The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-11-01
FARMERS FRIEND.
The Partridge Testroyes Many Noxi-
ous Weeds and Insects.

he Partridge Testroyes Many Noxi-
ous Weeds and Insects.
They Should Be Protected by the
Farmers, IS They Destroy Many
rhiDgs Injurious to Crops.
The department. OF Agriculture has
issued an interesting bulletin on the
ouails Of the Uuited States that tends
to correct some popular errors regard
ing Bob White" and is strong plea
for his preservation as an alley OF the
farmer. There are half dozen vari-
eties of quail In the United States,
the handsomest being those OF the
Southwest and the Pacific slope, where
they are slate blue in color and hand.
somely crested. But the principal in
terest in this best known OF all game
birds is that 1t Is a valuable asset OF
the farmer and helpful rather than
destructive to the growing crops.
A thorough study OF the bird has
been made by the department without
finding any evidence that it is harm.
full to crops. 1t eats principally nox-
ious weed seeds and bugs injurious to
the crops. 1t does not trouble either
the sprouting grain, as do the crows
and black birds, and does not feed on
the standing crops OF forage among
the stacks. When it Gees eat grain it
is only what is CLEANS from the har-
vested fields. It prefers weeds and
does not eat wheat and corn If it can
get sumach, ragweed and bay berries.
A close calculation was made by
the department OF the number OF Bob
Whites In Virginia and North Care.
lima, the total apprcxinating 354, 500.
It is known from long series OF OK.
periments that the craw OF the bird
holds about halt an ounce, Of which
fully so per cent is weed seed. At this
rate from September to April 30 In
Virginia and North Carolina alo1s,
the birds eat 3, 341 tons Of weed seeds.
Amorg the Insects on which the
birds hatisuaily fead are the Rock
Mountain locust, in Colorado potato
tug, the boil weevil, the cut worm,
the army worm and two sorts OF cot
ton worms. The chicks are even more
highly insectivorous than the Ole
bids.
The department. urges all land own.
ers to realize the value OF the Bot
White. It says that with proper man
agement some farms OF 500 to 1,00(
acres would yield more revenue from
Bob Whites than from poultry. 1t Is
estimated that between 100000 ano
400, 900 Sportsnen go out from the cit
les every fall to hunt the Bob White.
and this, OF course, means big reVe'
nue, most OF which goes to the farm
erS.
Parsdoxical as it may seem, sports,
men exercise q powerful influence il
protecting the birds. Many big pre-
serves are maintained where the Quai.
are used only tor field trials for dogs
and are either not shot at all or shot
under very close restrictions. Some
clubs maintain preserves OF 1000 tc
$4,000 acres, and many sportsmen have
their own preserves exclusively Tor dog
trials. The demand for live quail to-
this purposels steadily increasing, anc
there would be good revenue il the
Bob White could be bred in captivity
on any extensive scale. This has been
tried AID has proved difficult, but the
tirds can be protected from their na
tural enemies, snakes, skunks, owls.
hawks and cats, and they can be fed.
EYery feWs years, on the recurrence
Of unusually severe winters with heavy
SHOWS which cover the food supply,
great numbers Of Bob Whites perish.
and sometimes in the northern part Of
its range the bird becomes almost ex,
oinct. This unnecessary loss OF LIE
could be largely prevented il lard own
ers and others interested would scat
ter a littls grain in suitable places.
This is done In some localities, as at
Sandy Spring, Md, where b. b. Mill
er drives over the snow covered coun.
try scattering grain for the starving
quail. The practice is worthy Of gen
eral adoption. It is necessary only
while the ground is snow bound and
especially after slest storm.
The game laws in the several States
very greatly, and In some States vary
from county to county; but the de-
partnent advises all States to limit
their open season to one month.
The Department Of Agriculture OBJ
talned three pairs Of Bob Whites from
Kansas, which after five months cap
tivjty are almost as wild as when first
Gagged, and show no signs OF mating.
Experiments in the domestication Of
BIB Whites are well worth trying,
however, because OF the demand from
clubs and individuals for live birds TO
restock their grounds. So great has
become the demand in recent years
that it is estimated that 200, 900 bires
would be required annually to fill it.
During the spring Of 1908 the demand
far exceeded the supply, even at SIS a
dtzen, and sometimes at twice that
figure.
The bulletin gives an interesting
table OF the birds food made from the
average OF many analyses. 1t shows
that the chief part Of the Bob Whites
diet is animal and vegetable matter
Of which the farmer is glad to be rid,
while the damage that can be traced
to him IS absolutely negligible.
Trolley accident.
A dispatch from New York says a
runaway street car on the new Will
hamburg suspension bridge across the
East river Thursday caused injury to