Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-07-02

Don't Kill the Bees and Birds.
The functions of bees and birds are moi
confined to gathering honey, singing in
the tree tops, or reproducing their kind.
Many are the economic services both
render, chief perhaps being assistance In
carrying pollen from flower to flower,
and so increasing crop production.
Surely it is important from an economic
as we'll as aesthetic point of view, that we
conserve the life Of all friends of the
farmer.
Over against this we read in nearly all
farm papers, except the Farmer, the
bulletin sent out by the department at
Washington, urging the Paris green
mash for the destruction of the cut worm.
1t is true that arsenic kills, but II is not
yet proven that it, and 1t alone, 10 the
only agent which can protect from insect
pests.
1t is the province of the scientist to
experiment, and surely there can be no
excuse for confining experiments along
this line to an agent sure to carry de-
struction beyond the killing of the pest,
be il cut worm, potato bug, or what-n0t.
IL is just as necessary that We protect
our friends as that we destroy our enc
mics, yet in the bulletin mentioned there
is no word of caution in the use Of this
mash.
Arsenic kills, therefore use arsenic,
seems to be the line OF reasoning, re-
gardless of any direct or possible after
effects. Even il the quantity distributed
over any given area is infinitestimal, it Is
I'D
year by year must increase. II 1t be
demonstrated that it is the only agent to
be relied on, then the public should be
made fully aware of the possible, IL re-
mote, danger, that it can determine
whether to save the birds, bees, chickens,
OF the cut worms. IL seems to me that
here is field where careful, painstaking
Investigations should be made to find, ii
possible, a combination, or agent, which
will destroy pests, while not destructive
To the allies of the fsrmer-the bees and
birds. want the bees in my plum,
cherry and apple trees, and all shrubs,
believing that they will fertilize bios
SONS otherwise lost. | want the birds
in greatest possible numbers, not alone
for their sweet songs aud companionship,
but for the service they render in destroy
ing bugs of all kinds. A Paris green mash
will kill the cut worms, but also the bees
and birds, which will be attracted by the
molssses. There is no question but ar
senical sprays also destroy these friends
as well as potato bugs and codling moths.
Is il necessary that we use arsenic? For
the past eight years in what work have
attempted have never used an ounce OF
any of the arseGical preparations, yet my
potatoes have been entirely free from
bugs, the apples show as good q percent
free from codling moths as any, and the
cut worms are destroyed, while year
by year there is an increase OF song birds
about the place, and the bees do their
work without injury. At the same time,
do not believe the agent which | use Is
the only one to be found which is safe
vet effective. / have no interest, di-
rectly or Indirectly, in Bug Death, but
have tested il in every way possible, and
am convinced that il will kill the pests
but not birds and bees. A bran mash
moistened with molsses into which Bug
Death has been stirred will If placed
around the cucumber, melon or squash
hills, or the cabbages, rid the piece OF the
cut worm, which last year worked such
havoc. Applied to field of potatoes, as
soon as the slugs hatch, it will clean out
every one. Its protective power on fruit
trees am forced to admit, though as yet
there is no adequate means for applying
| TO large orchards. am not writing this
in the interest of this agent or its manu-
facturers, but to emphasize the lesson
that there is field for experimentation
open to the scientists where a great ser.
vice may be done the grower. One OF
the greatest obstacles in the path OF fruit
improvement is the fear of the use OF any
of the arssnical preparations. Right or
wrong, so long as this exists there is
call for the experimenter to search TAR
and wide for some agent by the use Of
whichour crops may be protected and our
allies-the bees, birds and chickens-not
destroyed. They are too valuable an as
set to be lost.-Dr. G. II. Twitchell, in
Maine Farmer.