The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1914-05-13
The Winged Friends Of the Farmer.

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The Winged Friends of the Farmer.
There is an innumerable army sOf
winged friends Of the farmer moving
northward with the seasons, or at the
rate of about fifteen miles q day.HjWe
call them friends" because tits their.
mission in life, the whole end of their
er's foe, the insect pests that are ly-
ing. in wait for his corn in the corn
fields, for his wheat in the wheat
fields, Afors, his oats In the cat fields;
that are waiting in the grass roots in
every pasture and meadow, ready, at
the touch of spring to begin to attack
the grass. There are thousands on
thousands of varieties OF these insect
pests. Those that prey onathe corn
begin at the root, then attack the
stalk, then the grain and even follow
it into the crib: So with the wheat
and oats and everything the farmer
grows. $780,
4. Nature has provided the farmer If
he has but the sense to seeit' with an,
army OF friends that will keep these
insect pests in check. ! 1t is because
he did not know hisnfriends and ruth
lessly murdered them or allowed: his
boys or the pot hunter to murder them
that. insect pests have become the
plague and ,bane,of his life, of his grain
and his grass and his orchard and his
live stock. ,s'-,,.a + ~, y
What are the names of these friends
OF the farmer? We will give few, of
them: Bobolinks, catbirds, chicka-
dees, cuckoos, fiickers, fiy-catchers.
grosbeaks, humming-birds, night-hawk
Or bull-bats, kinglets, martiss. mea-
dow larks. nut-hatchers, orioles; rob
bins, shrikes, swallows swifts, tana-
gers, titmice, thrushes, .vireOs, warb-
,lers, wax-wings whippoorwills, wood
peckers, wrens, and. all other; perching
birds which feed largely or entirely on
insects: !. il. -, a-a t;'SsS u. Pa,
This is the army that il coming, and
will fill our woods with song, will nest
In our trees and in our meadows and
win charm and delight. us. il we. will
just let them alone, recognize them as
friends, protect them from others. take
the small boy out behind. the barn and
administer fit punishment if he at
tempts to even use a sling shot on any
OF them. Heretofore We have muir
dered them or allowed others to do so.
It is high time now that we recognize
them as our friends and allow them
to help US. Fir 49, ,Sa
Fortunately, the government has
taken the matter In hand and absolute.
ly protects all these insectivOrous
birds not only one day in the year, but
every day. 1t shields them as they
come north with the insect broods
they live on, and stay here as long as
there are insects, and leave us only
when there is no longer any food for
them, moving southwark with the in
sects, and living through the winter
where there are insects all the year
around.
What will happen to- the man who
interferes with these birds?. We don't
know what will happen. but we know
what may happen, If he is caught. He
will pay fine of a hundred dollars
Or spend ninety days in2tprison, or
both. He may not be caught, but it
is we'll to remember that 1t is not q
careless state government that is at
ter him now, but the federal govern
ment. +@.t.tt - * ~:
The thing to do is to realize that
these are our friends, and that 4 In
slahghtering one OF these birds you
are violating the law. and are liable to
be caught and punished. Let US be
wise enough, to recognize the wisdom
OF this law. Let the birds alone; They
will not disturb you. The robins may
eat some OF your cherries, but Sins do.
ing so they will not do, as much harm
as they do you good in getting after
the insects that have made life q -bur
den on the farm for the last twenty
years ~, IA -i'ri -tg
While we are speaking OF. this law,
let US call attention to the fact that
it is not lawful now to shobt any mi
gratory water fowl between december
18th and September LIST. They must
have these months in which to rear
their young - n 4 $ jFittr..
> The law, of course, does not inter
fere with that pest of Our towns. that
will soon become the pest Of our farms
also, the English sparrow. For the
pEOLcCIlOll VI Jul SOH6 UHuSS VIC Aiuos
make war on English sparrows. ~ Let
the boy do his best to kill them. Tear
down their nests; poison them in the
winter: make war on them in the sum-
mer, It is true that they Dc" eat in
sects for a short period of the year.
but they eat grain as we'll. and will
soon become assgreat a burden on the
farms of the corn belt as they are on
the farms OF England. The automn-
biles, by decreasing the number OF
horses in the city. will decrease the;
supply OF sparrow food in the drop
pings. and tend to drive the sparrows
into the country, to prey on the farm
ers' grain. -
We are exceedingly glad that the
government has taken under its pro-
lection these friends of; the farmer,
which he has failed to recognize as his
friends. Let him learn the lesson
now. 1t will put money in his purse.
The farm without song birds Is a lone.
~ place. When they recognize that
We are their friends. they will make
the forest and the orchard. and the
meadow their home. and make farm
HE more joyous and gladstone with
their ngs.-Wallaces Farmer.
congressman may be pretty we'll
stirred; up over the tolls question, but
it Is not necessary for the orators to
49, ~ lo,,A a thov NON hc o0rA