The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-10-01
WHERE BIRDS ARE PETS.

The idea of planning ones lawn
to please birds has probably occurred
to few persons. In the arrangement
of the lawn about his home, at West
Englewood, N. J., Frank M. Chap
man, the authority on birds, has given
them the first consideration. He looks
upon them as an important part of
his home life, and has taken thought
how he may attract them to his front
yard and persuade them to make it
rendezvous. Asaresult of his efforts,
birds of nearly all species that frequent
New Jersey or pass over the State
in their fight to and from the North
are to be seen about his grounds atone
time or another. It has made it pos
sible for him to study the rarer birds
from his study window in the gable
BACK behihf the antHse. ir II IS tfn-'
necessary for him to hunt for them,
for they come to him.
Mr.. Chapman's home is roomy
old place, about ten minutes walk
from the little box of f,tation, with
its lame attendant, wb; ID indicates to
the West Shore eng neers where to
stop to take on and to deposit those
persons who dwell in West EDgle-
wood and commute. It is on the side
toward the Hudson River and the
Palisades. 1t has always been Mr..
Chapman's home, as he was born in
the house. About it, especially in
front, are many trees. The trees are
SO numerous that one, upon seeing
the place, could understand why
stranger searching for it the other
day stopped almost in front to ask
passing citizen where it was. When
he learned that it lay just beyond an
evergreen tree at his back, he men,
tally kicked himself for displaying
such degree of imbecility and, as a
result, nearly fell into depressed
path which wound up to the house
through the little grove.
Inthe rear of the house the grounds
extend also as far as the eye can reach,
that is, as far as the next rise of
ground, which may be 500 or 300
feet away. Over this expanse are
scattered many trees. There is no
regularity about their arrangement.
They were planted by the birds, and
Mr.. Chapman permitted them to grow
as they liked. The birds dropped
the seeds from which they grew.
These are not the only trees about the
place planted by the birds. They also
contributed the hedge of wild cherry
trees which separates Mr.. Chapman's
land from the three thousand acre
park belonging to the Teaneck estate
of the late William Walter Phelps.
Not being one of the naturalists who
have ascribed reasoning power to an
imals and birds, Mr.. Chapman does
not permit any one to assume that
the birds, with superhuman sight,
recognized the invisible boundary line
and placed the seeds at regular inter-
walls along it. He explains that the
trees which broke the sod elsewhere
than on the line were eliminated.
The cherry trees are now producing
fruit and supporting the clinging
vines of wild ivy, the berries of which
the birds eat as we'll as the wild
cherries.
Mr.. Chapman follows the tact of
the diplomatic housewife who would
have her household an attractive CEN
tire for menfolk. He not only aims
to have the surroundings of his home
attractive to the birds, but he adds the
inducement of liberal supply Of
food. He scatters quarts of ape
tizing seeds on the edge of the lawn.
There are many pear trees and apple
trees. The red squirrels take
especial delight in the pears. When
the fruit is ripe the ground beneath
the trees is covered with the cone
shaped bases and hemispherical
crowns Of pears which have been cut
in half by the lively imps in their
search for seeds. When they are
through with them the birds will
sometimes eat of the soft fruit.
Along the hedgeis row of sumachs,
whose red seeds the birds eat in the
winter when other food is scarce.
Near by is a small Parkman's crab
apple tree, set out for the winter birds.
The fruit clings all winter.
Naturally, the numerous trees, as
uve11 ae tha hornfifu1 sunnlv of food