The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-09-04
The Andubon Society.

OdIO1lLld, udS VIZ III oJot~iheAo
in Newberry county. State Seere-
tarv James Henry Rice, Jr., arrived
two days ago and at once began Or
ganizing for the protection of the
birds, game and fish Of the State.
It was evident that the work was
needed for on the day after coming
here Mr.. Rice had two warrants Is
sued before Magistrate Blease for two
parties for violating the law against
shooting partridges ont Of season.
This is entirely in line with the re-
cord of the Audubon Society in South
Carolina and in other States.
To prevent misunderstanding it
should be explained that the Audubon
Society is merely an organization OF
!citizens for the purpose Of protecting
the birds, game and fish Of the State.
Any citizen may become member by
paving the membership of five dol
lars and an annual due of one dol
lar. The society in this State is char
tered by the legislature and the OBJ
iects are set forth in the charter.
Those objects are the dissemina-
ticn of information about birds among
the people of the State and the en-
forcement of laws for the protection
Of birds. game and non-migratory
fish. All the migratory fish, such
for example, as shad and the like,
come under the care of the fish COM
mission. The society is given power
to recommend the appointment Of
wardens who are paid by the society.
The principal work Of the society
of course lies in protecting insect
birds, for the work Of insect birds is
absolutely essential to the raising Of
crops. Space is lacking to 60 into
details but the United States depart
ment of agriculture estimates that in
sects inflict damage on the crops Of
the United States to the enormous
total of over $70O,0OO,00O (seven hun
dred million dollars) each year and a
loss of one hundred million dollars
to the forests Of the country.
Now birds constitute the only ef-
fectual check on the ravages Of in
sects. In Texas the Mexican boil
weevil was about to wipe out the i'm
portant cotton industry Of that great
State and the insect was spreading so
fast that it also threatened the cot
ton industry Of the entire .outh.
Science was helpless until the birds
took a hand in the game and the boil
weevil was checked. The chief agent
in stopping the ravages Of this pest
was the bullbat and very naturally
the State of Texas is taking stringent
measures to protect the bullbat and
even going so far as to buy the eggs
and have them Matched out in incuba-
tors.
Likewise the partridge has proved
an efficient check to the potato bug
wherever partridges are at all num-
erous. In South Carolina the par
fridge holds check on the dreaded
billbug, whose destructive work is
seen in corn, where the larvae Of the
billbug, small white worm, eats out
the pith Of the stalk until the stalk
falls over and dies.
Blue birds eat their OWE weight in
cutwor1ns every day during the sea-
son and the robin will destroy from
IT'S to 200 caterpillars and the pupae
Of these caterpillars daily, thus max
inc from 1900 to 10000 caterpillars
taken out of the community each
year by single robin.
To make long story short it is
estimated by the department Of agri-
culture that crops could not be rails
ed more than two or three years,
should the work Of the birds stop.
The whole civilized world has set
its fiat against the wholesale destruc-
ton Of birds that has gone on so
long and so persistently. As a rule
most boys violate the laws without
knowing what the laws are. They
should be taught what are tile laws
and why they should observe thes3
laws.
| The State Of South Carolina per-