Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-16
ROPDfS1RoYERs
The Winged Enemies of the
Farmers.
RA !. OF BIRDS
WITH ANNUAL PLANTING THE
PRoBLfk REcuRs.
It b Suggested That the Seeds BE Tar
red-Time, 4 is Thought, VIII
Bring the Cure.

Bring the Cure.
With the opening OF spring and the
planting Of the annual crops the farmer
again comes face to face witt, q serious
problem-how to save the crop that his
labor has started. Foes confront him on
every side and only when he lies down at
night does he feel secure from the ravages
Of the birds. The Department Of Agri-
culture has made a careful study of the
common birds of the country with a view
to ascertaining which ones were most de-
structive to grain and suggesting a rem
edy to the troubled farmer. In the east
the problem Fl perhaps a more serious one
than in the great neids Of the west. where
thousands OF acres are planted and where
the loss OF small percentage is not SO
kecnly felt as in the east, where the crop
IL smaller. But everywhere the annoy
ance is felt. and in many places it APP
proaches the degree Of a calamity.
Agriculture. in discussing the question re-
Gently, said:
Aside from its Importance as a prin-
cipal source Of the food supply the immense
financial value OF the grain crop Of the
United States Is such that great interest
is felt in all sections regarding the raw
ages caused it by destructive birds. In
vast numbers their depredations become
serious The total value of the grain
product OF the Unite States IS. in lo,rri
numbers, 81 ,O00. GOO 600 per annum. Any
| agency which reduces this value by even
1 per cent involves a loss of $10,O00,o00. a
| sum sufficiently large to startle thought
full person. Several species Of birds are
accused Of a share in this destruction. but
the common crow is perhaps most fire.
quently mentioned in this connection. and
blackbirds have at times made such depre-
dations as to cause apprehension.
THE redwlng and yeilowhead blackbirds
usually nest near the water, and for this
] reason the prairie ponds of the upper
| Mississippi valley afford such favorable
breeding ground that that region has be-
come the theater OF their greatest activf-
| ties. 1t is the gathering place Of the i'm
| mense f1ocks that have often struck terror
| to the heart of the farmer as their count
| less hosts settled Upon his fields The nest
| ing period is May and June. and by the
end of the latter month the young are on
the wing Grain fpsns at this time tim land and
of food supply. 1.-The molting season that
| follows leaves the birds in an exhausted
| condition. and under these circumstances
| like mamma from heaven to the wandering
1sraelites. - IT 20
Transformation Of the Prairies.
'It is highly probable that the changing
| of the original prairtes into fields Of grain
| has contributed to the Increase of black
| birds by furnishing them with a sure food
supply when it. was grnost needed. 1t does
not necessarily follow that these birds are
wholly harmful to the interests OF man.
but merely shows that it is possible to have
too many Of them. In states where there
fewer sIs Is the e1 sooa habts Of
these birds it has been learned that they
subsist largely upon insects. and when this
is considered In connection with the fact
l Ax1- Ao<11 Ios.a ,Ny1
the seeds Of Troublesome weeds, there Is
reason to believe that they really subserve
a useful purpose in the economy of nature
and become harmful only when their num-
Der nnu1tiplies out of proportion to their en-
vironment.
THE common crow has long been known
as thief Of the cornfields. having been so
named by the aboriginal inhabitants. The
greatest damage Is done in the spring. when
the birds pull up the sprouted grain. Dry
corn is not palatabfe to the crow, but that
that has been sweetened by the process OF
termination is a favorite food and eagerly
sought. In the earlier days. when crows
were more numerous and cornfieds less so,
the farmers had constant struggle during
the first two or three weeks after the corn
appeared above the ground to save 1t from
the crows. Various devices in the shape
of scarecrows. were designed to frighten
away the marauders but most of them
were only indifferently successful. More re-
Gently the plan OF coating the seed with tar
has been extensively used. and in an expert
ment made by the department not a single
kernel of tarred corn was disturbed, while
rows of untarred seed Immediately adJotn-
ing were almost entirely destroyed. 1t has
been asserted that crows pull up corn for
the sake of the grub that may be found
about the roots and not for the kernel. but
careful investigation has disproved this as
sertion. They do eat the sprouted ker-
mel, although they also devour the rrubs
unearthed at the same time, but the re-
suit to the farmer is the same, and 1t Is
poor consolation to know that II the corn
had not been eaten by the crow 1t would
have been killed by the grub.
The Food Of the Crows.
Examinations made on the stomachs of
900 crows show that about 20 per cent Of
the food for the year consists Of grain. Of
which corn constitutes more than Fl per
cent, the greatest quantity being eaten dur
ing the three winter months. All Of this
must be either waste grain picked up in
the fields or roads or stolen from cribs or
shocks good deal is taken in the three
fall months. when corn is soft, and May.
the month of sprouting corn, shows slight
increase over the other months. Only
small quantities Of other grains are taken.
On the other hand the loss OF grain IS
shown by the examinations to be more than
onset by the destruction OF insects. these
constituting more than q per cent Of the
crows yearly diet. and the larger part OF
them are noxious. Add the mice. rabbits
the result shows total of about Is per
cent of the food to consist of animals whose
destruction Is beneficial to the farmer. With
the well-knDwn ,propensity of the crow for
searching highways and byways. stock
yards and pastures. 1T must be admitted