The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-04-17
FARMERS FRIENDS.
SOME BIRDS THEY SHOULD PRO.
TECT

AS They Destroy Insects, Weed Seed
and Numerous Other Enemies OF
the Farm.
The substance of this article is but
a summary Of an account of the work
Of. the Biological Survey of the De-
partment Of Agriculture, prepared
for the National Geographic Magazine
by H W. Henshaw.
The Biological Survey was estab-
lished in 1885, with Dr. c. II. Mer-
riam as director. The relations Of
the bird to the crops were not then
well understood. 1t is not enough,
says Mr.. Henshaw, to lie told that
birds feed on insects; We must know
the particular kinds they eat. The
fact that the crow sometimes eats
corn is not sufficient evidence on
which to condemn the bird. We
i must learn the nature Of its food at
all times; hence the necessity for
the examination of the birds stom-
achs to learn not only the kinds of
food eaten, but their relative guam
titles.
1t is not enough to know that
birds eat insects. or that they destroy
crops. Birds are injurious at one
time and not at another; in one re-
gion a pest; in another blessing.
The Tree Sparrow Beneficial.
We may roughly group our small
birds into two classes-the seed eat
ers and the insect eaters.
The seed eaters, mostly of the
Sparrow family, have stout. bodies
and strong conical bills, especially
designed for cru, ing seeds. Their
name is legion and the family con-
tains more species than any other
group of birds. 1t is we'll that this
is so, for the destruction of weed
seed is of tremendous Importance to
the farmer, whose trouble to keep
ahead of the weeds, great as it is
now, would be vastly increased were
it not for the soberly-clad and unob-
trusive little sparrows. We may get
an idea of the value Of the service
these birds render by noting what is
done for the farmer by the tree-spar-
row, one of the most confirmed seed
eaters of the group. A quarter Of
an ounce of seed for day is q safe
estimate of the food of an adult
treesparrow. On this reckoning, In
State like Iowa, where agriculture
is relatively very important, tree
sparrows eat about S75 tons of weed
seed annually.
The total value Of the principal
field crops of the United States for
the year 1906 was about S3,5OO,OOO,-
600. If we estimate that the COM
bined consumption Of weed seed by
the sparrow family results in an an
nual saving of only ] per cent. OF
the value of the crops the total sum
total saved to thefarmer in 1906 was
s95, 900, 900.
Though seeds form the chief part
of the subsistence of sparrows, the
destruction of seeds is by no means
all we have to thank these birds for.
They eat many insects also, and
seems to know instinctively that
while seeds are excellent for adalt
birds, they. are necessarily good for
nestlings, and hence feed the latter
almost exclusively on insects.
sparrows, however, are not the on
Ily birds that consume the seeds OF
weeds. The Eastern quail or bob
white is confirmed eater of weed
seed. Highly esteemed as bobWhite
is by the epicure for food and by
the sportsman as an object of pur-
suit. he is probably worth so much
more as weed-destroyer that the
farmer can ill afford to have him
shot, even though the privilege is
roundly paid for. A bevy or two OF
quail on a farm is an asset the value
of which no thrifty farmer should
overlook. Doves also are seed eat
ers. especially the turtle-dove. whose
crop oftn is so packed with the seeds
of weeds that it can hold no more.
The farmer has no quarrel Win
birds that confine their attention to
grass and weed seed, and welcomes
their presence always and every
where. There are birds, however,
which eat such seeds as corn, wheat
and barley, and whose place in the
farmers esteem is by no. means 80
well assured-the crow and the
blackbirds for instance. There are
several kinds of blackbirds which at
times attack crops as also does the
crow. The destruction by the crow
OF meadow mice, and of cutWorms
and other insect pests and the de-
struction of many kinds of insects by
the blackbirds, however, are consid-
cred in most localities to Offset the
damage done in other ways and even
to leave a balance in favor of the
birds.
Birds That Eat Insects.
Many firds, as fycatchers, warb-
lers, swallows and chimney-swifts,
| live exclusively, or almost so, on In
sects, and very many more, as black
birds, orioles, and some hawks, de-
pend on them for a considerable part
of their livelihood. The little spar
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