New Ulm review., 1913-04-09
Washington Letter

| Washington. d. c., Apr. s, 1913.
! The department of agriculture has
recently issued in pamphlet form a
bulletin, Number 513, entitled Fifty
] Common Birds of Farm and or.
lchard," which promises to be in as
great demand as the government
cook book or the well-known year
book. Farmers, teachers in rural
schools and even city folks have been
writing for this bird publication, in
which the departments scientists
make public the most recent results
OF an extensive investigation cover
ing the food and habits of many OF
our well-known birds. The publica-
ition is handsomely Illustrated with
colofed plates. Its thirty-one pages
OF reading matter contain a descrip-
ton of each bird. enumerates its
article Of diet, and from this data
bases conclusions as to it's value or
lharmfulness to agriculture. AS the
result of Investigations over a period
of twenty-five years, covering an ex-
animation of the food contents OF
upward of $4,000 birds it has been
found that most of our winged
friends are friends indeed and de.
serve protection.
Experts in the department of agri-
culture who specialize in insects and
their relation to agriculture tell US
that there could be no plant life,
that farming would be fiat failure
without the birds. 1t has been esti.
mated that insects destroy annually
crops and agricultural products to
the value of $7O0,OOO,OOO, which rep
resents approximately what the
American farmer gets for his wheat
|crops. Were it not for the birds
the loss would undoubtedly be much
greater. A knowledge of the birds
that protect the farmers crop is,
therefore, as important as the knowl-
edge of the insect pests that de-
stroy them. Thus while it has been
found that most of our birds are
useful, there are only a few OF them
that are always and everywhere use
full and never do any harm. lnsec-
tivorous birds, for example, destroy
along with q vast number of harm
full insects, some varieties that are
useful in keeping the destructive
pests in check But taking the year
round, the good the birds do by the
destruction of insects injurious to
mans interests far outweighs the lit
tie harm they do.
America is fortunate in that it is
the abode of great variety of birds,
but few destructive species. The list
includes some of the gems, of the
bird world, such as the warblers and
the humming birds. and the birds of
plumage. The sparrow, family which
is a large group including the song
sparrow, tree sparrow, field sparrow,
sparrow, white-throated
sparrow, chipping sparrow, fox spar
row, white.crowned sparrow and 9th
ers. is one of the most useful. Al. |
though modest bird. spending much
Of his time in the grass and weeds, |
the farmer is under heavy debt of |
gratitude to this brOwn-feathered |
creature. The fare of the sparrow
is mostly seeds of weeds. Selecting
the tree sparrow, for example, it is
found that One-fOurth ounce of weed
seed per day is conservative es-
innate OF the food of an adult bird.
On this basis, in a large agricultural
state like Minnesota. tree sparvows
eat approximately S75 tons
)f weed seeds. Some idea of the
money value of this group of birds
nay be gathered from the statement
that the total value of the farm prod.
lets In the United States in 1910
reached the amazing sum of $685.
100000. Estimating that the total
Of weed seed by the