALIZATION can
not grow up to full maturity together.
They must separate. In ancient Rome
and Greece the question was fairly put,
an anti-lmprOvement carried the day,
bringing advanced culture to an end,
and their civilization to something of
the long past, and not of to day. In
England every gun in the farming and
gardening parts of the kingdom pays
an annual tax Of three dollars, and
every dog a Ike tax. Agriculture,
with its advancing humanity, demands
this protection from the ceaseless war
Of barbarism, with its gunpowder, guns
and dogs. The law of progress must
be studied and obeyed; else we practi-
cally assume 1t 10 be a mistake for
human society to rise above cannibal-
ism, living in caves in a state of nudity.
If improvement means anything, 1t
means a great deal which all should
ponder.
The Hessian fly is more generally
difused over the United States. In
stead of attacking the young seed, its !
larva sucks the juice of the plant from |
near its root, and often causes the |
wheat to fall, the stem breaking off. |
By pulling down the leaf Of wheat at |
this time, the fly, in a,pupa state, may |
be found nearly as large as a fax seed,
and Of the same color.
A learned German entomologist has
described and figured a thousand or
more species Of insects which subsist
more or less on wheat-the plant that /
gives man his daily bread. We may
admit that birds do some harm by eat
ing cherries, raspberries and other
small fruits, without impairing the |
important fact that they should be |
protected for the greater good they do |
In saving from destruction much more |
needed crops. We can better do with
out cherries than wheat, corn, oats,
hay and vegetables.
Every morning we have heard guns /
fired at snipe, quails or other birds
around our place, before SUNRISE, for
the last seven days. This is virtually
driving an industrious man out of the
county and State that worms, wheat
flies, chinch bugs and bird-hunting
may abound. Many are feeding their
working stock on very poor prairie
sedge, brought from Illinois, because
army worms destroyed their hay crops
last year. Without reform, the evil is
likely to be worse this year than last.
The South has reached the turning
point in It's industrial condition. Lis
ten to what an English farmer lately
settled in Virginia says to the editor
Of the Baltimore american. Farmer:
Il have lately come from England and
like the appearance of the country so
well that 1 have taken a grass farm,
and intend going into cattle and sheep
farming; but through the aid of your
columns must draw your attention to
a very serious grievance, namely: the
useless dogs that are allowed to roam
about the country, generally be-
longing to the negroes, and the
allowing negroes to carry guns
and revolvers. Why not, as in Eng
land, put a heavy tax on both the NUS.
ances, say three dollars each dog on
any person having one or more dogs,
and the same on any fre-arms' The
county in England issues a license the
first day in each year; any person aP-
plying for it takes a receipt for
both dogs and guns; and it is the |
duty Of our county police to call on
each person for his receipts, and |
tally the namber of dogs and /
guns. The Legislature at Rich
mond must be insane to tolerate this
nuisance. Further, I can not, or will /
not recommend any Of my fellow. coun-
trymen to come out here to invest /
their capital till this dog and gun uuis-