Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1915-01-30
WHY 1T WILL PAY TO
PROTECT THE GARTER
SNAKE AND SPARROW

For nearly half century the farm
ers and gardeners of this country have
been battling with the potato bug,
known as the Colorado striped beetle.
Occasionally there comes year when
these potato bugs are rather scarce,
and optimists declare the sudden dis
appearance of the beetle. The follow
ing season the pest is as plentiful as
on any former occasion, and this
seems to prove that it will require
some natural method to exterminatc
these destructive beetles.
Down among the rugged hills OF
West Virginia few years ago truck
grower happened to discover two or
three garter snakes in his potato patch.
Being averse to snakes of any kind he
killed the reptiles with his hoe. But
lust before he reached the last snake
he saw it darting its head in among
the leaves of the potato plants, and
the recollection of this, and the sub
sequent discovery of other snakes in
the same potato patch, led the man
to believe the reptiles were eating the
potato bugs.
A careful study of the habits of gar
ter snakes was the result. Local pa
pers mentioned the matter, and other
gardeners took it up, and ever since
that time the truckers in West Vir
ginia and southern Ohio have been
ready to defend the garter snake, de
claring they should have protection.
Potato growers declare that the
snakes. which are perfectly harmless,
frequent the potato patch from the
time the potatoes first come up until
the vines are either dead or eaten up
by the potato bugs, and that they are
seen darting in and out among the
potato hills eating hundreds of the
bugs.
1t is claimed that popular protec-
ton of the garter snake would soon
insure such numbers OF them that in
a short time the potato bugs would
simply have to go. The snakes are
not injurious to crops in any manner,
and, besides, the millions OF beetles
they would destroy they would rid the
country OF the rapidly increasing field
mouse pest. They seek out the nests
OF the mice in warm weather, and eat
the very young mice.
In many sections the hawks and
owls that destroy mice in the fields
are fast disappearing, and unless some
method is devised to remove these
pests the land will soon be infested
beyond control The garter snake
seems to be the solution to the prob
lem, and since they do a double duty
toward the aiding of mankind, it would
seem to be the States duty to protect
them. Hundreds of farmers in the
South will have garter snakes in their
gardens during the coming summer.
The English sparrow is getting al
most as bad a reputation as the
snake. and with equally false reasons.
Many experts who are making con
slant study of the habits OF birds
throughout this country are slowly ad
hitting that the sparrow is gradually
adapting itself to conditions in Ameri-
ca, and that it is not as destructive
as has generally been supposed.
People are prejudiced against the
sparrow" declares one Ohio bird stu
dent These birds are actually worth
their weight in gold, as they destroy
enough weed seed in one month to pay
for all the damage they may do in
other directions in a whole year We
must study the despised little birds
and give them credit for the actual
good they are doing
During July, August September and
October, throughout the Eastern and
Central States, the sparrows are con
stantly gathering seeds from rag
weeds, lambsquarter, sorrel and
number of obnoxious grasses, such as