South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-09-08
DEVICE To CLIP
HAWK s CLAWS
New York Farmer Rigs up
Scythe as Perch and Talons
Are Cut Off.

NEW YORK, Sept s.-Benjamin
Groner, a farmer in the Birdseye Hol-
low neighborhood. just over the New
Jersey line from Goshen, n. Y, in
studying the habits Of hawks noted
that those prowling and shopping
birds always perched on the branch
OF some tree or on a high fence or
other good point for observation near
poultry yard, and from there took
comprehensive view of the sur
roundings and their possibilities be-
fore swooping down on the contents
OF the yard. That set farmer Groner
TO thinking, and he thought to such
purpose that il resulted in his devils
ing a contrivance which he believed
with be the ruination of every hawk
that came nosing about his premises.
He had a scythe blade made of the
best steel he could procure. He ground
and whetted the edge of the blade
until it was as keen as keen could
be. Then he fastened the butt end
Of the blade with bolts tight to high
pole near the top, edge up. and at
an agile of 45 degrees. The pole he
then set in the ground a few rods
from his poultry yard, at the edge of
wood lot.
Farmer Awaits Results.
For several days a big hen hawk
had been sailing around near the
pemises, and from a perch on the
dead limb of tree not far from the
spot where Farmer Groner subse-
quently set his scythe blade trap had
swooped down and confiscated one of
his latest chickens. The farmer hav-
ing set his trap, chopped that dead
limb away and awaited the result of
the experiment he was making.
In the afternoon of the day he set
the trap the hawk came sailing along
over the tops of the trees. Farmer
Groner was in his barn and saw it
and watched its maneuvers.
The big bird sailed down to the
tree where that dead limb had been.
Not finding ii there, the hawk circled
about few times and then dropped
down on the outstretched scythe
blade, which appeared as a conven-
lent point Of observation.
Sliced on Its Claws.
The instant the hawk lit it began
to slide down the smooth slant of
the blade, and the razor-like edge
sliced its claws off as quickly and as
neatly as a meat cutter slices smoked
beef The bird fluttered to the
at its command It flew away. And
1t has never come back to Farmer
Groner's place again.
Going out to the trap pole and find
ing the talons of the crippled hawk,
Farmer GrOner knew that his pom
dering over the ways of hawks had
resulted in successful demonstration
of the conclusion he had come to, and
next morning he discovered that he
had builded even wiser than he knew,
for he found a couple Of sets OF owl
toes on the ground beneath the
scythe blade. He had not calculated
on owls. but holding the old-fashiOned
belief that those nocturnal providers
were habitual robbers of hen roosts,
he gloatingly accepted the evidence
of the efficacy OF his trap as an owl
discourager.
Ever since that installing of the
scythe trap for business on the
Groner farm it has been kept on
duty, and the frequent finding or hawk
and owl claws scattered beneath it
and the noticeable increase in his
poultry fiocks are incontrovertible
proof to Farmer Groner that it is do
ing the work il was planned to do.
An owl or hawk that lights on that
terrible perch is forever untitled for
stealing chickens, for both birds cap
ture their prey with their claws.