The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1903-02-22

comes the preparation for the next year
s crop II = hoy happens to set saturday
and her battery goes TO the extent 81 coAx-
/ Ing him into picking dewberries 70 make a
p BIZ for e., sunday WEI, hope the boys WI
you all always read Mrs. Fosters club
talk7 IL is very Interesting. ! always read
the club talk first, and then the letters.
| My home is at lkeyllle, La, but ! am going
20 school here In Texas, and ike 1t nne.
! ! would be glad TO get a letter from some
OF you Haps true Happyhammer,
Ira Hebert
Mathis, Texas,---Dear Happyhammers. 1t
is very sad fact that n great many pee
They should study the subject well. Per.
haps they would then know who are their
helpers and friends. Farmers are every
TSre snD DS!t X the rsyssSs q many
enemies, and II the farmers would protect
those enemies" they would prove friends
70 him. Birds deyour all kinds OF pests and
some subsist entirely on such things.
| Perhaps II farmers and fruit raiscrs
! would entice the birds to live near them
they would lose less fruit and grain.
Among the BIRDS that are useful are.
| Several kinds or hawks. owls, shrikcs. nirk-
! ers, hy catchers, phoebes. woodpewces,
| horned larks meadow larks, gold finch.
! bushuts, thrush, wrens. bluebtrds robins.
ttmouse, grosbeaRs, bunting warblins
| wrcnH, Oregon Jimcrow woodcock and deag
/ lutte WOOuncCkef.
These are only few Of the most famil
lar ones. All OF them are very useful u
| Is said that woodcock weighing eight
ounces, VIII devour one half pound OF
! worms In twenty-four hourS Just think Of
| thati And these little helpers are being
| shot by hundreds, In n few years ut that
rate they will have become extinct, Why
| don't the people protect them7 Why have
the crops and fruit destroyed by Insects,
] worms, Insects eggs ANA LARVAE. etc. WAY
be annoyed by ants; reptiles, frogs, gophers.
rats, mice, SQUIRRELS, aphis. grasshoppers.
Birds destroy all these. The little harm
they do by helping themselves to tender
vegetables ana our choicest fruit is well
your power 10 prevent the destruction OF
! our little warblcrg. They are
Gods creatures MS well ns We
o. man, protect the birdsl
bird lover Ada NJ. Butler.
Rising Star, Tox1e Birds have long
been valued for thur beauty ard fot
their singing powers. Thcy have rlncl
the tnemo Of many beautiful pr due
lions OF tho artist ana the poet
But their practical value has never becn
| deemed Important till recently, although
the value OF certain species has long heen
recognized Most birds have always been
! regarded as Injurious rather than useful
/ Aut the usefulness % nearly all, Of even
o. common species, has been repeatedly
demonstrated
The CARRIER pigeon was once extensively
uheO 10 FN@fA messages. ne ftmNfkNhlN
| instinct displayed by them IN carrying aud
| delivering messages H. well known TO all
| Indeed many Incidents relatel " thcm load
us almost to believe that they are pos
sossed Of reason and intelligence The
/ parrots power Of articulation has made u
, q fhVorte Unge bird The manner I'm which
It makes use Ut the peculiar power has
! furnished material for many amusing nucv-
dotea The falcon was once trnlucd 10 hunt
| aud is still SO used In some countries, be
! cause of It's remarkable strength The
worth q the martin is attested by the fact
| that In soutc sections ot the country ahhost
| every farmer has martins box, whore
the martins rear their young and from their
elevated stations drive OF hawks aud other
| maraudcrs thus protecting the poultry
yard from the attacks Of these sly birds OF
| prey. The canary is another popular cage
! bird on account OF It's ability as sohgstrr
! Hut how much more beautiful must It's
music be iu the native wllds Of Its trop-
! teal hOme
But while the uses aud value OF such az
these are known and appreciated ~
| quite different With the more common birds.
! Their services are, however, varied and I'M
potant. Their relation 70 forestry and
| agriculture Is especially significant. IN
/ preservation OF our forests from insects Las
| been greatly hndered by the slaughter "
/ certain inscCtlyorous birds Indeed theSs
/ birds are probably the only erectual
, dy for the protection OF the forests FROM IN
sect HE. Many Of the seemingly most do
structive birds ore really the most hp-pful.
! The common woodpecker, for Instance. -
! often hNcnbfU OF lhlUTlUB tne IuIthAH, WING
! In fact II Ia only riddiug the trees ot one ot
! their worst enemies And a large per cent
I Of WARRIORS and Geld birds OF our country
rid the fields aud orchards OF various %.
| noSiUus insects, whiic comparatively few
( eRt enough grain to even balance tho
| amount they produce by the destruction
\ Of the farmers real enemies. They per-
/ h8ps befrirnd agriculture IN another way
/ by eating the seeds Of obnoxious weeds md
grasses Longfellow, IN the Birds of Kill
iugsworth," says
You call them thieves ana plllagers; lot
They nre the winged wardcns OF your
who from the corn fields drive the inside
And from your harvest Keep hundred
Even the blackest 81 them all, the crow.
Renders good service as your man "a arms
Crushing the beetle IN his coat OF mail,
And crying havoc on the slug and snail
II they do occasionally snatch an honest
grain that would perhaps othcrwse be
the farmer II not their mere presence dou-
bly, repRys lln for the little handful tecy
claim in obedience to the laws nature has
who daily htars the trill Of tie mo King
bird md tho inpturous note or The laTk.
hnd does not gladly spare them SO small
q portion. How different the wor d " uld
no II the birds were all hushed, II tn
groves were all silent, and In thr pace
Of the inusic OF natuies sougsters the nlpi-
nncholy air were aden with the mgrlat
sounds OF shrl dayourlng insects
nlsrcg1rdlnp the practical services ~ tis
birds, surely the pleasure ami inspiration
they afford ought to secure for ticm the
protection and appreciation OF al, Tici:
true worth is becoming more widely known
and recognized, and we may hope that
ere long the sentiment OF the lind vii. ne
MS was Cowpers'
Ten thousand warblers cheer the day and
one
The l1cl9pg night; nor these alone Whose
Nice aneer'd art must emulate in vain.
But cawlng rocks, and kites, that @w M
sublime
In still, repeated cirrlee. screaming lud,
The jny. the PIE and Gen the boding ow.
That halls the rising moon, hnvc charms
witt Bowden
Note.-Thls letter was prouonnc d very
good by the committee who awarded the
prizes. Editor.
For the Hhppyhhmmer Page
Why are not birds protectedf II we only
knew their real value Il would be worth
our trouble 70 protect them II there
are only 170Oo0,000 birds in Texas and we
allow ench bird twenty-Hys Insects for one
days diet 10 one day the whole amount
tho birds would eat would be 4,250,00lOOo
10000 insects 10 fl bugheL Then It
would take $4,000 bushels Of insects TO
feed our birds for one day. How can
any oua kiit the MT asf They apam To ma