The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1911-09-14
FARMERS NEED
TURTLE DOVES

Backed bv almost every agriculture
organization in the country, special ef
forts 10 check the slaughter Of turtle
doves, that destroy thousands Of weed
seeds at one meal, have been begun al
the headquarters Of the National Asso
citation Audubon Societies in New York.
Before these beautiful birds fly south,
after summer Of wholesale extermi.
nation OF weeds that menace, every
crop un The continent, IL Is planned t.
try 10 avert the mnrdrruus fusilade
that always butchers millions oi them
across the southern and southwestern
states. AS most impaIlant step In
this direction the Audubon workers
have just succeeded in having q state
game commission, supporting strong
force Of wardens, established in Geor.
gia.
That each member of this popular
species Of wild dove can destroy more
weeds in 3 day than the most vigorous
farmland equipped with a hoe is being
demonstrated to the farmers in every
section by recent investigations OF the
government biological survey. In the
stomachs of three turtle doves alone,
28, 1901 seeds of hawkweed, fortail, wood
s0rrel, paspalnm and other damaging
growths have been discovered, riucked
from the fields as one dinner by the
persistent feathered weeders. Every
day in the year these doves are shown
to take "a per cent. OF their food in
weed seeds from farm land, and with
each stroke Of their nimble bills the
ripening germ Of rank weed is forever
killed.
A considerable amount Of the hall
billion dollars that the farmers of Am
erica pay each year for labor might be
saved by the natural increase Of the
dove weed killers, which is heavily
1iisat by their widespread sho ,iing,
according to reports that are being re
crived at Audubon headquarters. Over
The peanut and wheat fields Of the
south AS many as 1000 turll doves are
known 10 have been butchered at q
single shooting, where the birds were
hired oftentimes by illegal batting. LII
Texas, Kansas and oklahoma 4 fight
is already being made by The farmers
10 have seed callers ISrutecred, wfIits
the people of California have just de-
feated an attempt TO abolish close
season on shooting them.
ave believe we can count upon the
support Of every one Interested In the
crops, the whole country over, in our
efforts TO save the economically inval-
liable turtle doves from destruction,
said 4. q. Pearson, Of the National As.
sociaiion of Audubon Societies at its
"When the people OF
the south and south west come to realize
the damage that this bird butcLery
does TO the country's crops, feel sure
they will join with every agricultural
intrest to help US preserve bird that
IL as beautiful and generally beloved
by all Americans, as IL is financially
helpful to every farmer"
What Is claimed as to the doves can
be said with equal truth as TO the quail
the lark, and the robin, and tits strang
indeed that the farmer and land owners
generally will permit this ruthless
slaughter Of their featheied friends. II
is hoped that each and every farmer
willsat once post his land and strictly
forbid all tresspassing and hunting |
this fall. Arrest and prosecute q few
and when 1t becomes settled fact that
you do not permit hunting on your
premises you will have no trouble with |
hunters and the birds recognizing there |,
il safety on your farm, will flock 10
your premises, ans. keep you combat
with weeds, cut worms and all the in
furious insects which now cost you
Of dollars per year in the ,les
truetion they cause.