Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-14
SAVE THE BoBWHITE

The value of the bobw1ite from
the standpoint of the sportsman needs
no exploitation, but it has remained
for member of the biological survey
Of the Department of Agriculture to
discover and write thesis on the
Economic Value of the Bobwhite."
Such paper has been prepared by
Sylvester D. Judd, Phi. D., and makes
very interesting and suggestive read
ing. Mr.. Judd describes study of
the bobwhite, undertaken by means of
field observation, experiments with
captive birds and examinations of crops
and stomachs in the laboratory, and
sums UP the results as follows: 1.-THE
bobwhite is probably the most
abundant species on the farm. 1t is
one of the most nearly omnivorous
birds, consuming large quantities of
weed seeds and destroying many of
the worst insects which the farmer has
to contend with. 1t does not injure
grain. fruit or any other CROP
In a series of experiments referred
to it was found that seeds formed
50.7S per cent of it's food, and that most
of the seeds consumed were those of
| weeds. 1t was also found that large
proportion of the animal food of the
bobwhite consists of beetles, bugs,
caterpillars, spiders and miscellaneous
insects. While the opinion prevails
generally that the bobwhite is a great
wheat eater it was found that wheat
constituted but 3.04 per cent of the
! food of those whose stomachs were
examined, and corn but 1914 per cent
Referring to the quantity of weed
seed which is consumed by bobwhites,
it is estimated that in the state of Vir-
ginia there are four of these birds to
the square mile, or 169.S00 in the state
The crop of these birds will hold half
an ounce of seed, and as at each of the
two daily meals weed seed constitutes
at least half the contents of the crop, or
a quarter of an ounce, a half ounce
daily is consumed by each bird. On
this very conservative basis the total
consumption of weed seed by bob
whites from September to April 80
in Virginia amounts to 573 tons.
Furthermore, the proportion of in
furious insects habitually eaten by the
bobwhite makes its service as a de-
! stroyer of insects more valuable than
! that of many birds whose percentage
of insect food, though greater, in
cludes smaller percentage of injuri-
Gus species Conspicuous among the
pests which the bobwhite destroys are
I the potato beetle, the twelve spotted
cucumber beetle, the bean leaf beetle
the squash lady bird, wireworms anc
Z their beetles, beetles, such
: weevils as the corn bill-bug. the i'm
Z bricated- beetle, the clover-leat
: weevil and the Mexican cotton Dol
3 weevil, the striped garden caterpillar
d the army worm, the cotton worm, thu
2 boil worm. various species of Gu
rorms, the courthouse ant. the red
legged grasshopper, the Rocky Noun
tain locust and the chinch bug. 4
@ dozen army worms or cut worms ar,
h frequently eaten at a meal and forty
seven boil weevils have been eaten i,
: a morning by one bobwhite
d 1t has been proven that alfalfa re
I quires we'll drained soil, and will no
d grow when subjected to flood water
It that stand for any length of time
IS Neither will it thrive in acid soils. Bu
r splendid alfalfa has been raised wrer
the subsoil is stiff clay or only slightl
,e pervious to water 1t has been foun
lie where the roots have penetrated til
If heaviest of clay vita only two or thre
- inches of soil operlaid