Imperial Valley press., 1921-10-17
bLACKb|R D
PEST IS BIG
MENACE TO
VALLEY
Another Urgent Letter Ask
ing FederalAid For Grain
Is Forwarded to
Congressman Phil Swing

For more than two years the Farm
Bureau has been trying to develop a
means Of fighting the myriads of
blackbirds which do thousands Of dol
lars of damage to grain growers all
over the valley. G. E West, Of
Brawley, chairman of the Farm Bur-
eau committee, has written a letter
to Congressman Phil D. Swing asking
him to see DR.. E. w. Nelson, Chief of
Bureau Of Biological Survey of the
United States Department of Agri-
culture and petition his aid in secur-
ing immediate relief for Imperial VAL
ley grain growers. Mr.. West strong
ly presents the case in the following
letter:
CDR. E. W. Nelson,
Chief of Bureau Of Biological Survey,
Washington, D. c.
"Dear Mr.. Nelson:
"We are in receipt of your letter
relating to sending man to Imperial
Valley to study the blackbird damage.
We wish to express our most sincere
appreciation for your spirit in this
matter, and assure you that we will
do all in our power to assist the rep
resentative of the bureau of Biological
Survey.
"We are not aware of the contents
of Mr.. Walkers report on this matter,
so are not sure just how much you
know regarding the situation. We
believe, however, from the tone of
your letter that you are not complete
ly acquainted with the situation.
while we appreciate your spirit in
planning to send a man here from Sep
tember to the end Of December to
study the blackbird damage. we be-
lieve that lot more is necessary.
"Blackbirds are in Imperial Valley
by the countless myriads during the
entire year. From January 1st to
April 1st they follow behind the grain
drill or broadcaster, picking up the
wheat or barley. They drop into ir-
rigated fields after the grain has been
sown and eat the grain and young
sprouts From March lst to Septem-
ber 1st they pick up the milo and other
sorghums, as it is dropped from the
drill. Seed of all field crops are sub
ject to similar depredations through
out the year. Grain fed to cattle.
hogs, poultry and other livestock is
eaten by blackbirds, some ranchers de-
claring the blackbirds even get more
grain than do the livestock. From
March 1st to July 18th. blackbirds
eat the grain out of the heads Of wheat
barley and oats. So that, you see,
blackbirds do great amount of dam
age, not mentioning the damage they
do to milo maize. feterita and other
sorghums. AS Mr.. Walker probably
informed you, the blackbirds do an
enormous amount of damage to milo
fields from June Isl to December
31st. AS quite an acreage is seeded
to milo in March this reaches the
stage when blackbirds eat the kernels
about the first of June. Where any
milo, after picking, is left in piles to
cure enormous losses are inflicted by
the blaclbirds.
eve feel confident, therefore, DR..
Nelson, that we are pretty we'll aware
of the damage done by blackbirds.
And we have good reason for knowing
when some of US have had entire fields
taken by these pests. when some Of
our neighbors have spent hundreds OF
dollars in ammunition, time and labor
in keeping the pests off the fields,
when others of our neighbors are not
able to rent their land for this pur-
pose, and others are afraid to put in
the crop.
eve are not aware, however, Of the
good. which we presume these birds
do. We presume that the Wholesale
determination would not be desirable.
We are certain, however, that unless
tremendous reduction is effected
and subsequent control is maintained,
that the industry will become extinct,