The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-08-13

Once you begin to feed the birds in winter. you should by all means keep it up while the snow lasts. The need of this will readily be seen.
 Next to food, with birds as with men, comes the housing problem. Many of our most useful birds nest naturally in holes of trees. They use them also for shelter from cold and storm. and sleep in them at night. winter and summer. In wild regions. In our gardens and orchards we do not permit decay and must provide. bird-houses.
 Bluebirds. tree; swallows, wrens, martins. crested hycatchers. wood-1 peckers of all species, nuthatches. chickadees, for instance, are all hole nesting birds and may be encouraged by putting up simple bird houses. These may vary in size to suit the species. An aIl-round box for blue birds, tree swallows and other birds Of that size should be or inch-s es. deep four or five in diameter have a sheltering rainproof, protecting roof, be ventilated and have an en- trance hole. near the top.f up under. the roof projection, 1-2 inches in di- ameterl Smaller birds may use a smaller house. Larger ones should have larger apartments, but the pro- portions may remain a.bou the same.
 
 houses making many types. Simple ones sell from 25 cents up. elaborate ones from S5 to $75. Many people make their own and find them suc- cessful. The low-priced ones can be bought almost as5cl7--aply as made and are thoroughly good. ShiM
 Success with ons4-houses depends much on how and where they are put up. They should usually be from 6 to 5 feet from the ground. in sun or partial shade. not in the deep woods or deep shade Face them away from prevailing cold storms. Clean them yearly. Orchard and shade trees near the house, poles near shrubbery, even the house corners are desirable sites. If on. leaning limbs. they should be on the under side, hole facing down. This gives the family entrance 8 pro- lection from rain, which the birds ap- preciate. The early spring is the best l time to put them out, but any time is a good time. Sooner or later the birds will find them.
 In hot weather, birds drink often and sometimes must fly long distances for water. They delight to bathe, too, and a sure way to attract them to | one's grounds and keep them there | is to put out a bird bath. This should l be shallow, not more than four inches l deep at most and sloping gradually l from the edges. If a fountain can play into this bath in a. fine spray so much the better. The birds love a. shower and will flock to it on hot. hdry days But, even if filled daily I from a pail it is wonderfully effect i've Like the feeding station, the bird bath should be placed where there I is least danger from cats-on a post or in the open where the birds can watch as they bathe.
 1 If you own land, post it and keep men with shotguns from trespassing. The shotgun is still. it always has been, the greatest enemy the birds have. Eliminate eats so far as pos sible There is no living creature ex- cept man so deadly to birds as the cat.
 To encourage nesting birds in gem 1 eral plant shrubbery. Rambler roses | on the porch almost invariably bring the chipping sparrow. In nassed flow er-ing shrubs, lilacs for instance.~ the catbird will quite often build. and a host of other birds that nest in shrub bery may come-song sparrows, vir- 1 eos, warblers and many other species. Plenty of shrubbery will bring the birds at all seasons for food and shel- ter even if they do not nest there. Shrubs which bear berries that per sist in winter are especially valuable.