Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-07-02
What Birds Mean to America

ment experts declare that Devy or
two of quail from a farm lis an asset
the value of which no thrifty farmer
should overlook"
But besides the birds that eat seeds
there are many other species which
live entirely, or almost entirely, On liz
sects, and still others, such as hawks
and owls, which destroy small rodents.
Now, hawks and owls have very bad
name, and very few persons would
hesitate to kill them, and yet they do
a work of no inconsiderable value to
farmers. Three branches of the fam
lily, the Cooper, the goshawk and the
sharp-shinned hawks, are guilty of
most of the murders of other birds
and chickens. while the socalled hen
hawks destroy far more than enough
rats and mice to pay for the occasional
chick they may devour.
In fact, after years of study the gov
eminent experts declare that the
practice of offering bounties for
owls and hawks is twice wasteful, for
it drains the public funds and encour-
all do far more good than they do
harm. 1t is declared that the marked
increase in the number of rodents of
all kinds in the United States is due
in considerable measure to the kill
ing of their natural enemies, chief Of
which are the birds of prey.
Rats alone do an almost unbeliev-
able amount of damage every year,
and they are ably seconded by the
field mice and other branches of their
great family. One of the small ground
squirrels OF Washington Injuries the
wheat crop of a single county of that
state to the extent of half million
dollars annually. Think what the loss
of the entire country must be then.
Some idea of the total amount may be
secured from the statement of scien'
| fists that the insect pests of the coun'
try do $500, 100000 of damage every
twelve months.
| Admittedly the birds are not an I'M
mixed blessing. They do harm as well
as good, and some of them do good In
one region and evil in another. Such
a cOmmingling of blessing and curse
is the golden eagle, which ranges over
most parts Of the country. In certain
parts of California this eagle feeds on
| ground squirrels, and proves a boon
to the agriculturalists, while in other
sections it feeds upon lambs, and is
an outlaw with a price upon It's mead
1t should be apparent to everyone
| that if sentiment is not strong enough
to stay the destruction Of our birds
cold business sense should be. 1t were
nobler, perhaps, to preserve the feath
cred yoyagers of the afr because they
are beautiful, but, this failing, let us
preserve them because they pay. AND
pay they do There are evil creatures
among them, just as there are among
human beings, but the good far out
plumber the bad, and as in the case o.
the owls and hawks, all are not really
bad, that in our ignorance We deem so
There is satisfaction in the knowl
edge that this country IS foremos
among the nations that are striving t
protect the birds. 1t is a national un
dertaking, in which every either
should join. Perhaps the best way t.
advance the work is to teach the boy
today what their fathers did not know
that the birds are our friends, ask
ing little of us and doing a work AM
a necessary work which We ourselve
/ could not do