The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1909-03-10


farmer possessed of perhaps only c17DES y
80 to 100 acres, the city man, who epnET'
was wont to ask why, that fellow
loafs all day long over that corn
field" the crows and the farmers wife are sorry.
And they have reasons too. The romancer who
mentally tore off yards and yards of poetry about the
pathetic plight of the guardian of the chicken coop
and oat CROP must wend his way about the plan
tation of his country cousins in constant fear OF
touching a live wire and he has no more such
lfeike themes for his alleged poetic ability.
The small farmer is sorry to see his brother
of larger worldly goods take step forward by
proclaimng the scarecroW extinct.
The city man may no longer wonder at the art
of putting the sham together and his suggestions
about giving it touch of decoration is positive
ly obsolete.
As for the crows It is the duty of every
mother crow, as we'll as the father crow, to teach
its young that the scarecrow is the friend OF all
crows Hence the silent friend of winter and
summer can no longer be perched upon by the
young crows in learning to fly, and the figure
which was intended to be the crows god OF ILL.,
omen but which in the eyes of the darkhued
minons of the air was an indication or the
whereabouts of edibles in the shape OF corn, usu-
ally, is to be swept into oblivion.
The farmers wife hates to see the scarecroW
go because of pleasant associations. During the
long summer days while she is alone, the men
and boys being off in the fields, the silent stiff
armed policeman carries on silent conversation
with her. and she has surprised city people by in
sorting corn husk in the scarecrows upper left
hand pocket a tribute to the vanity OF the
inanimate farmland. Always absolutely safe TO
talk to- never answering surlily, always silent
under the most scathing arraignment, is 1t any
wonder that the scarecrow will be missed by the
women folks?
Thus score of years may see 1t extinct. Amid
crashing of teeth by the oldtme agriculturlst
tears by fair conversationalists, caw-caws by
crows seeking the of the new vogue, mourn
ing by the city folks and others, the curtain IS
to be drawn over this piteous individual.
The word scarecrow signifies it's realm OF USE
funess which is to scare crows, hawks, RADIUS
squrrels-n fact, most anything or being "hlch
is liable to infiict grevous wrong upon MI
Farmer
While the scarecrow itself may become extinct
the art of making scarecrows will always i've,
agricultural experts declare The realistic scare
crow is a work of art touch of realism here
and there will often chase away tramps in the
summer tme-near-sighted tramps especially
The scarecrow is purely an American lnstltu
ton. invented for the purpose of helping the
farmer protect his grains but reversed by thieves
and made an ever-present food indicator. NO
bodv knows who invented it and nobody cares
much.
One story which has found so much credence II
that told by New England farmer, VINO remeH
hers the times before the war. At that time M
knew a farm hand in Maine who was by natura
instinct a shirker of work. His employer learned
this after the man had been in his employ thre
hours Seeing that he was practically useless II
general farm work, he set him to watching priI
cornield hoping that-by this method ne nisnt ~
lie the mans services and save his corn lot I'll
crows were hungry and there were lots OF theh
For two DAYS this suited the son OF rest Inc, 10
he cculd lie down and doze, the mere slght
him soaring the crows for miles around.
The shirker. whose name cannot &c clVulse