The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-05-04
ssoo,ooo,ooo TO FEED BUGS
This is the Annual Damage to Amer
lean Farmers


This is the Annual Damage to Amer
lean Farmers
If all the 500 colleges and all the
college endowments in the United
States should be destroyed tomorrow,
the insect tax of one year not only
would replace them, but would leave
a balance sufficient to endow 81 new
universities in the sum of sl0,000O0O
each.
1t costs more by many millions
each year to feed our insects than to
educate our 2O,OOO,OOO children.
It is clear to those who know most
about the subject that unless radi-
cal and immediate measures are adop-
ted to restore a sure safe and nat
ural equilibrium between insectivor-
ous birds and their foods, the time
will soon come when the annual loss
caused by insects to the agriculture
in this country alone will be count
ed in billions instead of millions OF
| dollars. The estimated annual loss
to farmers through insects is now
about $SOO,0O00O0 year.
These are some of the striking
facts and figures with which the Sen
ate committee on forest reservations
and the protection Of game accom-
panies a bill reported today by Sen
ator George p Mclean of Connect
cut, to protect migratory game and
insectvorous birds in the United
States. To see a bill like this pass
has been the ambition Of true sports
men and economists for many years
The destruction of game and SONG
birds and their eggs by pot-hunters
and thoughtless boys has gone on al
most unchecked except by sporadic
state legislation, for so long that re
| gions that once abounded with the
feathered creatures are now destitute
No people ever were blessed with q
plentiful supply OF useful and beauti
full birds than the people of the Uni
ted States; and in no country have
the little creatures been slaughtered
more recklessly. Many persons are
now living who remember when al
the markets of the East were gluttet
with partridge, quail, prairie chicken
and wild water fGwl An official re
port of 1864 states that one dealer il
New York is known to have received
20 tons of prairie chickens in one
season, and that some of the larger
poultry dealers were estimated t
have sold from 10000 to 100000
game birds in six months.
Senator Mclean an Expert
When Mr. Mclean was appointe,
chairman OF this committee, It wal
not known generally that an author
ity on the subject of fish and game
was being selected TO supervise thu
important work the committee haC
marked out for It. As a new senate
he was given a relatively unimpor
tant committee and it was supposed
TO make little difference whether h
knew anything about game and for
ests or not. AS a matter of fact, Mr.
Mclean Is one of the most exper
of sportsmen and has long been
deep student of birds and animals. II
is a member of the exclusive Prin
cess Anne club Of Virginia, one o
the leading shooting clubs of tn
country, and his beautiful estate il
Smsbury, Ct. where he makes hi
home, consists of about 800 acres
pond on the estate is kept stocke
with game fish at considerable eX
pense and the senator offers his bir,
friends every encouragement to shar
his woods and fields with him.
Provisions Of the Bird Bill
The bill reported by the committe
is intended to combine the best fea
lures of all the indicative hills II