The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-11-15

spite Of tnlS L neither curse lnem HOl
shoot them, for | consider the feast
of cherries but their wages in return
for what bugs, cutworms and small
mice they catch morning and night.
If you will get up early in the morn
ing you will see the robin fighting the
Jay bird that is pulling up the peas.
What does he do this for? Why, just
TO get the cutworms and bugs in the
loose ground. l have long observed
the robin and know that in the long
run he is our friend, when we take
into consideration the number of pests
he destroys on the trees and on and
in the ground. In the early spring
watch him boring into the manure
heaps for larvae and red worms, and
in the trash for a few waste grains
or weed seed that would choke out
your crop if not destroyed. In the
spring feed them this waste grain
and in the summer they pay you for
it in the bugs and moths they destroy.
Il characterize the chattering blue
iay as the monkey hooking bird and
the dooryard scaVenger. l will oftef
a few remarks as to how to get rid OIL
the pest. The blue jay gets no peas,
beans. corn or nasturtiums from my
vegetable garden, nor scraps IN the
back dooryard, except what | put
there to trap him. The plants named
above all start life with single tap
root and are easily drawn from the
ground when you start them just
under the surface. Dig trenches six
inches deep, drop your seed in them
Il, Of
half inch of dirt-two inches would be
better. AS soon as the plants snow
above ground cover them again, ana
repeat until your trench is filled. NO
blue lay can now pull the plants, be-
cause the lateral roots have started
and the bulb leaves are large ana
strong enough to anchor them In the
ground. Now don't complain ABOUT
the amount of work to get mess OF
peas or beans this way-but bank up
the plants until you have hill nearly
a foot above the ground. Then II we
have dry summer like the one we
have lust had, your banking pays you
with a bigger crop than the surface
plan. because the banked ground holds
the moisture needed for the vines.
should be followed with your potato
planting. Put them deep In the
ground. and not on top OF 1t where the
blue lays can feast on them as soon
as large enough to use, or Where inc
sun can turn them green. l followed
the deep planting plan in my garden
the past summer-and it paid. Al
our county fair last month | won the
first prize on my Champion peas
while the surface gardeners had no
peas to take there, and but few 10 eat
There are several ways to eaten
the blue Jay. For limited NUMBER
at a time set small steel rat traps on
p bench three or four feet nigh ana
bait with a piece of any hard and raw
vegetable or apple, hard bread or
meat. In the garden or field use what
are known as Slat-traps, the same as
are used for catching grouse. Set the
corner posts up about eight lncheS
above the trap door, so the Dlrd Is
forced to light on the trap door, eX>
pecting to get the bait which he sees
on the posts. In alightlng on tne
door he trips it and slides down, While
the door. being weighted at the other
end flies back shut and the bro IS
caught. Still another method is to take
small white beans or peas and soak
them till soft With a needle draw d
strong thread through the bean ana
tie a knot on the end of the thread !;
cut the thread, leaving about a foot
attached to the bean, with a toggle at
the other end Lay these balts on u
bench, but do not let them get tangled.
The bird will alight and pick up anu
swallow the first bean he comes 10,
but he cannot bite the thread Off and
it scares him. He will fly away never
to return, as he is gagged to death
This method also answers for crows.
"Reinp of English birth and now ~