Putnam patriot., 1924-05-09
CROW IS THE FARMERS FRIEND

To The Editor of The Patriot.
 Dear Sir:-The crow, like the rest of us, is not SO black as he is painted. Far from being the farmers enemy he is his friend. in spite of undenlahle misehievousness. lt is true that he will take little chicks No good farmer would leave his chicks unprotected. 1t is true that he eats the eggs and the young of the smaller birds. Any one who has en eye to see will find pleasure in watching the skill and vigor with which the tiniest birds punish him. To see a huge shape soaring above the tree-tops with two or three midgets in pursuit, snatehing out pin feathers, pecking at the bri- gand and making things unpleasant for him should be a lesson to the propaganda made naturalist. l have seen three chickadees, "all hot sand and ginger" take quick council to- gether just because a crow was cav ing nearby, and charge him. The small birds are not afraid of the crow, though they cannot defend their nests, when he takes them unawares.
 It is true that the erow-in as large flocks as he thinks safe pulls up the sprouting corn and grain. He likes q good salad as well as you do. If the farmer or gardener will devote quart of corn in friendly fashion, scattered fifty or hundred feet away from his planting, the crow will appreciate the courtesy, and leave the crop alone-at least long enough for it to get beyond the ir- resistible succulent stage.
 But it is not to be expected that humane feeling or love of nature will spare the crow. The biological survey of the United States is at hand with facts to controvert all charges against him. These facts are open to all Your senators will advise you how {, secure the reports, or will send them to you. A sample of these finding must suffice here.
 Wild birds and eggs make up about one third of one per cent of the crows yearly diet. while grasshoppers furnish as high as 42 per cent. II has been computed that a family of six crows will consume in the nesting period of three weeks 3s, 1000 of these insects. Now grasshoppers do S50,- 000. .00O's worth of damage to crops annually. When you have killed all the crows, Mir. Farmer, who is to save you from the grasshopper-
 An interesting sidellght on the subject is that the DuPont Powder people 1t is who are offering the big 9est bounty for the crow. Is it the farmer who will profit by this or the Du Fonts?
 Mans obsession for exploding pow der welcomes any encouragement. Shoot a crow by all means, that hovers over your chicken yard, or one caught red handed in any form fl you must or if you live by the creed .'an eye for an eye, and a tooth for tooth, y but remember that when you plead for the death of crow to "saye the useful game birds" you are making the questionable demand. Don't let the crow kill it; l want to.
 Above all remember that this high sounding call for extermination comes largely from powder manufacturers, and completely from a half knowledge of the facts. Remember. too. that as soon as the last crow is stuffed and set up in the Museum of Natural History. the grasshopper will deyonl the crops that the crow did but sam. pie. Moreover. tn that sad day. tho 1 farmer, and the naturalist alike will offer millions for the discovery oi pair of crowS.--and offer it in vain as in the case of the extinct passenger rw B.