The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-03-26
LETTING NATURE ALONE,

A1A CAl1.
strained to write, because of an
article which appeared in The Pro.
gressive Farmer some weeks aoo
entitled "Better let Nature Alone"
In that article the statement was
made that the farmers in Pennsvl.
vania sustain a loss of millions, an.
nuaIly, because of the destruction Of
owls and hawks, said loss occasional
by mice. Is it possible that the peo.
pie in that State are afraid to use
s~trychnine or rOugh-On rats? And
can they not find any rat terriers Or
domestic cats for sale? My expert.
ence is that one good cat will DESTROY
more rodents in a single night than
all the hawks and owls that I have
ever seen will destroy in a lifetime.
Will some one please write in the
Chat and tell if he or she ever saw a
hawk or an owl with a mouse in his
claws? Please do not all answer at
one time.
"Better let nature alone" Will
the author of that article please in.
form US how far we are to 90 in
obeying that mandate? Shall we let
nature alone when we are beset by
foxes, bears, wolves, etc.? Or shall it
be when the bugs and ~caterpillars
and fungi and various other pests
are devOuring u crops, orchards
and vineyards? [ know that we are
often %counseled to refrain from dis.
turbing nature concerning the harm
less and beautiful butterflies. Beau
tiful they certainly are, but I have
yet to see the n that is so harmless
that it does not deposit it's larvae on
some plant and do that plant an in.
jury.
Why, if nature had always been
let alone, this world would yet be
vast wilderness and all mankind
would be savages and barbarians. In
proof of this, when Columbus came
to this now enlightened and Chris
tanned country, he found a land
where nature, comparatively speak
ing, had been let alone. Not entirely
so, however, for the Indians had
destroyed enough animals to provide
themselves with tents, food and
raiment. And in Central Africa
may still be found a vast amount of
country where nature has been let
alone still mor severely, the natives
only supplying themselves with
food, raiment in that torrid region
not being required.
So, in view of the foregoing facts, l
would say to all men, everywhere,
instead of leaving nature to work
out her own problems, we should
assist her to the farthest extent that
we may be able, SO that she may
furnish food for the hungry, clothing
for the naked, conveyances for the
~wayfarers, and homes, peace and
rest for the weary.
So much is said about the public
schools, educating the children Of
the poor, etc., that one feels almost
forced to give an opinion on 50 in
teresting a topic.
l e that some persons advocate
having the schools taught in the
summer time. I have observed,
however, in teaching a good many
years, that those who ~patronize the
public schools are, generally speak
ing, farmers who gain their bread
by the sweat of their brows. In the
summer the sons of these men, and
in a great many cases the daughters,
are compelled to help make the
crops, and in the fall to help gather
them. They cannot be spared to att
tend the schools. So the best months
to I'll the schools would be Novem-
Der, December, January, and Febru-
airy. And I have noticed that the
children attend better in the winter
than in the summer.
I have also observed that pupils
learned faster in winter, or l imagine
that they did. This fact, if it be a
fact, I ascribed to the heat causing
an increase in the circulation Of the
blood, consequently confusing the
brain to a certain extent. Hoping
to e an increase in letters, and
wishing success to Social Chat.
MRS. S. E. M.
BERTHE Co., N. c.