The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-04-30
THE TREES AND BIRDS
GREAT VALUE OF TEE DENI-
ZENS OF THE WOODS.

zENs OF THE WOODS.
How Tree Life Depends Upon the
Protection Of the InsectEating
Birds.
Each woodpecker IN the United
States is worth twenty dollars i'm cash
when the value. is estimated on the
value Of the good that this bird does
to trees. Other birds are worth
sums proportionate: to the: good that
| they do. The nuthatch creaper and
chickadee are worth from I've to ten
dollars, varying withEthe locality and
the condition of trees and crops.
The downy woodpecker: is also the re-
lentless enemy of the icoding moth,
an insect that damages our apple
crops to an extent of twelve million
| dollars.
In the war between the insects and
the trees, millions Of dollars are be-
ing spent each year by tree owners
who know that insects have increased
so rapidly Of late years that their
trees must be protected. The locus
and maple trees are preyed upon by
the bag insects; elms are sprayed in
order to kill the elm beetles, while
borers are slaughtering the hickories.
Now let US connect up the condi-
tions with the facts. This invasion
of insects is due entirely to the
slaughter of birds which subsist upon
tree and crop destroying insects.
Take the case Of the coding moth
and curculio. These are among the
most deadly Of the destructive insects
and are difficult of fight by ordinary
means Of spraying and specially de-
signed apparatus. tight and one
quarter million dollars per year, it
is estimated, is spent to fight these
pests. Yet were the birds only left
alone they would perform THIS work.
When a downy woodpecker Is left
free to act, it digs into .he hiding
places of the hidden larvae Of the cod
ling moth ani extracts worms from
young apples so skillful that the fruit
Is not damaged. This bird has been
observed closely over wide areas; re.
cords from New York, New jersey,
Texas and California show that it con
fines it's efforts to a wide range and
twenty larvae OF the codiing moth
have been taken from single s.on-
ach. Woodpeckers search for cod
ling moth larvae so, carefully that
the few that escape owe their safety
to accident rather than to negligence
Of the birds.
The red-shafted flicker has been
observed in California by hundreds
examining trunks and limbs CT fruit
trees and also frequenting sheds
where fruit is stored. The damage
they shut out by their industry is
incalcuable.
There is an array of birds which
destroy the larvae of the codling
moth to considerable extent. The
woodpeckers, fickers, fycatchers,
jays, blackbirds, orioles, sparrows
warblers, bunting, creepers, chicka-
dees, robins and bluebirds of various
species are constantly reducing the
inroads of the codling moth. In
some places they destroy from sixty
eight to eighty-fve per cent OF the
alternating larvae.
Now, is there any reason why the
farmers of the country should allow
the Italians of the north and the ne
groes of the south to destroy these
birds? Were but one farmer out OF a
thousand to write his members OF
congress to vote for the federal mi
gratory bird bill, this grtat waste
would be stopped and eight and one
quarter millions be saved the fruit
growers alone, to say nothing OF the
millions upon millions of dollars
saved on other crops.
The only way in which all these
valuable migratory birds can be say
ed to US, is through the strong arm
of the national government, and a
federal law for the protection OF all
migratory birds! Protection OF
game birds alone will not answer,
too many other birds are being kill
ed for food, especially in the south.
Senator McLean's bill is the best
one Of the three now before congress.
Call upon in person or write to your
senator and representative and ask
him to vote and work for that Dill
until it becomes law.
The present session Of congress IS
a short session, ending March 4. The
people of the nation should call upon
all their senators and representatives
TO take up the Mclean bill as an
emergency measure, and push II
through before March 4. If enough
constituents demand this, it will be
done.
Now is the time to do something
practical, and get tangible result.
Get busy with your congressman. A
great effort will be required but
surely those who believe in the pro-
lection of growing crops and In the
reduction of the high cost Of living
are equal to the emergency.