The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-02-23
BIRDS AS FARMERS FRIENDS.
They Destroy Harmful Insects and Weed
Seeds.

How birds which destroy harmful in
sects and weed seeds may be useful to
the farmer is described in new farmers
bulletin (No, $500 of the department en-
titled, Some Common Birds Useful to
the Farmer" The new publication has
~ pages and % Illustrations mot col
oredl of the birds described. 1t con
taiDs much Of the information included
in one of the departments former pubIl-
cations entitled, Fifty Common Birds
of Farm and Orchard" The depart
ment's supply of this latter pamphlet
has been exhausted and it can now only
be obtained from he superintendent Of
documents, Washington, d. c.. where it
is sold at Is cents copy. II contains
numerous colored illustrations of the
birds mentioned The new bulletin,
Some Common Birds Useful to the
Farmer" will be furnished free to an
applicants by the department.
Whether bird is beneficial or iniuri-
Gus depends almost entirely on what it
eats, says the introduction to the new
bulletin. In the case OF species which
are very abundant, or which feed to
some extent on the crops of the farmer,
the question of Iheir average diet be-
comes one of supreme Importance, and
only by stomach examination can it be
satisfactorily solved Field observations
are at best but fragmentary and incon-
elusive and lead to no final results. Birds
are often accused of eating this or that
product of cultivation, when an examina-
tion of the stomach shows the accusa-
tion to be unfounded. Accordingly, the
biological survey has conducted for some
years past a systematic investigation of
the food of those species which are most
common about the farm and garden.
Within certain limits birds eat the
kind Of food that is most accessible, es,
pecially when their natural food is scarce
or wanting. Tins they sometimes in
iure the crops of the farmer who has
DESTROYED their natural
food in his Improvement of swamp or
pasture Most of the damage done by
birds and complained of by farmers and
fruit growers arises from this very
cause The berry bearing shrubs and
seed bearing weeds have been cleared
away, and the birds have no recourse but
to attack the cultivated grain or fruit
which have replaced their natural food
supply. The great ma iority of land birds
,ubsist upon insects during the period
II nesting and moulting, and also feed
heir young upon them during the first
ew weeks. Many species live almost
upon insects, taking vegetable
God only when other subsistence fails.
[ is thus evident that in the course uf
wear birds destroy an incalculable NUM-
yer Of insects, and Il is difficult to over
stimate the value OF their services in
the great tide of insect life.
In winter. in the northern part of the
ountry. insects become scarce or entire
V disappear Many species OF birds,
owever, remain during the cold season
nd are able 10 maintain life by eating
egetable food. as the seeds of weeds.
Tere again Is another useful function of
irds in destroying these weed seeds and
hereby lessening the growth Of the next
ear.
The new publication discusses the food
sbts Of more than 80 birds belonging
D - families Many are eastern forms
hitch are represented in the West by
lightly different species or subspecies,
nj unless the food habits differ they
re- not separately described. Among the
opular birds included are the robin,
uebird, wren. brown thrasher, estbird,
obolink. oriole. crow. cuckoo and the
merican sparrow.