Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1913-01-16
Quail Invaluable AS The Farmers
Friend,

Successful Farming" tells of the value
of the quail to the farmer. He says in
part:
Hardly farmer, gardener or horticul-
turist is without some very efficient free
help in his work of producing cereals,
vegetables and fruits. On every farm
are hundreds, if not thousands, OF little
servants industriously toiling to increase
the farmers profits. They never look at
the clock, though they work very regu-
larly, and they never strike for higher
wages. Most of them cost the farmer
nothing at all A few OF them ask for a
few berries during The season, and oc-
casionally few grains Of wheat, barley
or corn. Most, in fact, nearly all, the
grain they take IS from the ground, that
which would 90 to waste and result in
volunteer plants where not wanted.
Many farmers appreciate the service
they get from partridgeS, robins, wood
peckerS and some other birds, and do not
allow them destroyed, but portect them
for the sake OF the good they do.
One progressive farmer has a large
family of boys and they enter into the
spirit OF the thing. They often lind the
nests Of partridges las quail are often
called when they are moving hay, and
they always cut around the nest. leaving
grass standing to protect it, so the hen
will not desert her nest or enemies find
it. None of these boys would harm a
bird.
One day a neighbor, upon whom this
farmer, named Gus ChlIdS, was urging
bird protection, said there was one bird
that deserved to be killed because it ate
cherries and strawberries. That was the
cat bird.
'Well, now" replied Mr.. Childs, 81
don't begrudge the cat bird the few ber-
ries il wants for few days in the season,
when that is all it asks for working for
me the whole year. What do you think
would become of your garden if il wasn't
for cat bros and robins eating the cut
worms and other worms and insects that
would eat up everything you tried to
raise? A man told me the other day
that he had killed IS robins this summer
because they ate his cherries. told him
was glad that had raised at least twice
as many 10 take their places. Aman who
would kill robin is just fool"
Anyone who will examine the stomach
OF quail will have no trouble in satisfy
ing himself about what the little fellow
has been doing, for it will prove that his
time has been spent in gathering thouS-
ands of weed seeds. From fall TO spring
the little crop will be found almost burst
ing with these tiny seeds, for he is avery
industrious harvester, and believes in
feeding himself literally. More than
half his food consists OF weed seeds
Ragweed, sheep Sorrel, pigeon grass,
pig weed, smart weed, dock, climbing
false buckwheat, many kinds OF grasses
and innumerable other seeds OF plants
that are obstacles to agriculture.
1t has been estimated that in Virginia
there are four quail to each square mile.
That may be a bit too high for Iowa,
though perhaps not as whole. for in
many parts it is far too low. Allowing
each bird quarter of an ounce, or half
its stomach contents, twice day during
the weed seed season, from September !
to April 30, this would give about 764
tons of weed seed annually destroyed by
quail in Iowa. One quail alone is known
to have eaten in one day more than 5000
seeds OF pigeon grass, while the stomach
OF another was found TO contain more
than 10000 pig weed seeds.
Weed seeds, however, are not obtain
able during the summer, and, besides,
young quail require animal food as do all
nestlings. This is why so many birds
are so valuable to agriculture, that they
are driven to hunt so hard for worms and
insects for their young. The quail, or
Bob White, not only wants these insects
for his family, but for himself, and his
peculiar appetite makes him almost in
dispensabIe. He is the only bird that
will eat the potato beetle and the cucum-
Der or squash beetles.
Other birds that find a larger proportion
If their food among worms and insects
than the quail will not touch these and
other ground beetles, because OF the vile
odors and irritating secretions with which
these destructive insects protect them
selves. These objections do not count
with the Bob White. If he has a chance
he will follow a row OF potato plants in
tested with the striped or spotted potato
bugs and eat every one. He will also
destroy the numerous similar beetles that
interfere so seriously with raising sweet
potatoes. cucumbers and squashes, and
he also eats the tiny bean-leaf beetle.
Among other insects and worms which
the quail selects for his food and that Of
his young are the striped garden cater
pillar, various species ofcut worms, army
worms and their beetles. May beetles,
such wevils as the corn hill bug. the
clover leaf wevil and the Mexican citron
bolI-wevil, the corn louse ant, the red
legged grasshopper and the Rocky Noun
tain locust.
Bob White follows settlement. He is
distinctly the friend and companion OF
man, and where he is not prosecuted he
becomes comparatively tame. He pre-
fers TO live on or near the farm because
of his fayorite weed seeds, insects and
worms. When il is known that single