French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1916-12-14
BIRDS AND GAME
AS A STATE ASSET.
Some Suggestions for Their COnser-
walton by the Audubon Society
of North Carolina.

This is an age of conserVatlon-ot
holding fast to and developing what
we have. We have come to believe
that prevention is better than cure. and
! that it is better to protect, conserve
and develop what we have than to al
low ii to go to waste or be destroyed
and then have to spend years strug-
Cling to replace (which is imposs1-
BILE with many natural resources. That
is the principle of conservation. That
it applies to every phase OF life.
In no phase of our life today will
this principle of conservation apply
more aptly than in our wild bird life.
Investigations have shown that our
wild bird life Is one of our great ma
tural resources in the same sense that
our forests. water powers, and mineral
supplies are natural resources. and as
such it is a State asset. Being such
an asset, it is subject to the same linn
itat1ons, the same abuses, and the same
possibilities as these. There is the
possibility of carelessnesS, through
lack of understanding, that will lead
and is leading-to destruction. There
is also the possibility of intelligent.
far-seeing conservation and develop
ment, which can be accomplished only
through education and wise legisla-
ton.
The Value of Bird Life to Agriculture.
The economic Importance of bird life
is no longer matter of speculation.
The Bureau of Biological Survey of the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture has carried on a series of careful
inves legations to determine the actual
value of bird life to agriculture. These
investigation covered several years
and I quote an excerpt from Bulletin
513 bearing upon this subject: THE
material prosperity of State and Ma
ton depends largely on agriculture and
and agent that tends to increase the
size of crops and insure their certain
ty is of direct interest and Importance
to the farmer. Birds constitute one
of the most valuable of these agents.
since they depend largely for their
food on insects which are among the
farmers most dreaded foes. Entomol-
Ogists have estimated that insects
yearly cause loss of upwards OF
500, 100000 to the agricultural inter-
ests of the United States. Were it not
for our birds the loss would be very
much greater, and indeed it is believ-
| ed that without the aid of our feather
ed friends successful agriculture would
! be impossible At the present
time many kinds of useful birds need
direct Intervention in their behalf as
never before. The encroachments OF
civilization on timbered tracts and the
methods Of modern intensive cultiva.
ton by destroying or restricting breed
ing grounds of birds tend to diminish
their ranks. The number of insects
pests, on the other hand, is all thu
time increasing by leaps and bounds
through tmportatiOns from abroad an(
by migration from adjoining terrific
ries. Every effort, therefore, SHOULD
be made to augment the numbers O
our useful birds by protecting them.
These are the facts based on investiga
cations made by careful scientists.
The Value of Game Birds,
The strictly insectivorous birds
however, are not the only ones O
value. for the game bird is uppermos
in the minds of the sportsmen. An,
nearly all men are sportsmen to som,
extent. The game of the State there
fore. becomes an important asset. Al
thougnttul men of the present day ar
= beginning to realize how limited is on
natural game supply, how man,
species of game have been almost ex
terminated, and how modest the de
mands and how unlimited the POSSIBLE
tiles OF true craftsmanship are, the,
are turning their attention more an,
more to preserving the present suppl
| for the future. And this can be don
through legislation only, a sour pres
: ent laws are cumbersome and made
t quate.
CoHditiORS as They Are and as The
Should Be.
' On account of its location and eli
matte conditions, North Carolina i
one Of the best natural game terrific