The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1877-08-09

caterpillar destroying oechards and hanging his
web from the branches Of shaderees in the streets
of the Cities the sao~ asserted ifs supremacy, de
stroying them all rapidly and giving the people the
perfect enjoyment of being free-to say the least
from these two classes of insects. And what they
have done in the Easten States, they can do else
where; and greater voek, too, II the circumstances
permit; and they ri1, when tAey arc put IN the midst
of such field for tie fa exercise Of their capacity
as that presented to tAsn IN the grasshopPer dis
tricts-
Let ms look at rhaf aey neg sasss.pasA We will
assume that there 5 grasshoppers to the square
foot in your fields, land that viii mot be far from the
actual number,) and that it is months from the
time they make their appearance in the Spring till
the time of depostng their eggs IN the Fall and that
You have sixty sparrows to each of cultivated
land and that each sparrow will destroy at the rate
of s grasshoppers per day and at the end of seven
months, or 2o days, they will have destroyed every
grasshopper in your fields, and eggs deposited in
your fields to raise up destroyer in the following
Spring.
Now, let us see how long it would be till such q
number Of sparrows could be raised, assuming
tain number to start with and let assume that you
have seventy acres cultivated, land that WILL
conclude be quite up to the average per farmer in
those distrcts and that you get six dozen sparrows
which will be thrtysiI pair and that each pair will
bring rth three broods Of SIX birds each in one Sum-
mer, which will be eighteen birds, land that is about
the rate at which they multiply which will amount,
in the aggregate to TO- counting in the old ones-al
most ten to each acre-and multiplying at the same
rate, you will have, the second year. $780, or an
erage of almost 50 per acre number exceeding, in
no small degree, my assumed number of 60. Here We
have, then, before the end Of the second Summer by
A..
psh the work We have assumed, will destroy all your
grasshoppers the end of the months, and
be looking for more
But suppose you do not wish to incur the expense
of getting more thas three ozen Though they can be
bought and shipped at the cost of only few cents
each which, the same rate of increase as we have
already assumed, will, by midsummer of the second
year, amount up to the enormous of 3aiO, or 43
to each acre-still holding the number of acres IS
Now, it is quite clear that if they increase at the
rate we have supposed, land it is well known that
they brood three times each Summer,) and destroy
the grasshoppers at the rate have supposed that
with the assistance Of snch devices for destroying
them as are now in use, they may be extermnated in
the second year from the time you get the sparrows
But even if my calculations somewhat extrava-
giant, what will become of the grasshopper the third
year, speak of the wonderful rate at which the
sparrow will destroy the eggs after they deposit
ed in the Fall and the perpetual annoyance they will
be to the hoppers during the time Of depositng them
There native birds that seem to have any in
fuence any of those insects against which the Eng
lish Sparrow has proved itself a remedy; and there
fore, to make any comparison between any of the
tive birds and the sparrow, would be deceptive and
unreliable. 1t is well known what the sparrow has
done in Europe and in parts of this country and that
tnI Al
ence that native birds little better as far as
the destroying of insects is concerned than no birds
ut all for large proportion of them live almost ex
clusively on seed and grain, while the sparrow has
never been known to do the slightest injury to any
kind of grain, while it can get an insect And when
they become too numerous they do as men d. in this
much: that they migrate, and 60 into the new and
sparsey settled districts. But if they should become
too numerous in any future day, there are enough
geninses the farms othc West to dispose of them
easily.
One thing is very evident: when We consider the
rate at which the grasshopper multpes that if they
are reduced down by machinery, they will rise up
again, and become numerous as in the beginning;
and that they cannot be exterminated utterly by
art, some other means will have to be employed to
complete the rork at any rate. 1t that there is
no problem of more interest and importance to the
farmer under the destroyers influence than this very
one lhave made effort to present, is there mat
ter which he should take hold of with ear
nestness and promptness. The farmers of Kansas
and Nebraska should talk the NATTER this FALL
and make arrangements with parties in Nsw York. or
some Eastern cities, to have large number of these
birds sent out in the month of February if possible,
to different points, from which each man could take
his proportion home to his own farm
Those of each County where the trouble exists,
could join together and have the birds shipped to ev
ery County, and every part of each County, about
the same time, that the remedy would he wide
spread and general the pestence itself; for the
only way to deal with such immense and constant
y moving pestilence is to have your remedy against
hem general. 1t could be very easily arranged so
hat certain men in each County could have q certain
district to canvass and take down the names and ad
lresses of all those that would promise to take Civ
N number of birds at about a specified time and the
'arty thus acting canvasser could also act agent
o contract for the birtls and notify by letter, at
uficient time in advance, all the parties who gave
heir orders, that the birds will arrive at some speei
led point, by certain date, when they can go and |
ret the number they orlered-each man paying for |
lis own.
The best way, perhaps, would be for whole Coun-
y to empower to negotiate for the birds, |
md have them shipped, if possible, cash deiirry
o that there could not be much opportunity for /
ny kind of fraud, misappropriating of funds. BY
County, or number of them, moving thus in /
oneert the whole business could be done with much
erpense than only small district, and the work
Toud be thorough and complete. You have tried |
oping, and wishing-now try sparrows.
To expect the people of some of the old and stereo
yped parts Of our country-especialy some parts of
he East when there is life and enterprise, and
iske to anything that is new, or any change from
he present-to take hold of any such plan would be
ntirely vain but the people of Kansas and other
arts of the West have left the world record at the
International Exhibition, of the results of their prog
ess and industry, that in aspects, has equal
Ience have made effort to throw seed its soil
The MOrmons of Utah shipped q large number of
parrows from New York City to their settlement,
.st Spring. and there is reason to suppose that
ley are more progressive and thrifty than the peo
lie of Kansas and Nebrnska-
Having been n resident of Kansas, myself and hay-
lg friends there yet feel that have personal in
rest in its welfare and should feel highly honored
I shall have done said anything that will be in
in setting on foot any such concerted
ovement as have suggested, for l believe their
AVIATION depends upon it. BEN. HILL.
a. ~ 1