Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-01-27
The Sparrow Nuisance.

Ia the report Of the Com n 'ssi0ner
of Agriculture, jdst published,w fad
q map showing the distribution of the
English Sparrow in the United States
at the close OF the year 1856. From
the article which accompanies the
map We leara that the icsJ sparrow
imported into this country came in
1850 Eight pairs were brought, set
free iu Brooklyn, but did not thrive.
A larger colony was brought over in
1852. aud liberated on Long Island.
Other importations oiiowed, but it
was not until about 1870 that these
birds were firmly established through
out the New England and Middle
States. Since then the marvellous
rapidity with which they have over
spread large portion OF the co untry
is without parallel In the annals OF
ornitbology.
Its fecundi'y is simply amazing,
| and this fact has much 10 do with its
| rapid appearance all over the country.
La the latitude of Pennsylvania as
many as five and six broods are rais-
| ed in a single year, with from four to
six young in each brood. Assuming
the annual product of pair to be
twenty-four young, halt males and
half females, and supposiDg for the
sake of computation that all will live
for period of ten years. the progeny
of q single pair in that time would be
275 GIG, ,9S3. COS.
| 1t seems to take most to the cities
and larger towns, but as these be-
come overcrowded the overflow moves
iato the country and is equally at
home there. At the present time
these sparrows have established
themselves in thirty-6ve States and
i've territories They now cover
every State east of the Missis-
sippi river entirely. and in part of
Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and
Louisiana. Tney are also in part in
Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas and in
considerable territory around Salt
Lake City and San Francisco. They
have also male their appearance in
numerous isolated localities in the
Southwest Briefly told. they now
occupy an area of S85,00O square
miles in the United States alone and
148.O0O square miles in Canada
Daring the past ten years they have
spread on an average over @ territory
every year equal to Pennsylvania
and New Jersey united.
The array of charges laid against
the sparrows in the report is wonder
full in its number and enornity.
Every charge is clearly proven by
numeous examples 1t is the enemy
of our native birds aud wages contin-
ual warfare against them. 1t is the
enemy of the gardener and the fruit
grower 1t attacks almost every
crop they grow. Tho germs are ex-
tracted from the fruit buds of trees
and vines. from the pear, peach plum,
cherry, apple, apricot, curraut and
grape, from peas, cabbage, ,raspberries
and blackberries; even the wheat crop
is not safe from their ravages. Great
iCdTS vi us ue uepIcudliOuo dtC uppiS-
hended 10 California, which is now
the great fruit growing State of the
country. They de6le buildings aud
have been known to kill vines by
their ordure. AS insect destroyers
they are failures They allow the
caterpillars to spin their webs over
their nests and breeding boxes They
keep away birds that would destroy
caterpilars The loss they do to
crops in England is estimated At
SO, $50, 900 yearly; IN Australia it is
more still. Concerted action for heir
destruction is recon n ,ndsi The
gun and poison are most eni;acious.
The sooner these remedies are EN-
ployed the better, as it will preven:
the depletion of public treasures
through the payment OF bounties-
Lancaster Ne,o Era