478 ANNUAL RErORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



"One of the most successful means of destroying the English spar- 

 row is to poison millet seed by soaking it a short time in a solution 

 of strychnine and water, and then mixing some of these poisoned 

 seeds with ten times their bulk of unpoisoned seeds, and put them 

 where the sparrows can get them to eat, but where they will not be 

 dropped on the ground to be picked up by poultry. Various kinds 

 of traps and snares have proven useless for sparrows, for the reason 

 that these birds are too shy to be caught in numbers in any device 

 of this kind. 



*'Proper precaution in destroying or preventing nesting sites for 

 sparrows is one means of preventing their multiplication around the 

 premises. Often the corner of a building near the roof furnishes a 

 place upon which a nest can be placed, while this could be prevented 

 by boarding up or covering with a screen of coarse wire. Holes in 

 walls or trees or buildings afford excellent places for sparrows to 

 nest, but these could be closed by fastening over them a board with 

 an opening one inch in diameter. This would permit the wrens to 

 enter while the sparrows would be obliged to stay outside. 



"It is not difficult to find the nesting places of these birds when 

 they commence nesting in the spring time. A person can easily 

 watch them and see them carrying straws, feathers, etc., to their 

 nests. It is best to locate them, and then wait about two weeks, 

 and then destroy them, and the eggs or young will be destroyed with 

 them. Some persons go so far as to place favorable nesting boxes 

 for the sparrows, where they can be reached and the contents removed 

 at night at regular intervals during the nesting season. Thus the 

 sparrows, not seeing the disturber of their nests, and not knowing 

 it is a human being, are liable to continue nesting at the same 

 accessible place. 



"Four years ago Hon. Mr. Barnhart, of Johnstown, introduced a 

 bill providing for the investigation of the habits of the English spar- 

 row, and looking toward methods of its dastruction. Very unfor- 

 tunately this bill was ridiculed to death. It was, as you can see, 

 a good and important bill, and would have been of immense value. 

 I hope to see something further undertaken by this Legislature." 



RABBITS KILLING TREES 



There was considerable complaint last year concerning rabbits kill- 

 ing trees, and there is at present a popular tendency to paint the 

 trunks of trees with axle grease to prevent this. Our recommenda- 

 tions have been against the use of axle grease on trees, for the rea- 

 son that it is not of uniform composition, and while one brand 

 may be safe on a tree another brand may destroy it. Also, there are 

 known and tested methods of preserving the trees from injury by 

 rabbits, and it is better to follow known methods, and leave the 

 experimenting to those who are trained in experimental work, and 

 will do it carefully and properly. 



From a correspondent in Hanover, York county, we received the 

 following letter: 



"Last winter I used axle grease to paint young trees, and keep the 

 rabbits and mice away, and I noticed it burnt the bark. Can you 

 recommend something better." 



Our reply was as follows: 



