The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1882-11-15
The SparrOWS.

The individual who in ignorant pursu.
nncc Of hobby Introduce Or helped &c
introduce tho English sparrow INTO
America may comfort h mSci WIN
the idea that he has brought upon his
country IN iniliclOn which VIII cause
his name to be held il dc,cstatiun by
every farmer in the land. When tins
wicked. tyrannical, noisy, mi,rhirIuHS
and destructive bird was first introduced
| tired in vain 10 utter n warning
through popular agricultural journal.
But rs that would have been going
against the current OF popular iccllnS
Just then my suggestions were sup
pressed. and instead the little pest was
praised and pulled and good Pc MS A.
iributcd to him which he did not and
never did possess, while I'll his evil
habits were ignored 1t is almost GER
tan that the only service which he WAS
believed to have orioruc was IN no
case lis work, but the result ol natural
agencies, which aroalways CREATIVE TO
reduce the number II insect lc5S when
they, ut times, lCcumc unusually
numerous. The sparrow W brought
here TO destroy the measuring worm1
which infested the trees Of the Eastern
cites. lie came, and the worms went
And it was supposed the sparrows de-
vourod them. The present year we
have had perfect dclu.c OF worms and
the trees have leon 50 overwhelmed
with thom that thousands have been de-
lrivcd of their leaves. These are the
fall wcb-worms, which leave Their
webs when fully grown and spread
everywhere. They dcyour the leaves
of c ms poplars, willows, p'umS, cher
res. apples, Virginia crccpcr and Other
trees and plants, and they have swarm Il
over houses and INTO them so rs 10 have
been swept out with the broom. But
nary arrow touched II worm.
On the contrary, they have been en-
gagged in their natural work, which Is
grain-caing. They have broken down
the wheat and rye aud dcyourcd the
grain; they have locked upon The
shocks, aad have torn the grain from
the cang hey have torn open the corn
husks tnl have dcvourod the milky
grain, and now that the corn is il
sheck they may be counted by the hun
dreds in the corn-liclds still stealth!
the gran. This is their old trick, am
English farmers have been used 10 hjr
boys with guns and men with nets f
destroy the pests by thousands to say
their crops And we must soon do th
same thing.
Legislatures have passed laws pro
tccting those pests, urged thereto D.,
persons OF the same type as those mis-
guided and ignorant ones who have
procured laws by which farmers arc
prevented from selling pure sweet
skinned milk under any circumstance
in the cit cs, to the infinite loss and Diet
riment OF thousands OF poor children
who would find in it wholesome and
cheap article of food. The farmers
should insist upon having these law
abolished. Sparrow are not insect
cat ng birds. They devour the buds o
trees in winter and in summer devon
fruit, grain and seeds, They are, there
fore, out OF tho list OF useful birds
They are, however, very good eatn!
They nre always plump and fat aud NJ
rs good game rs the reed birds, The
nrc sold in tho English and frenC
markets, and are accounted n dclicaC
when cn,ombed under tho crust of
pie. II would be apiety to turn the
TO this use here, and as farmers are u
doubtedly justified in SAVING their Gro
from the dcspoilcrs, they can not on
do this, but secure an agreeable vnri
ton from tho frequent pork and bac
by shooting or trapping them and In
ing thom served up in pio5 or rosat
in tho oven. Cor. A. T. Times.