Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-06-13


agriculture bestows merited praise
upon the swallows. Like most al:
birds Uney are ABOUT the best friends
that the farmer has The department
has issued a special circular on swa'-
lows 1t is by H. w. Henshaw VINO
says that his purpose is twofOld:
First-To make known the great
value of swallows as insect destroyers
and to emphasize the Importance Of
protecting them wherever found.
Second-To widely publish the pc
culiar value of these birds in the war
now being waged in the south against
the cotton boil weeVil, and to ask for
the cooperation Of citizens of northern
states, where these birds chiefly nest,
in an effort to increase their numbers.
That insect-eating birds are Of i'm
mense value 10 the farmer and the
forester IS so we'll known, he declares,
that their protection is now believed
to be absolutely necessary t. the vel
fare of any country. But the value
of certain kinds in the United States
has been recently emphasized through
the invasion of the cotton states by
new and destructive insect-the boil
weevil. This new pest, despite every
effort to stay it's marcn, is spreading
at the rate of about so miles a year,
and sooner or later is certain to infest
the entire cotton-prOducing area-a
fact which not only seriously concerns
the southern planter, but in its ulti-
mate consequences affects the we'll
being of the whole country.
Birds are among the natural enc
mics Of the weevjl but by themselves
are quite inadequate to the task OF
! The losses it inficts are of such mag
nitude, however, that no aid can be
! safely neglected, especially when so
| impOrtat as the services rendered BY
birds. AS the result of Investigations
| by the United States biological survey,
thirty-eight species of birds are now
known to feed upon the weevil. Prom
/ inent among these are the several spe-
cies of swallows, including the purple
martin.
The martin, the barn swallow, the
bank swallow the cliff swallow, md
the rough-wing breed-some of them
only sparngIy-in Texas and else
where in the south, They breed also
in the north. but the tree swallow and
the cliff swallow-very important
members of the group-appear in I'll,
south, the former during spring and
fall migration only.
Steps have been taken to acqua:nt
the farmers and other residents u
Texas and the remaining cOttOn-pTO
ducing states of the Importance of in
creasing the numbers of the Ioca
species and of extending the range o
certain species in the cotton d.stric )
This may be done by strictly enforcing
the laws protecting swallows and BY
providing additional accommodation
for nesting. These steps alone, how
ever, are rot sufficient 1t is very i'm
tpOrtant also that all of the swallow
tribe nesting in the northern stat !!
and migrating through the cot OF
belt be increased to the limit. more
particularly since in late years
steady diminution of their numbers
has been noted.
Tree swallow. The tree swallow
as is well known, has been persecutet
by the English sparrow until it ha.
entirely abandoned many districts
where formerly It ahomded. Unless
systematic effort be made to reduce
the number OF sparrows and to pro
teCt from invasion the boxes put III
for the occupancy of swallows. it il
difficult to see how the tree swallow
, can reoccupy the Old territory from
- which it has been driven, or even
= long hold its present area. An eneT
getjc war on the English sparrow ant
; the careful protection of the swallow
domiciIe in a few years would resCl
in a complete change of the situation
, SO far as this, one of the most bene
t fetal of the swallow tribe, is con
cerned.
Barn swallows The barn swallow
formerly was abundant Throughout
the northern states. eSpec ally III New
, England. The tightly built modCrI
: barn. however, no longer invites tn
| presence of the barn swallow by al
, fo:ding it friendly shelter. and tn
; birds are becoming scarcer and scare
er. To provide openings in modern
barns end to encourage the presenc
in them of colonies by providing cor
venient nesting sites are easy and e.
feCtive methods by which this beaut
fl! species may be greatly increase
in numbers. This bird also require
protection from the English sparrow
which in one foray has been known t
kill the young and destroy the eggs Q
a large colony.