Smyrna times., 1903-10-07
THE FRUIT OR THE BlRD?

"SOmething Doing Among Fruit
GrOwers-Sense Versus Sentiment.
There begins to be something doing"
among the horticulturists, who have
suffered more than ever this season
from bird depredations, and here is
what some of theta have to say in Ru-
raj New Yorker:
l am glad to see you speak out on
the bird question. My experience has
been about like yours, although per-
haps not quite so bad. If try to grow
a few Strawberries in my own garden
they practically amount to nothing be-
cause the birds take the greater part.
In experimental work we find results
are likely to be greatly vitiated for
the same reason. This year they de-
Stroyed many currantS as well as
Strawberries, particularly on any
plants near trees. In Nebraska we
found it almost impossible to get any
grapes from a vineyard containing per-
haps half an acre to an acre, and also
impossible to get any early red applies
that were perfect. | think it is time
horticuturists took a hand in the bird
question. If our Audubon societies
would reOrganize into bird destruction
societies l think they would do more
good, at least if their activities were
confined to such kinds as the robin and
the catbird-Professor Fred Card,
Rhode Island.
l have read a great deal of what l
can call by no other name than non
sense about the beautiful birds. The
great majority of people have been so
educated that while they would be hOr-
rified at the thought of killing a robin
they consider it quite the proper thing
to kill on sight a snake. a skunk, a
hawk or an owl. AS friend of fruit
grower or fruit how can a robin be
compared to one of the above despised
four? l have 300 sweet cherry trees,
most of them small, three or four big
old trees. The birds came in fiocks;
took them all. l did not get over three
quarts. The larger trees had a big
crop on. l have fifty May Dukes set
in 1896. They bore a pretty good crop.
l got less than a bushel. Then they
turned their attention to our other
sour trees. This was most too much.
My partner suffered a relapse, and
there was something doing. AS near
as we can estimate, GOO birds won't eat
any more cherries.-A. L. L., Pcnnsyl-
vania.
We have always been friendly to the
birds and opposed to killing them; even
spared the European sparrows until
they became too great a nuisance by
nesting in cutters and spOuting, from
which they had to be routed. Until
the present year other birds have not
seemed too abundant, but this year one
other bird. the robin, has multiplied
beyond all reasonable expectations
Four or five nests were built on the
place early in spring and must all have
been successful. Strawberries were
unmolested, but by the time raspber
ries were ripe the young birds had
reached maturity and seemed to eat
little but fruit. Toward the end of
the season they took absolutely every
thing, and we estimate that they took
raspberries and blackberries. Cherries
were scarce, and birds took all there
We're. The redheaded woodpecker has
also been a prominent fruit eater with
us, but the robin has been by far the
most destructive. We need the pro
teetive law beyond all doubt, but we
also need a modification in it, such as
now applies to rabbits and squirrels,
which will permit the farmer to de-
s9rOy within the limits of his own
farm any that become a nuisance
through becoming too numerous. This
would give protection to the fruit grow
er and still be protective of bird life
in general Sentiment in regard to the
birds is all very good, but sense is bet
teri. NJ. S., Ohio.