The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1910-09-26
COAX Grows BACK
Farmers Drive Birds AWAY and
Grubs Destroy Corn.
Black Fellows Finally Induced to Re-
turn and Trouble Disappears
AgrcuIturIsts Now See Old
Time Green Fields.

South Haven, Mich.-There is ono
region where the crow, generally con-
sidered a pest, is not only a welcome
visitor but was actually coaxn6 and
begged to return there, after having
been driven away Dy years Of merci-
less persecution. That spot is the
southeast portion OF Van Buren, coun-
ty, Michigan. Years ago there had
never been many crows in this vicin-
ity, but one season about that time
they began to arrive in countless num-
bers They occupied every piece Of
woods for miles around and 1t was
estimated that the, colony contained
not fewer than 100000 Of what the
farmers supposed we're winged marau-
ders.
i is rich land out there, and sixty
bushels of corn to the acre Was not
too much to expect az an average
yield Naturally. everybody believed
that this great army Of crows had
heard OF shat garden spot, and had
marched upon It to deyastate the new
ly planted fields, and leave ruin and
famine in their wake. SO men, women
and children organized in a systematic
campaign against the black destroyers.
They were hunted In their roosts, they
were trapped, they were poisoned, and
they were even pursued BY fire.
The farmers soon noticed another
new visitor that seasonal grub that
not only at-a~ked the roots OF the
young corn, io.H elso played havoc
with the grass. They bemoaned these
disastrous visitations greatly. for II
never occurred to them that tho crow
was among them for any other pur-
pose than evil So the warfare on
the crow was carried on with merci-
less vigor and the next season there
was a decided decrease in the size OF
the crow colony. It grew smaller and
smaller year by year, until only few
Wild and struggling hocks put in an
appearance.
During all this time the yield OF
corn an acre had gradually decreased
and the crow was credited with being
the principal cause Of the loss The
grub was still at work, but the farm
ers had no idea tbaS they we're not
able to handle It. But the first sen
son the crowds failed to appear the
yield Of corn was smaller than II had
ever been, and the season was one Of
the most favorable for corn in the his
tory Of the county. Some Of the farm
ers went to thinking. The grub IN
creased In numbers The corn crop
kept on growing less and less. until
ten bushels to the acre was as big a
yield as that rich bottom would re-
turn, and the crows had not been per
mitted to get another foothold in the
region. either
Then the thinking farmers made up
their minds that the reason the crows
had put In such large and sudden
appearance a few years before was
that they had simply followed the
wake OF the grubs and had come to
feed on that irrepressible pest, and
then the community felt like kicking
Itself clear out OF the stw.e They
went to work to try to get the crows
back again. They sent clear to the
Wabash country. where the biggest
crow roost on top Of the earth "a To-
Gated, and had thousands Of crows
captured and forwarded to Them
The next seaaon something like the
.oId-time colony took up 10 quarters IN
the woods and that fan the biggest
crop Of corn that had been known in
the region for Ave years was gathered.