The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1908-10-31
State Capital Notes
Weekly Budget of State News Items Gathered By Our Special
Correspondent at Jackson.


Correspondent
JACKSON.
Weevil-Eating Birds.
The Mississippi Audubon society has
issued this statement:
1--WE give here a list Of birds known
to eat the boil weevil, placing them in
order, according to the number OF boil
weevils eaten per bird, as shown by
stomach examinations:
"Cliff swallow, bank swallow, olive
sided fycatcher, barn swallow, night
hawk, least fycatcher, alder hycatcher,
orchard oriole, American k%ingbird, pip
pit, yellow-breasted, chat, phoebe, Car
DINA wren, kildeer, meadow lark, dick
s%essel, purple marten, painted bunting,
towhee, shrike, field sparrow, savanna
sparrow, cardinal, hooking bird, white
throated sparrow, yellow warbler,
tufted %titmouse, cowbird, red-winged
blackbird, brown th~rasher, lark spar
row, bronzed brackle, bob white.
"All these birds are found in Missis-
sippi, and most of them are common.
The swallows are the greatest Destroy
ers of the weevil, forty-seven having
been found in the stomach of a cliff
swallow"
As to County Printing.
In response to an inquiry from J. L.
Boyd, president of the board OF super
visOrs Of Tate county, Attorney-Gen-
eral Fletcher has just rendered an
opinion which settles a question affect
ing many counties in the state. In
substance the query is as to whether a
member of a county board Of election
commissioners who happens to be a job
printer can take unto himself the au-
thority to print the official ballots for a
regular election, and again, whether
this printing must go to the county
printer-the man holding the contract
for supplying the county with station
cry. The effect of the opinion is that
this particular work is not necessarily
included in the work to be done by the
county printer, but that under no cir
cumstances can q member Of the COM
mission take the contract and do the
work himself without violating both
the letter and spirit Of the law.
Ruling on School Funds.
Attorney-G General Fletcher having
received an inquiry from the board OF
supervisors of Itawamba county desir-
ing to know whether a school fund
balance now in the treasury can be used
to pay off loan warrants issued during
the school year 1907 for the purpose of
canceling the pay certificates OF teach
ers employed in the public schools, re-
piled hat the loan warrants cannot be
paid out of this years school fund I'M
less special authorization is conveyed
in q relief act of the legislature, and
that the balance cannot be used to can
eel the loan warrants, but they must be
paid, as provided for in the special act,
''Out of the first money collected for
taxes"
Butter Scoring Contest.
During the ten days of the state fair,
from Oct. q to Nov. 6, the dairy de-
partment Of the Agricultural and Me-
chanical experiment station will hold
and superintend a butter scoring edu-
cational contest, the object being to
bring the butter from the several dai-
ries of the state into competition under
an expert judge who will grade it &C
cording to the national standard. An
expert from the dairy division OF the
United States department OF agricul-
ture will be the judge of the contest,
score the entries and inform the maker
as to what is lacking to make a perfect
butter, furnishing a personal letter to
each contestant setting forth what is
lacking in the preparation of his butter.
Medical Field Lecturer.
The state board OF health will employ
q field lecturer, who will visit diff
ferent points in the state and de-
liver addresses and distribute literature
relative to the cause and prevention of
Infectious and contagious diseases, S.
pecially tuberculosis. The board hopes
through the means of this campaign OF
publicity to get the people of the state
thoroughly aroused, and a systematic
effort started to check the spread of the
great white plague.
Battleship Fund Growing.
Gov. Noel states that results are
being reported in consequence of a re-
cent trip through a few of the central
and western counties by Mrs. Eunice
Lockwood, collector for the battleship
Mississippi fund, s415. so in cash being
received, besides several subscriptions
which will be paid in later.
Geological Commission.
Among other meetings that will be
held here, during the State Fair week
will be that of the state geological com
mission, which has been called by the
governor for Nov. 6, being the semi