The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1903-07-01
! MUSICAL CORNER! !
Conducted E,A, Violin Maker
, by THOMPSON, and Teacher !,
The Farmer Orchestra.

covered a good thing-the bass drum.
Gunners in New York, like those in
other parts of the country, have been
amusing themselves too much. They
have been killing off our birds, and as
result of this slaughter the insects
that prey on vegetation have multi
piled so that crops are damaged or
threatened everywhere. In the Cat
skills this year the devastations of the
caterpillars among the naples and the
orchard trees have been particularly
eXasperating. and there has been
much anxiety among the grangers lest
their apples should fail absolutely.
But there is hope for the Catskills
and for other places. y few days ago
woman blew horn in her apple or
chard, presumably to call the men to
dinner. She was surprised when num-
Der of caterpillars dropped out OF the
trees and >prawled beseechingly on the
grass about her. She blew again and
more came down. Then she told her
neighbors and they tried it. They
blew sonorously upon the shofar, and the
conch, and the cornet, and on every
other instrument that could be found in
the farm houses. and the caterpillars
came down as if they had been invited
to II meal. Othc machines for making
music were tested, such as tin pans and
drum, it is reported, did good work"
If one wishes to stir up enthusiasm
there is nothing that will do it like Il
bass drum. Its sonorous note can be
heard afar, and when it it is heard the
boys will say to one another, The so
gers is out" And they scamper in its
direction forthwith. The scamper will
arouse the rest of the town, and it fol
lows the boys to discover, possibly, that
peddler or fish vender has taken this
method of calling attention to himself.
Bass drums as cure for caterpillars
they will become as much a part of the
farmers equipment hereafter rs plows
and harrows. Possibly, instruments
will be found to effect every sort of in
sect, and instead of the old fashioned
bird orchestra we shall have the perfor-
mances OF a calathumpian band every
morning, succeeded by the appearance of
the dustpan corps, whose business it is
to gather up the fallen enemies, or by
the farmers boys in cowhide boots
whose duty it shall be to dance and
stamp the life out of them, if, inciden
tally, out of the grass Thus, while bass
drums may be regarded as antidotes toI
the carpopasia pomonella it may be
found that hurdy gurdy will prove
more efficient with the orgyla leucost-
igma, and that the potato bug will
dance quicker to bassoon than
to clarionet 4 brief course in music
will be necessary as "A part of the agri-
culturist's outfit, and it may prove to
he an advantage to have the piano NOV
ed out under the plum trees so that by
playing THE Battle of Prague" or
The Maiden's Prayer he can terrify
the gypsy moth out of the limbs
1t may be that bigger discovery has
been made than we suppose, and that
an acoustic remedy will be found for
ills we suffer from larger depredators
than insects. For example, the farmers
are sorely afflicted with tramps. They
beg his bread and steal his Strawberries
and insult his children and sleep in his
barn and set it on fire accidentally, be-
cause they light their pipes while sitting
in the hay, and they run off with his
chickens and they OCCASIONALLY get them.
selves arrested for some graver mis-
chief and then the farmer is taxed to
feed them for years and years in Jail,
where they are awaiting trial Now i'll