The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-03
The Farmers Unhonored Friends.


hcation, but as an evidence Of good faith
The Farmers Unhouored Friends.
Prof. j. L. H Beali says in the Ameri-
can AgricuIturtSt: There still exist among
farmers many hazy ideas as to what are
their friends and what their foes in the ami e
NAL world. That insects in general fall in
the latter category is a very commonly re-
ceived idea, but few being aware that some
OF our best insect-destroyers are themselves
insects, and that certain of the predaceous
and parasitic ones form the most efficient
check to the increase of the noxious mem
bers of the class. The same uncertainty as
to the true relations of birds and mammals
to our agricultural interests prevails almost
universally. There is probably no more
beneficial wild animal living in America
than the skunk, and yet from time imme-
mortal he has been shot on sight, and
logged ana hunted whenever and where
ever he appears. 1t true tdat his method
of defense is unpleasant, but he never mo-
Tests those who let him alone. His legiti-
mate business, in which he does an untold
amount of good, is digging up and devour-
ing the common grub worm, the lerva Of
LdchnoSternG fnsca, pest to all grass
land and curse in strawberry beds. When
eggs aud very young chickens are left ex-
posed he will naturally avail himself of
this more abundant supply of food, and
who blames him2
In the same way the true status of the
birds of prey has never been fairly compre-
hended, or has been persistently denied.
Hawks and owls have been shot and trapped
whenever opportunity has offered ever
since mankind began to keep poultry, and
the reason given is that they catch young
chicks. The same course of reasoning
would justify farmer in killing his cattle
because they break through weak spot in
the fence and devour his corn; or in shoot
ing his hens because they scratch up
his lettuce-bed in the garden. The
amount of damage sustained by the farmer
from the de"redations of the great family
of field mice and their allies is not easily
estimated, but the loss of few chickens
can be reckoned with accuracy, so that only
one side of the account appears, while the
credit column, which does not appear, is by
far the heavier of tie two. The birds of
prey constitute the principal and almost
only efficient check upon the increase Of
destructive vermin, yet bounties are offered
by states for the determination of these con-
tervators of the farmers crops.
What man or boy ever lets snake es-
cape, if it is possible to kill it9 Yet who Of
us can tell whether we are killing friend or
foea We pursue the race remorselessly and
do our best to exterminate it. but when
asked for our reason OF upon what data we
rely for our justification, we have nothing,
or at most very little, to say, as no extern
sive or systematic observations upon the
food habits of snakes have yet been made.
The farmer has probably more cause to
complain of damage from insetcs than any
thing else in the animal kingdom, and it
behooves him, therefore, to know just
where he can procure help in the destruc-
ton of these pests. One of natures most
efficient checks upon their increase is found
in the birds that are, with but few excep-
ions. the friends of the farmer, and should
be encouraged aud protected by him upon
all occasions. Careful observations will
ronfrm the above statement