The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-10-15

Juc dllOWb unuSl, pun Oh ZIG o1iSh
and smash the birds This does not
seem to be just the information we
are in need of. I do not know that
know any of the department force
personally; If you do, perhaps an in
quiry from you would elicit something
more to the purpose. l shall hope to
see your personal appeal bring out
some one who can tell whether we
have any occasion to cry wolf, wolf
The native birds are increasing to
such noticeable degree in my neigh
borhood that from that standpoint
alone l should regret to see the spar
row take their place."
have not the report of the commits
sioner of agriculture for 1886 but have
most of the yearbooks since that date.
There are numerous references to
birds. one entitled: "How Birds AT
feet the Orchard" The other paper is
entitled: GOOD of Nesting Birds"
There is also a valuable paper in the
yearbook of 1899 entitled: "a Review
of Economic Ornithology in the United
States" There are several other val
liable papers on birds in some of the
other volumes but they need not be
referred to further now. A thorough
study of these yearbooks will reveal
the fact that there has been much
misconception about the injury done
to our farm crops by the birds of this
country. AS these birds were careful
ly studied it was found that in many
cases through ignorance many people
were killing off their best friends. Not
one of these birds, including the de-
spised English sparrow, but helps the
farmer in destroying insects. The
adult English sparrow feeds almost ex-
clusively on grains but large part
of the food of their nesting is made
up of injurious insects. While all are
beneficial in the destruction of in
sects that prey on the farmers crops
some of them do so much more harm
than good that they are properly
classed as injurious birds.
So far as the English sparrow is con-
cerned, it is nowhere referred to as
fruit-eating bird. 1t is classed as
graniverous, that is, grain eating. The
only harm to the Orchardist' recorded
of this bird is the fact that sometimes
it eats the buds of fruit trees in the
spring of the year. This seems not
to be common practice and, hence,
the damage is not great. Should such
a habit be common and the birds be-
come numerous in the orchards then
it would be serious pest to the fruit
grower In the yearbook for 1900, on
pages 421-2, Prof. d. Judd, assistant
biologist, biological survey, in his val
uable articles entitled: ''The Food of
Nesting Birds" has this to say of
the English sparrow: '"The feeding
habits of young English sparrOws of
cities are of value, since many OF the
insects eaten are injurious, while the
vegetable food, being composed of
waste oats in horse droppings, is of
no importance; but in the country the
good effect caused by the destruction
of insect pests is largely cOunterbal-
anced by the fact that much of the
vegetable food consists of grain de-
rived from crops. Nesting native
sparrows, since they do not take any
vegetable food, are more effective in
sect destroyers than nesting English
sparrows."
Should it be thought desirable to
continue the discussion of the bird
question, we shall ask our correspond
ents to confine what they may write to
actual facts that they may have learn
ed from observation or from other re-
liable sources. No one will be de-
barred from being heard because his
views do not harmonic with those
of the editor of this department. He
is ready and willing to change at
any time if the facts seem to warrant
it.