Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-10-21

dreds of miles, where again it may
possibly stand the chance Of a second
or third shot, which will send it on
to Alaska. Is it not extremely foolish
to thus drive from our state so valu-
able an element? None of these wat
er foul commit depredations upon
crops. In so far as they have anything
to do with cropping they are In
sect destroyers. 5s #:f
I would also call attention to one
other feature regarding game birds
| which would deem of Importance.
The department Of agricultural and
others have recommended various
poisons for the destruction of field
mice, gophers, and prairie dogs. The
poisons generally recommended are
strychnine and prussic acid, poisons
of the most destructive character.
! 1t is. usually recommended that grain
such as wheat, and fax seed, be boil
ed in solutions of these poisons, and
then this material be scattered about
the holes and burrows and about the
mouths of gopher dens It is further
recommended that these poisons be
placed in the spring when other grain
is scarce. Now, if the poisons were
placed so as to keep it away from
birds and other valuable animals no
criticism could be offered. But many
farmers simply scatter this grain in
large quantities around the burrows.
One can easily see what effect this
will have upon the doves, prairie
chickens, meadow larks, blackbirds
and In fact upon every one of the
birds which come early in the spring,
and are searching for a meager live
lihood. No surer way could be pro-
}yided for exterminating our insect
eating birds than to cellaneously
distribute masses of gopher poisoned
wheat on the dust hills furnished by
gophers and prairie dogs. for It Is to
these very eminence and dust hills
that the birds have for generations
been in the habit Of walking on, up
out of the wet, summing and dusting
themselves. sssS M 3..3
From my own personal observation
/ believe that the value of such birds
to North Dakota, looking at 1t from
the standpoint OF the food they fur
nish toy the people, is infinitel
small as. compared to the benefits
1hich accrue to the farmers OF TINS
state because of their existence.
lately counted the different kinds Of
insects found in the crops of two
lprairie chickens, one was prairie
chicken proper, and the other was a
lpfntail grouse Both birds were shot
in a place where wheat and cereals
were abundant, just at harvest time,
1yet one showed nine species OF In.
sects, Injurious to farm crops, and
the other showed eleven, and among
the insects present were four grass.
hoppers, two different kinds of katy.
dds, three potato bugs, three kinds
of cnt worms, and one wire worm
besides many insects of lesser charac
ter.
As matters now stand the meadow
larks and the prairie chickens are
reduced to a point at which extermi.
nation is ininent, even though they
are not further destroyed by hunt.
ers. They are naturally preyed upol
by wild animals, hawks, owls, and bS
disease. 1t is hardly probable thai
they can much longer exist in mum
4 hers in spite OF these natural agents
and the difficulties which have beer
mentioned. A little gopher poisor
properly set will do away with the re
manning few. am not sure but tina.
the new game law when CONSTRUCTED
should be of such nature as to max,
~ q penal offense for anyone to pu
out poisoned grain where 1t might b,
leaten by the birds OF the country.
III. u. BOLLEY,
i North Dakota Agricultural College
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