Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-03-10
CONSERVE THE BIRDS.

Mrs. w. F. PARROT in the Water
loo Reporter: Thirty years ago
Iowa was vocal with bird song the
year around. Of course many kinds
visited us only in summer time when
they nestled here but when the snow
began to fly took their babies south
for the winter, often coming back
in the spring, seeking the old home
nest, to hatch and rear another
brood. Now, alas, from the first
part of November until April Iowa
is practically birdless, save for the
tiresome English sparrow.
What is the cause? Some put all
the blame on the pugnacious spar
row. While he is guilty enough, I
do not believe he is wholly to blame.
Bailey in his 1.-TWO Hundred Birds
of Iowa. says: Lying in the en-
brace of two mighty rivers, our
state forms part of the greatest
pathway for bird migration in all
the world. Within our borders lie
marshes, lakes, level plains, rolling
prairies, timbered bottom lands and
wooded bluffs, in fact topography
suited for the nesting of many
birds" Mr.. Bailey lists twenty-five
birds who are either residents of
the state all the year around or are
winter visitors. How many of this
number have you seen this lovely
winter? Very few. With a favor
lie locality and mild weather we
s, Guild have had many winter birds.
v hero. are they? When our streams
fl .eze and snow covers the ground,
wat is left for birds to eat or
drank? Instinct tells them to move
so>.th for food, while the sparrow
fights the brave ones who try to stay
thu )ugh the winter.
every farmer in the state would
| hang a chunk or two Of suet or tai
| low in a tree near his home, it
vol tempt many birds to settle
neal him for the winter and they
wouA repay him many fold the next
SUNNI er by eating thousands Of harm
full i, sects and bushels of seeds of
noxioAs weeds on his farm. Make
the BIZ welcome and they will
prove ,;ood friends.
New and destructive insect life is
appearl e on our farms each year,
| because our birds are decreasing.
The qua at one time so plentiful
is now arely seen and the hunter
takes tn, few who try to stay with
us. The aw has now protected lit
tie Bob White from the gun, but
he needs more help during winter.
A writer in a Boston paper recent
ly said of the quail, "he is a boon
to the farmer" He has taken great
pains to study and compute the
value of the work of the quail. He
takes Virginia and North Carolina
as his field of observation. He says
there is believed to be four Bob
Whites" to every square mile, max
ing 354,S2O birds in each of these
states. According to the figures, the
quail of these two states disposed of
1,341 tons of noxious weeds, be-
sides giving their little bodies for
food for the farmer later. He says
every farmer should regard the
quail on his land as personal prop
erty like poultry and live stock and
care for them accordingly.
William butcher, president of the
National Audubon society, rates the
mourning dove as one OF our great
est weed destroyers. He says recent
investigations made by the biologi-
cal survey Of the United States de-
partment Of agriculture Of the food
of the dove proved this bird to be
of incalculable value to the farmer.
Another writer tells us It Is In the
direct interest Of the crop producers
that the natural balance provided by