The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1886-07-16
Bird Enemies.

Tie Agricultural Department is en-
Gagged in LOOKING up statistics IN regard
10 the damage done to crops in this
country by birds. Ii has been found
that the rice birds and the English spar
rows are by far the most harmful of the
whole feathered tribes. The ravages OF
the rice birds begin in the later part of
April, at which time, in their white and
black plumage they are known as bobo-
links. They migrate at night. To-day
there NAV not be single specimen on
rice platform, but on the morrow the
rice plantations are literally alive with
them, engaged in pulling up the young
rice. This compels the planters to wage
an incessant warfare against them until
the end of May, when the young plants
grow beyond their power TO destroy.
The birds once more disappear and
nothing more is seen OF them until about
the Dist of August-foT ten years past
they have annually returned on the
same day, or rather night when in re-
inforced numbers they again put in their
appearance in the rice fields. For more
than an entire month all the efforts or
the rice planter are directed toward
saving his crop. Captain Uaygard- Of
South Carolina, one of the largest rice
growers in the country, informs the De-
paTtmeHt that his loss from the ravag6s
of these bird pests amounts, one year
with another, TO $500. To that sum
must he added the expense OF ammunl-
tiou and the wages Of the force Of bird
minders, amounting TO So 45O more. In
some years One-haIf the crop has been
destroyed by these ravageTs.
The English spaTTOws are still worse
pests and destr0yeIs. First brought to
usual rapid multiplication, although it
( was not until 1870 that they became a
/ general nuisance all over the country.
| Their fertility is something astonishing.
I 4 pair Of healthy spaTTOwS, when they
/ set up housekeeping ia the spring, 60
/ into the busines for all it IS worth. They
/ will raise four brOods, Of four each, OF
/ an average. or sixteen young ones pei
/ annum. These birds have now made
/ their way into thirty-one States and
! three Territories. Since their first IL
PRODUCTION they have spread over an area
/ of 13O, 600 square miles on an average
! every year. Their record as enemies OF
the fruit grower and farmer is very bad
! They destroy the germs of fruit-buds OF
| trees, bushes and vines, and also dam
age large quantities o. vegetables and
towering plants. An English govern
]
Go in Great Britain at So, $50, 600 annu-
ally. So far as is known, these destroy
ers answer no special purpose in the
economy of nature. Other birds ART
left to act as insect destrOyers, while
the sparrows rarely, if ever, take VI
that work. What is more, their mum
bers are yearly on the increase, and un
less some measures are taken to checl
their rapid multiplication they will in {
few years become national evil. Th
Agricultural Department is trying t
devise some plan to put a check to thei
depredatiOns.
There are damages from many othe
varieties of feathered tribes, although
no others do tithe Of the evil the Tic
birds and sparrows do. The purpl
grackle, or blackbird, in some section
ravages the corn fields to a damagin
extent in the fall. The crow is tn
cOrn-planter's worst enemy in the spring
Even our home favOrite, the robin,
for a brief period the fruit growers tel
Tor, his fine taste in tne selection c
cherries and other fruits being universal
ly recognized; but all these birds max
the farmer a return by their perpetus
warfare on the insect world, and th
tribute they exact is given ungrudging
ly.-L Lancaster NetC Era.