Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-08-16

( drought caused the pessimists to predict
starvation and bankruptcy.
/ I wonder if any other state has suffered
with insects as this one has? The melon
crop, squashes cucumbers and now the
beans are a prey to the devourers. Not
the same sort for borers were in the mel
ons. worms in squashes and bugs on the
vines. The past winter was the coolest
/ for years, yet the earth, the soil, was
/ teeming with slugs and larvae of every
sort. They seemed only waiting the
plant arrival.
1 heard a man say that one flock
OF blackbirds saved him hundreds OF
dollars this year. The grasshoppers had
taken to his peas and the birds routed
them. He said that the last bird had
been killed on his land and that he meant
to entice them there after this.
1 was delighted to hear this, for the
wholesale slaughter of birds has been a
crying shame. Small boys with sling
shots, others with guns and the so-called
sportsman" who shoots all in sight
have decimated their ranks until the
farmers are seeing the difference.
A farmer told me last month that quail
would be at pre- MUM this winter The
continued rains have kept the eggs from
Matching and there are almost no young
birds. A nest was found yesterday with
II eggs in il. They may mature but the
young birds will not find the quantity
of food that they would have found IL
Matched in due season. The smart farmer
Will post his land and enforce his wishes
with a shotgun il il becomes necessary
10 protect his birds that way, says this
same farmer. He says that If a law
could be passed that not a quail shall
be killed this winter there will be some
prospect of moderate supply after
this.
wonder how many of The Journal
readers have put any pheasants on their
lands would like to hear Of their sue
cesses and failures. The failures re-
corded are as important to some read
ers as the successes. AS the little boy
once said the failures Of other people
teach us how to don't" There was a
pheasant farm several miles from At
lantas IL was getting on finely the last
L heard OF it, and I want to hear from
IL again. 1 should think that any one
that can raise guineas could raise pleas
ants. This summer I was strongly re-
minded Of the fact that the call Of the
wild" is still heard by the young ones
hen had twenty guinea eggs under her.
We went to see how she was getting on
and found a nest full OF shells but only
one small bird. The hen had been Sc
curely boxed in, or every one supposed
so, to keep the hounds from breaking
her up, but tiny hole was found and
through ii nine had gone at least a
hundred yards, as far as their strength
permitted, I suppose, and we had to
run them down. They no more noticed
the hens calling than they did our per
suasive voices. When the last egg
Matched they were put in a pen and the
game had to be played over. They
found most unaccountable places to slip
out, and not sign could be seen Of
them, so much were they like the oak
leaves. until they began to call. If II
had any surplus flesh / lost it chasing
guineas- 1t was sport, but sometimes /
would grasp a ragged root instead of the \
wild little creature / had seen there a
moment before. But 1 got TO be quite
an expert and this winter when I am
put to il to find a new game for the
girls may put wads OF paper over the
gymnasium floor and let the girls chase
guineas. Some of you might take this
IDEA and work out a splendid game
Ideas are worth something as a rule.
but / scatter this broadcast. I've
worked over il enough in the guinea
field and will welcome the game as en-
tirely your own.
Faithfully yours,
LIZZIE o. THOMAS.