Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-05-11

IVY ASHINGTON, April 1O.-Few people would re-
wv gard the alligator friend of man after
casual glance him. but there is law in
Louisiana which authorizes the different parishes of
the state to enact such they deem best to
protect the alligator The for this law is the
fact that the alligator is regarded enemy of the
muskrat, and the muskrat is enemy of the rice
planter of his habit of burrowing in the banks
and bikes of the rice field flooding the at the
regarded natural enemies between whom there
exists little spontaneous cordality, ally themselves
against the muskrat.
This alligator protection is of angle
of a national agricultural problem-the wild
animal problem. taking possession OF the continent,
has disturbed destroyed the delicate balance
OF nature and it is now his task to work out and set
balance that shall be favorable the greatest
possible food production. Many animals that at
first to be the enemies of man are really his best
friends and when they trapped and killed
result a hasty short-sighted policy, a and
far more destructive species multiples all
bounds because the first species its natural enemies
have been destroyed.
1t is necessary every bird and animal species
in the United should carefully investigated
tried in a equity were determine
whether it is the whole injurious beneficial
agriculture, before the human inhabitants of the
country decide how that shall be This
trial is technically called determining it's economic
status and the court which tries each species to decide
whether it shall live die is the biological of
the department Of agriculture.
In the natural balance of animal life each species
of bird and insect and mammal its natural enemies
sufficiently kill il out completely but
strong enough to keep it in bounds. When man steps
in and extermnates species often let's loose upon
himself and his the unchecked multitudes OF
another that work ten times much harm. There
is certain southern where bounty has been
placed upon hawks owls, because of the damage
they supposed to do to poultry In consequence
the bounty the hawks and owls have been killed out
and q result of the killing, the orchard industry OF
the which might worth millions of dollars has
been practically ruined. The orchards ruined by
the field mice that girde and field mice have
increased enormously because the hawks owls
their natural enemies. have been killed by
This of delicate balance through nature
and it is part of the of the biological survey
study bird and animal exhaustively. weigh the
harm it does against the good and pronounce verdict
for against, which shall be reflected in local or
national protective legislation. This
already been carried very extensively. Even such
relatively unmportant creatures the humming
birds had stand investigation and of
their tiny stomachs examined to determine what
they fed In this IT is welcome to learn the
verdict Not guilty
When a species of animal is plainly destructive and
injurious man, the survey takes up the of
discriminating it, at least of bringing it within
limits. The biggest job of this kind 3
campaign predatory wild animals that being
twelve of the big stock-raising
These animals include species gray wolves
the coyotes. the mountain lions, the bob the
the annual damage they do stock Is estimated
of nature extent. and the interests of
farmers and cattlemen Identical The coyotes
the natural enemies of the jack rabbits for in
and where the has carried inten-