Smyrna times., 1900-03-21
FRIENDS OF BIRDS AROUSED.
THE DELAWARE GAME PROTECTIVE AS
ISOLATION INTERESTED.
Farmers Determined There Shall be no Gun.
ming on Their Places Strong Letter
Sent Out Showing their Value.


Friends of the birds have taken new
hope says the Morning Ne,cs, in which
a plan was stated for meeting the pres
ent situation, and there is now but lit
tie chance of the contract of two Mil
ford men for 10000 for New York mil
liners being carried into effect. 1t is
believed efforts will be made to secure
1nJuctlons against those who ship birds
out of the State. President A. d.
Poole, of the Delaware Game Protec.
tive Association, and Governor Tun-
nell will discuss the situation when
they hold their conference and both
will do all possible to stop the work of
destruction.
The greatest assistance is coming
from the farmers, While some of them
are inclined to believe that crows do
them damage. the majority of farmers
realize that the birds do valuable SER
vice in destroying insects and worms,
and they will protect them by having
any man arrested who is caught gun
ming on their forms. The farmers
have been much interested in the let
ters published in the Morning Ne,Os in
reference to the matter and consider
able literature is being sent them.
The Pennsylvania Audubon Society is
doing much in the line of instructing
the farmers.
Delaware has no society of this kind,
but the Pennsylvania people are lending
good assistance. One of the strongest
papers which has been sent to the far
mers and others, is that by William
butcher, treasurer of the American
Ornithologist's Union. 1t is as fol-
lows:
According to the census of 1890
there were in the United States the
enormous number of 1864, ,641 farms
with a total acreage of 623, 218, ,619.
The valuation of these farm lands is
placed at the sum OF $13, ,279, 252, 649. The
labor of the farmer and fruit grower is
repaid by products to the value of So. :
46O, lO7, 454 per year, but it is said that
insects and rodents destroy product
annually to the astonishing money
value of 5000, 100000 even with the
birds as protectors. Just imagine what
the additional loss would be were all
the birds destroyed.
They are fast being destroyed, and
unless that large class of the popula-
ton, the agriculturists, awake to the
gravity of the situation and absolutely
demand that no more birds be killed
for any purpose whatever, they will
soon feel the shortsightedness in actual
dollars and cents. A difference of one
per cent. in the value of the farm pro-
ducts amounts to the enormous sum of
S24, 6O1 ,O54.
The birds are now killed for two pur-
poses only: for food and millinery orn-
aments. For food, onlya very few are
shot, i e., the game birds, and those
only during restricted portions of the
year, so they do not materially affect
the result. There is no excuse for
shooting the second class of birds, as
their value as millinery ornaments is
far less than their value as insect de-
stroyers. Besides this, contrast the
difference in the money value of two
interests that are opposed to each
other.
BY the census of 1890 we find that
the total capital invested in the millin-
cry and lace trade is 1922, 939, ,43O, and
the cost of the material used that year
was $27, ,245, 11S. Place the two inter
ests side by side, thirteen billions as
against twenty-three millions. Again
An annual product of 2,212 millions as
against 81 millions. | ask, and / wish
1 could shout my question in a voice so
loud and clear that every man, woman
and child in this broad land of ours
could hear it-have the milliners, with
their paltry interests, anv right to
jeopardize the safety of the agricultural
interests? Ponder! A difference of
only one per cent in the annual pro-
duct of our farms and gardens amount
to more than the entire millinery and
lace interest in the United States.
Will the farmers and fruit growers re-
main silent much longer and permit
the birds, their best friends, to be
killed that trifing interest like the
millinery trade may make few more
dollars at the sacrifice of so much that
IS beautiful, as well as of an economic
value.
''What is necessary is a uniform law
throughout the United States and Can.
ada, absolutely prohibiting the killing
of any birds, except those known as
game birds, and they should only be
allowed to be killed for period not tC
exceed two months in the fall and win