Milford chronicle., 1909-04-09
Farmers Battle for Iasect-Eating
Birds.

New York, April. 6: Oppose,
solely by a designing band 0
Broadway feather dealers, the farm
ing forces Of this entire State ar,
to-day fighting a desperate battl,
for law which will fully pro.ec
the wild birds that they know car
alone save their crops insect pests
Headed by the National Associa,
ton Of Audubon Societies and the
State grange with q membership oi
$4,000 working farmers, every ag.
ricultural interest in the Empire
State is lined up to demand such
measures to prevent the butchery
Of the insect. eating and non-game
birds as have begun to benefit the
farm lands Of Iowa, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Louisiana, South Caro-
lima, and West Virginia. Unless
the professional traders in the
scalps Of these slaughtered song
sters are now made to respect the
economic value Of their prey, it is
declared, the orchardists and agri-
culturists of the whole country will
soon suffer by the increase Of every
form OF insect plague.
Declaring that the valuable bird
resources of the whole American
people are at stake on the principle
Of this battle of the New York
farmers against the commercial
feather hunters, Clifford Pinchot,
head Of the National Conservation
Commission has to-day come out
in strong support of the proposed
legislation. Letters Of warm en-
dorsement Of this campaign have
also been received at the Audubon
headquarters here from c. F. Cox,
president of the New York Zoolo-
gical Society, Dr. Raymond a.
Pearson, New York State Commits
sioner OF Agriculture and E. P
Felt, the State entomologist F
N. Godfrey, master Of the State
grange, has already enlisted with
all his forces in the fight.
Half of the daily food of the
crow blackbird alone is made up
Of the insect pests that destroy the
crops it has been proven by expert
examination Of 2,25O stomachs of
these wild birds, the results of
which are being submitted to the
here by DR.. T. 5. Pal |
mer of the government of Agricul- |
-ure. With others of the non-game
lpecies that it is proposed to pro-
tect here, these birds have been
shown to be the only effective
heck to the plague Of Brown Tail
Ind Gypsy moths which is sweep
ng over the country from the New
England State where 5000, 900
las already been spent in vain at
empts to curb its devastation of
he crops and woods. With the
insect eating birds it IS also plan
led to shield the Snowy Owl which
5 known to consume the hOrdes of
meadow mice whose degredations
lave cost the Orchardists of the
ountry millions of dollars.
This battle for the proper pro-
ection of the insect-eating birds
viii have its effect upon the whole
ountry," said William butcher,
resident of the National Associa-
ion of Audubon Societies at its
ead-quarters, I4I Broadway, to-
ay. More than $1,000, 900, 900 ,
as been proven by the government
, have been lost to the farmers Of q
MS land last year through the cep- !
edations Ofinsect pests. We want
D determine if this vast loss to the
alton IS not to be considered rath-
r than the selfish interests of the 7
wv dealers in the plumage of the !
cry birds that destroy these in q
ects. 1t is high time for the farm :
rs, Orchardists, ranchmen and :
lanters Of this country to assert .
in this matter as the :
are doing in this
tate. We feel that we can count 7
pom the support Of every patriotic r
merican to help us save the T
atoms valuable bird resources. . :,