Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 October 1908 — Farm and Garden [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Farm and Garden

USEFUL SONG BIRDS. Easy to Show They Have an Actual Money Value._ In his war against Insects man’s most valuable ally is the bird. The greater number of birds live on insects. Even those which live on seeds when fully grown fire fed on insects while in the nest. As young birds grow fast it takes many a worm to satisfy their hearty appetites. A feature of the warfare of bird on bug is the system with which It' is carried on. Nothing is haphazard, but each species of bird has Its own field of work and in many instances certain insects to which it Is partial. In winter, when there seems to be no activity on the part of the insects, one might expect the birds to take a rest, but there is no cessation in the work of those which live on insects found on the bark of trees. Watch a flock of chickadees. They alight in a tree and examine each twig

for grubs or eggs, tbe little black eyes rarely missing a mouthful of food. Birds eveu swing head down from the branches that tbe underside may not escape inspection. Nuthatches and browncreepers explore the trunk aDd with tEeir long, sharp bills dig many an insect from* Its winter quarters. The woodpeckers have a work all their own. The small, downy woodpecker is a good representative of his family. His bill is strong and sharp. His tail feathers are stiffened to serve as a brace while he clings upright against tbe trunk. He cocks his head to one aide, and his quick ears hear a borer under the bark. A few blows with the bill and a bole is dug; then a long tongue barbed at the tip is sbot out, and the borer is speared and snatched from its resting place. As insects increase with tbe coming of warmer weather, birds return from the south to fight them. One watches the cheerful robin bopping over the lawn. He listens an instant, then pokes his bill deep into the ground. Up comes bis head, and be has captured a worm. The flicker, though a woodpecker, is an imitator of the robin. He Is fond of ants, and his big bill makes a good pick to dig them from their hills. Meadow larks and quails live entirely on insects found close to the ground. Were these birds strictly protected in the southwest instead of being hunted the boll weevil might not have things quite so much his own way In the cotton fields. The trees when in foliage are fnll of birds. Small warblers and viroes take care of eggs and little worms, while thrushes, orioles and catbirds attend to those of larger size. The y rose breasted grosbeak earns tbe right to favor

by the way he eats potato bugs; Some binds cannot eat hairy caterpillars, but they are a choice delicacy to the cuckoo,which slips quietly through the trees as It hunts for them. Insects op the wing are not safe, for swallows and swifts in rapid flight skim back and forth over the meadows and without pausing catch many a small gnat. The birds called flycatchers also take their prey on wing, butthey remain quiet on a perch and only swoop down on insects which come near at hand. Farm Notes. The prosperous farmer is seldom a ■oil robber. The garden should be well drained and the soil should l>e warm if the best results are wanted. A well cared for asparagus bed is a permanent feature, and it brings a lot of comfort to the one who has it. There Is room for improvement in the roads of the country. It doesn’t take much money either.

WHITE BREASTED NUTHATCH —RED HEADED WOODPECKER.

ROSE BREASTED GROSBEAK—CATBIRD.