The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1913-05-06
BIRD NE|GHDORS
Encourage Your Feathered
Friends to Abide With
You

Edna n. Wooley In the New YORK
Globe:
If you have a garden, study the
birds.
If You haven't a garden, study the
birds.
Even in a city there are different
birds, though the English sparrow tries
to drive away everything ~feathered
that flee.
While some of our cities are Offering
bounties for dead flies, it would do
almost as much good to offer bounties
for dead sparrows, for this little pests
faults far outweigh any virtues it
may possess
Anybody who has tried to raise let
tuce la a city back yard would glad
ly join any crusade aiming at the
determination of the English sparrow.
By the way, an cld gardener once
told me a simple scheme to keep the
birds out of my garden patch.
"Lsy ordinary white cord along the
rows and among the youn plants. +"
he advised. "The birds think it's a
snare and will keep away"
| tried it and they did. This is
really a very valuable tip to the back
yard gardener, whose garden space is
so small that he can't afford to lose
anything that grows there.
Encourage every bird but the English
sparrow and the bluejsy to nest about
your home. You can do this by plac-
ing out bits of food and water, by
placing boxes, and Offering bits of
string for their nests.
Also, you can discourage Puss to
some extent from Investigating the
nests. A few feet from. the ground
fasten around trees and posts "a sheet
OF tin about two feet high Puss can't
climb over .his.
Especially during May and August,
when the young birds are unable to fly,
should the cats be kept away. Even a
petted, we'll fed cat will exert herself
to get a juicy morsel of young bird.
1t is estimated that each cat gets an
average of Fifty birds a season. That
almost exceeds Pussy's value as q
mouse catcher and household pet.
Teach the small boy the value of the
birds. Show him what a crime 1t is to
rob nests. Get him interested in pre-.
serving bird life, and first thing you
know he'll be building bird houses
and ~jealously guarding bird homes.
We have laws protecting the song
birds, but they are not enforced
strictly enough.
Every Sunday and holiday. wher-
ever there are Italians, whole fami-
lies bic out to the country to trap
and shoot the birds, which they take
home to eat.
One owner of a large estate in Ohio
wondered why be heard 80 few song
birds about his place last summer.
Investigation showed that his Italian
workmen laid snares for the birds when
they came to work in the morning. At
night, when they went home, they
visited the snares and filled their bags
with the poor little ~feathered things.
In Italy one never hears a birds
voice. fol- long since the population
destroyed all bird life.
Robins will stay about a city home.
So will bluebirds. And even if they
like the fruit Of your favorite cherry
tree they will do away with enough
harmful insects to pay for their keep.
If you are the lucky possessor of AN
apple tree, you should have a pair of
orioles in it.
BY all means be friendly with the
woodpecker. He's your best
tree defender.
The chipping sparrow has a pretty
song and should never bs confused with
the English sparrow, for it is most
useful rs a destroyer OF insects. They
do not nest with the English sparrow
and will become very friendly with a
encouragement. You may know
the English sparrow by its voice.
Get a bird book-one with colored
There are several of these books
put out at popular prices now. Gov
eminent bulletins will also be sent on
application.
And, let me tell you, there's no
plasanter "alarm clock to wake you
mornings than the songs of the birds
who are safe and content in your neigh
borhood.
Fol Sale. Seed fax. cleaned. Mrs.
Healey, Madison, route !, telephone
A15.