St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-06-06
Spare the Birds.

The season is upon us when thought
less people are to look with jealous eyes
at the tiny sOngsters which render
spring time melOdious in the country.
These little feathered troubadours find
some ready writers to dip their pens in
their behalf, and scientists almost uni
versally advise to spare the BIRDS A
celebrated English agriculturist declares
that he has for years forbidden the de-
structiOn of single wild bird upon his
garden premises or brOad-spread lands,
and, further, that he has found certain
favOrite orchards where small fruits
were grown, that the unlimited range
Ofyoung poultry stock there had proved
of immense advantage towards keeping
such spots free from injury by the cur
culiO, canker worm, currant grub and
apple bOrer, not to mention a score of
other like pests. Horace Greeley stated
IN an article, written but few months
before his death, that if he we've to es-
innate the average annual loss to the
farmers of this country, from insects
alone, he should place the sum at least
as high as one hundred millions of dol
lars. Is this not in itself strong and
incontrovertible argument to show US
the real value of preserving the insec-
tivorous birds about our occupied prem
lses and fields as a natural means for
the destruction of these armies of ma
RAIDERS?
There is no end to the discovered and
multiplying varieties of these pests,
borers, beetles, worms, flies and bugs
generally; besides which, in their vast
numbers, are species yet unrecorded by
the pen of science. Chemistry has
sought in vain for effective poisons to
use against them, and the utmost in
genuity of the agriculturist has been
taxed only to keep the ravages of the
general enemy within bounds. And
still immense evil abounds wherever
there exists gardens, orchards, cult
waited fields and vineyards. With these
facts fully realized, ought not every
known means for the suppression of the
pest to be encouraged and promoted
No one can consistently deny this, and
therefore we repeat, with earnestness,
spare the birds. Some will say fOt
two evils | choose the least, and so /
go in for exterminating the birds first,
and dealing with the insects after
wards" We reply to this that some OF
the varieties of birds will pick the I'M
protected cherry trees, some will steal
few of the ripening grapes and rasp-
berries the ruby currant bushes will
suffer some from those feathered pa
troles that claim small toll for SER
vices rendered. But the myriads OF
destructive insects, far more ravenous
In their appetite, which will riot in the
gardens and fields without the presence
of the feathered police and their natural
services, is inconceivable. This is the
light in which to regard the birds
Ihey are our friends, cO-operators with
US IN the labors of the field, and if. in
return, they occasionally draw their
little bills upon us at sight let US duly
honor them in the light of well-earned
wages for special duty performed.
Last season, both in Connecticut
and Massachusetts, careful experiments
were made. under the supervision OF
inteillgent scientists, to gather evidence
upon the subject of which we are writ
ing. For instance, it was shown that
out OF l2o birds killed, mostly spar
rows, only three were found to have in
tneir crops any comparative portion OF
gram, worms, beetles and grubs having
oeeh almost their sole diet during the
previous twenty-four hours.
Otner similar experiments with yari-
Gus species of birds showed like results
u mas been found in many cases where
FARMERS nave exterminated these little