The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1907-05-17

bindweed, crab grass, panic grass and
pigeon grass all furnish seeds that are
choice morsels to these busy little fell
lows, and 80 strong is the action of their
stomachs that an unbroken rag-weed
seed is rarely found. From ten to TWEEN
ty per cent of their food Is insects and
made up of pests. They are an excel.
lent army for checking locusts. but do
not take kindly to hairy caterpillars and
tobacco worms.
DIR. f. E. l.. Beal, assistant ornith-
ologist of the Biological Survey, fgur-
ing on most conservative basis, esti-
mates that the tree sparrows in Iowa
destroy 1850, 900 tons of weed seed a
year. This only allows a fourth of an
ounce of seed daily to each sparrow.
Estimating from this basis on general
field crop of So, 600, 600, 900, the sparrow
can be counted on saving the nation
$50 900, 600 year.
The little country boy planting corn
has way Of dropping several grains
in each hill, singing as he does IT. lone
for the blackbird, one for the crow,
two for the cut wo rms, and one to
grow" This was considered of sufficl-
ent weight to be warrant for the ar
rest of the crow and the biackbird. To
the world in general the crow has ever
been known as thief and coward. He
was accused of pulling up corn. Of eat
ing fruit and eggs, and of playing ma
rauder on the homes of other birds All
these were proved against him, but ev-
idence was also introduced to show
that ne ate cut worms that destroyed
more corn than he did, that he made
many meals off grasshoppers alone, and
that wild fruits were as good as tame
fruits in his opinion. So the spirit of
justice declares the crow more help.
full than harmful fellow. The red
winged blackbird, too came out with
fairly good record, though he had
been found guilty of rice-eating in
several sections. His brother, the bob
olink, or rice bird did not get off so
easily, for that sweet-voiced rogue was
caught red.handed with quantity of
rice hidden in his person, and it was
proved that the rice growers lose
~, 900, 900 year on his account.
The buzzard and the sea, gull have
always enjoyed certain immunity
from death at the hands of the men
and boys of the country. The amount
of scavanger duty they do is enormous
and there is tacit understanding the
country over that they should be un-
molested. Georgia has earned for her
self the rather inelegant name of 1.-The
Buzzard State because of law on her
statue books protecting buzzards. On
the sea coast and especially in the
Golden Gate of California, the gulls
are an invaluable aid to the health de-
partments, removing as they do all re.
fuse and all dead fish.
When the boil. weevil crossed the
line from Mexico, and came up into
Texas to feed on the cotton there, the
United States government Immediately
appealed to the bird kindom for aid.
1t did not build alters to the birds. as
the Syrians used to, nor hail them as
lords of the air" as did the Greeks, or
foretell the fate of the crops by the
way in which they flew. 1t simply Of
fered them the boil weevil to eat, and
wondered how many they would like a
day. The Carolina wren, the tomtit.
the titlark, the phoebe. the Florida
and western meadow larks, the red
winged blackbird, the savanna and
white throated spMrows, the killdear,
the thresher, and the bob white respond
ed and attacked the enemy with vary
ing degrees of efficiency. The biologi.
cal survey urges every possible means
of bird protection throughout the
southern cotton states as means of
exterminating the weevil
The cuckoo has been catalogued az
the champion exterminator of the
fuzzy caterpillar. The kingbird is
great fly catcher. The catbird is &C.
counted a great cherry thief but he
has to his credit the fact that he eats
1000 worms for each cherry. Our
winged citizens eat enormously, feed
ing all during their working hours
robin being able to make away with
30 earth worms day, chickadee 1000
canker worms while grosbeak can
easily consume quart of bugs. The
rose. breasted grosbeak makes spec
ialty ofkilling the Colorado potato bug.
The bob white, the COW bird, the cardi-
nal, the purple finch, the dove, the
goldfnch. the swallow, the flicker, the
cedar-bird and the cat-bird all have
proved that their helpfulness is far in
excess of their wasteful habits
Soil culture is an eternal warfare
against weeds AID insects, and when
birds are killed the farmer is left at
the mercies of his enemies. The best
investment any farmer or city dweller
with little land, can make for him