Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-08-25

chusetts, Edward Howe Forbush,
pleads for the good care and protection
of the birds which are destroying the
army worm and guarantees the accu-
racy of the following statement re-
garding the situation in Massachu
sets:
The army worm pest has come and
gonA. Fields of grass, corn and other
grain have been blighted and destroy
ed, and human ingenuity has been
tested in the effort to cope with the
infliction. Doubtless the number of
the worms and the injury caused by
them have been exaggerated, neverthe-
less great damage has been done in
some localities in spite of all that
could be done to check their ravages
\ great quantity of poisoned bran
was scattered about promiscuously, or
sown in the trenches surrounding the
fields. AS a result, numerous army
worms, many birds and some poultry
were destroyed
Entomogolsts of the United States
Department of Agriculture have rec
commended wholesale poisoning from
time to time for cutworms and army
worms. Others have followed them i'll
this recommendation and the news
papers have published this means of
defense far and wide. Nevertheless,
this wholesale poisoning is unnecessa-
~ in the case of either army worms
or eutworms as other methods may be
used quite as effectively. Most State
laws penalize the broadea sting of pois-
oned bats T. Gilbert Pearson, secre-
rf no
Audubon Societies, has already issued
warning against the Wholesale use
of poisoned bran and some of the
newspapers have opposed it editorially,
but without avail.
Nothing is more fully established
than the fact that many birds from
the domestic fowl down to the chip
ping sparrow feed on the army worm
While examining the recent invasion
of these insects, found the following
birds feeding quite constantly on them,
the robin, bluebird. catbird English
sparrow, chipping sparrow, field SPAR
row, song sparrow. king bird. red
winged blackbird, bronze gracisle and
cowoird. The brown thrasher,
red-eyed towhee, flicker and
several others were reported as
feeding on the worms. These birds
and the humble toad must have eaten
great quantities, and in cases where
birds were encouraged and where no
poison was used. the results were
plainly to be seen IN the reduction of
the army worm pest.
On my own farm at wareham and on
some neishboring places where about
70 nesting boxes for birds were mt
up last Spring. bluebirds were seen
FEEDING on the army worms early in
May. Other birds followed suit. No
INJURY from the army worms was not
iced during the season on my farm.
and very little on the others. but %
roos away the grass was eaten, and
quarter of a mile away the injury be-
came serious, continuing over a con-
siderable part of the town.
On a farm on the Island of Martha,s
vineyard where poison was used free
~ hardly a bird was to be seen and
the owner admitted that the birds had
oeeh poisoned, while on the State game
reservation, only few miles away
"nere no poison had been used and
where many nesting boxes and bird
muses. had been erected, birds were
pieh'iiui' ana the worms although very
numerous mad done little serious in
jury. me corn showed no noticeable
damage. This may have been due in
part TO the hundreds of heath hens On
the reservation and in part to the
NUMBER OF small birds as we'll as TO
the intelligent use of non poisonous
ine'hoos to check the pest. There was
aouiiuahe evidence to be seen on all
sides that the birds were f1ockine ~
the defense of the fields. The Warden
'housht that he had lost part of his
oat crop, but he made no other com
plant.
On the great State Farm at Middle
ooro where the pest had appeared in
Tremendous numbers, the Superinten-
gent fought 1t without the use of poi
sons because of the danger to birds
winch were regarded as among the
best friends of the farm.
1t cannot be expected that orr birds
IN thelr present numbers can entirely
check such an outbreak as that of the
army worm. but If we can avoid kill
ing them by poisons and If we can IN
crease their numbers they may be able
to prevent the first increase which
finally results In the overwhelming
hosts that have attacked our fields
this year.
- A r.