The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-09
SCARECROWS, MAINE STYLE.
YANKEE INGENUITY NEEDED TO
BRIGHTEN IUIT the BIRDS.


Although the Scnrecrow Brigade Doesn't
Have So Much work as IN Former Times,
1t Is Necessary to HIT Upon New Ideas
Constnntly-Somc "f the New Fashions.
! NEWPORT. Me. July AFTER quarter Of
century of hard work and sharp comrettion
with Western enterprise and new bugs the
Maine farmer has learned that he can get his
hasty pudding and Johnny CAKE cheaper by
buying horsc-tooth corn grown in Egypt, ILL.,.
than he can by raising Il crop at home. The
result is that while Maine grows wide areas
OF maize for the canneres and the siios, the
old fashioned huskiug bees have ceased to
exist. because there is no longer any corn to
husk. while the old-timC curuhuuscs whcrothe
green ears were ripcncd have been converted
into hen pens which furnish early broilers for
Boston and New York. As the corn is now
, planted late and is rushed forward by the aid
. of phosphatcs. the large army Of diligrnt scarce
| crows. which formerly found steady employ
] mrnt from May 20 to July H. may consider it,
self lucky indeed II II gets work for two weeks
in the year. Though the changed conditions
have dcmornli2cd scarccrow labor and driven
most Of the images to the cherry orchards to
: Brighten away the robins. there is still good
, orcning in Maine for widcnwake scarecrow
that understands his business and is willing to
/ devote all Ul his time to circumventing the
/ arts of the crows.
- \ pcnohSrot county crow knows nigh onto
as much Maine Frenrhman." said Joel
Richardson. "a crow can count as fur as
seven. hut h" doesn't know eight from eighteen.
As for the Frcmchman. he can count up 10 the
! end of his fingers and thumbs. after which he
is as much lost crow But. howsOmever.
{ I'd burned sight ruther try to skccr a
/ Frcnchman than a crow. IF you creep behind
! a rrenchiuan and yell 'Mojee' at him he'll
jump outun his boots. Try the same thing on
crow and he will laugh at you from tree
! when you are in the field. and then come and
! MS, all YOUR corn as soon a. YOU go away.
> My lduC Is that IS IA scarccrow is Intended
to take the place of man he should DO made
d to look lik" man. He should be dressed
! look ut it, III YOU want to dress up a man YOU
take him TO tailor and have him measured
parts Of two or three suits. ana then hope to
! make EN- into u man by lanming and twisting
, old straw out Of share to 1T the old clothes /
, don't wonder the scaro"rows get discouraged
! and loaf when the farmers are away. I'd do
MIR Richardson, who has nifty acres of sweet
corn growing Tor tn" Ianp" p snyI me SAINT
and WOODEN Manchester rifle. which was SO
n"ruIa. a,' year. is n" Longer in ,3jni9n tho
Gaudy than brown h"mock garments dec
Grated with bras, I"ttoYns Among The siY:
who are a." t en- GvF in his fHd at o Pres,
and Black hiaI"r, tie most useful The crows
seem Il" respect the Mold in that neghborhood
student unless -,rrIy pressed by hunger.
Tn" second hcs, man IN his -rarecrow COM
cutaway coat and ian white hat. lh,S image
hns Il broken Ei-- tnnh''r ta-t"Htd to h's
When The the sun j. out and T The ~in bows.
the prsmaic ray IRON the shattered ei"r.
to all the ci ~, in the hcighhrrhpuI \ lgur"
. II Uncle sam dressed N regulation style hni
nt% faiG Nor a. III G,II H '5IyrG aGs
son TO infer that crows r., of III" ia iIskinud
anything Else eHr"lf rnmn ana corn ices
While III" ORIGINAL "r"'tNr foul Of con-
s,rGS.nG new 70 ana rH i 5m , 81 F ;,r
ers of Maine for tn" -rt,nu # lS,1. the corn
lines. Many worthy erarrmows have no doubt
been without cmpl9rmrnt at n time when work
j Eien fn E2o n thIs iart IIrs not m i
fields or that thu" corn crop will show "a
marked shortage at harvest time June is the
TIE young Eirds hatch late in May, and
for The mex, fly" Tsh. i'll, dm" nhr"nts r." knnt
nder ordinary conditions crow will not look
at corn or any form OF vegetable. but in hard
spry; the hpneiy birds ,nre compelled to take
ANYTHING that Offers knowing this inct tho
! farmers are beginning to cncomuAss the ruin
OF their ancient enemies hy new and cruel ways.
hudson Hart Of Holden put barrel Of meat
oNa in his corntleIi at painting time, When
III" corn was ready TO cone, up III" mass was
I fun Of creeping thiuGs and gave forth smell
which is rrrium" to III" nooris Of AL crows,
Then he placed "A small steel trap in the barrel
ana hirh"G !, nya ,G9g linz ,of 'ak" in the
. 4 sad crow with 4 trap attached to one
foot r ,ir,i..od above his Gr9wqg crop; ntt%ri
from exhaustion another on" was caught
| and guarded n" fields from inW:i"n un,ilt tho
F.! had caught une crow for sentinel duty he
which caught other crows that were ler out 10
the npiLnbDrS for ten cents Uuy Nv
cisng a littI- Yankee cunning and gooi deal
Sre his Mr. wn ' da "" nd a a"c1 r %as
..H9Hngh t. oth"r formers to yield an income com. Of
Ti G% ie% on H"E nv '%9 FSS to fsT vs. hs
great success. Before the people of Bangor
T T %w h Mr @ a%d g" h%% tHy 99 tx
pay $50 and costs for cruelty to animals.
lanes II"aGnn ct Fra.nkfort ho. ought Hfn,t"ty
tn" copper tcrl h of Wornout cai'I" cards Tho
! tooth OF Il cattle card is like wir" ha,rpin that
. right aIg'" After boiling corn in swcetcn"d
water until II, twas soft. liraran Inserted on" Of
euwnd Tia" grtin nl"uL tho rows H. the culti-
va,"d fields, The greed crows. Indng thccorn
. swallowing it Until IA" oharu wires stuck IN
th"irgull"ts hs"n" kernel q corn was enough
nearly II peck, it took hMt few DAYS I" satiate
All th" crows ~ town. Tn" deceive! and SUI
thr"" week. b,rwr" ,l"y ,!irt! In cases where
Tia" wiz" had, l"urtra'"I "a" vocal urg4ne the
crow NIltlrl - ran ~ Wlll'll'N il I''' bTH IN
sounds that l"i luri students t. believe u new
su""Ir~ u' IT, genus "rrrUS hn corn" to Nain".
. Nlranttulo the birds grew weary Of life and
fin. lily died FROM starvation.
, In somerset county tn farmers have been
= soaking hard corn IN wood alcohol until IL was
, soft aud feeding II to the crows. making them
80 Intoxicated that they could not fly away.
{ Henry Na" Of N"whurE lu- a tame horned
, 0w that has made a reputation TOR itself hy
rOhhnE nests and catching the old crows upon
. thor rOO-tS. Though til" owl j. only year
, AMI hnl' old " has Dc roy"d seventeen crows
/ th~ season and Is still busy. Mr.. Dale j.
p'rueu. To 50" he CROWS 20, hut he Is disguised
. with his owl '.cHu -c he bird in Si-ts upon eat
! ing every crow which h" brings home, pre-
! l"rring crow meat to beef or good PcnobscoS
/ River salmon.