Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1898-07-23
The Slaughter of Birds.

The Slaughter of Birds
An investigation by the New York
Geological society into the destruction
OF bird and animal life in the United
States has shown that in four-fifths
of the area of the United States, ex-
/ elusive of Alaska, bird life is being
/ annihilated, edible birds are rare and
| on the point of extinction. and plume
/ birds are practically extinct. w. t.
/ Hornaday, director of the New York
/ Geological Park, in a paper read be-
fore the section Of biology of the New
York Academy of Sciences, referred to
/ the society's investigation, and used
/ considerable of the data TO be pub
/ lished in the report. He said:
"A series Of questions regarding the
decrease and its causes was sent to
correspondents in all parts OF the
country. Answers were received from
some 200 observers. including guides,
collectors, sportsmen. and taxider-
mists, from every state and territory
in the union. Ninety per cent of the
answers showed that they had been
compiled with great care, and the
closeuess with which the estimates in
different states agreed was surprising
as well as important in determining
the scientific value of the data fur
nished.
Eighty per cent of the correspond
ents declared that the decrease in bird
life was unmistakable. With regard to
the causes of destruction, the majority
agreed in attributing the blame to
sportsmen first of all, to boys who
shoot second, and to the clearing Of
timber for cities as the third and most
important cause. Scarcely less dead
ly to the birds were the feather hunt
ers."
The decrease has been largest in
Florida. being 30 per cent in fifteen
years; Connecticut, Indian Territory,
and Montana, each rs per cent; Indi-
ana, 60; Illinois, 3s; Wisconsin, 10, and
Nebraska only 10 per cent
Testing Soils for Acids.-A CORE
spondent OF Rural New Yorker who
believes In sweetening acid soils by
the use of unslaked lime tells how he
knows when his soil needs lime: Il
test 1t with blue litmus paper. which
can be had at drugstores. Fill a small
bowl half full of soil from differen,
places in the field add enough water
| to make a stiff paste and let it stand
, fifteen minutes. Don't handle the pa
, per when wet with the fingers. With
table fork push strip of litmus
paper l by 3 inches into the soil and
7 let it stand four minutes, then with
! the fork take 1t out, rinse OF the mud
r from the paper and dry 1t. II aftel
drying the paper stays red there IL
!, evidence that the soil needs lime. The
J redder the paper the more lime the
: soil needs. II the paper on becoming
. dry turns back quite blue, then the
, soil does not need lime"
, Vaccine for Blackleg-A few month.
ago a circular letter WAS distributed
Offering to supply vaccine prepared IL
the bureau for experimental purpose.
. upon application of the owners of cat
tie, providing a report were made Al
8 to the losses from this disease and tn.
effects OF the vaccination. The infor
. nation thus received has been yer,
n surprising. 1t appears that blackle,
I causes greater losses in some of tn,
a Southern and Western states than al
!. other diseases combined. These losse
q are placed at from 10 to 90 per cent o
the young stock About loo, 900 dose,
[ of the vaccine have been distributed
: and reports show that 1t can be safel,
Y used by the owners of cattle and tina
. the deaths from blackleg soon sto)
. after the herd has been vaccinated.
Where Poultry Pays.-There is
poultry man in Sidney. Ohio. who ha
: sec, 900 invested In the chicken bust
ness. He keeps 5000 laying hens, run
: thirty 800 egg-size incubators. an
4 markets daily from 200 to $50 broilers
: His brooder pens contain on an averag
! of about 10000 growing chicks, and h
II estimates the profits of the plant q
s $4,000 per annum, With such bust
q ness carried on by practical bushes
& man, we wonder where the fellow
e who says chickens don't pay to bothc
v with."-Ex.