The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-23
ARE CROWS HUMANE
How Those of LOudOun County Treat
ed Whisky-SOaked Corn.
From the washington Star.


A writer for the Star, while in Loudoun
county recently was sitting with group
of farmers, who were discussing the crops.
The conversation drifted from crops in
general to corn in particular and finally
from corn to crows and their destructive
habits.
by crows considerable last spring. They
scratched up the corn as fast as l could
plant it, and then sit on the scarecrow
when they were tired and needed rest.
BILLY Leith tor me that l ought to soak
some corn In whisky and let the crows eat
it, and then when they were drunk and
couldn't fly very well, to shoot 'em. 1t
seemed to be a good idea. an | thought
I'd try just a little first time and see
what effect it had, so l soaked pint of
shelled corn in whisky and laid II in a
heap in the field where the birds could
After while l went out with a gun
to see what was the result There was a
lot of crows by the pile but they seemed
to be actin kind 'er strange. There was
a long line of 'em facin' one old black fell
low, who was standin behind a clod of
earth. | couldn't make out what they was
up to at first One of 'em would step up
to the clod an lay somethin' on it and
then the old fellow behind the clod would
give him somethini. Bimeby noticed that
when a crow stepped up he laid down two
grains OF corn an the one behind the clod
there.
when a crow got a whisky grain he ct
IL an went off to the field an scratched
up two more corn kernels and come back.
Then i saw how twas. The old Teller be-
hind the clod had discovered the pile first
and was keepin' bar. an the customers had
to pay two grains of ordinary corn for one
soaked in old rye. The one keepin' bar
was very business-like. and put away the
customers grains before he would give
him one in return.
Some of 'em were better provided than
the others, an took friend up with them
when they walked up to the clod an
tod al i'm had haa 10 IT,
this sort of thing up for a while, some of
'em got kinder tired an leaned up against
the clod and ca.wed cort'er husky and in
distinct7 an others got quarrelsome and
hollered at one another and waived their
wings, an some of 'em laid right down
and went to sleep. A couple of crows
hauled uD a dead rat to the clod of dirt
an they got enough corn for IT to set
'em up for the whole crowd, an they
seemed to be the most popular crows in
the whole flock. This drew purity heavy
on the barkeeper's stock in trade, so he
raised the price to five grains for each
one of hisn. The other crows didn't seem
to like it at all, an they held Indignation
meetins, and one of 'em got up on a stump
an hollered for about fifteen minutes. an
the others staggered around an waived
their wings all at once an seemed to en-
courage the one on the stump.
Then they all got together and made
rush for the Teller behind the clod and
jumped on him an mashed his clod an ct
up all his whisky grains an stole all the
corn that he had paid to him for what
they got.
Il hated TO hurt critters that acted in
such a human manner, but business is
business, an when they wuz all in a heap
beatin the barkeep, let fly with both bar
relS of my shotgun an killed about two
hundred an forty-five, an got some more
with a club.
There hasn't been any crows in that
field for three months" concluded the
speaker.
Il don't like to seem to doubt any mans
story remarked a man sitting on bar
rel. after pause, but / RELY can't bring.
myself to b'lieve, KNOWN Williams re-
gyard for whisky as / do, that he ever
used it for such a PURPOSE"