544 Missouri Agricultural Report. 



price obtained for apples in 1911, also that the average price for 

 sprayed fruit was 12.4 cents per bushel higher than for unsprayed 

 fruit, and that the yield was two or three bushels larger on 

 sprayed trees than on unsprayed trees. In the marketing season 

 a circular, "Marketing the Apple Crop," was sent out. This was 

 followed by a circular letter telling the growers of the necessity 

 of writing to buyers to ascertain market value of fruit, so that a 

 fair price would be recognized when a sale was made. It was also 

 urged that growers take the initiative in securing buyers, as the 

 crop was unusually large. In addition to these special bulletins, 

 there were sent out from this office approximately 4,470 letters, 

 4,632 new bulletins, 9,146 old bulletins, 1,250 new reports, 642 old 

 reports, and 5,028 letters written. 



These figures do not include the reports sent out by express 

 to the general mailing list or handed out from the office, but only 

 special requests received by mail. 



THE ECONOMICAL VALUE OF BIRDS IN HORTICULTURE. 



The state Board of Horticulture, in, a series of newspaper 

 articles and through interest aroused in meetings, endeavored to 

 call attention to the necessity of fruit growers supporting the Mc- 

 Lean bill, which provides Federal protection for migratory birds. 

 The paper read by Mr. Pellett of Iowa before the growers at Co- 

 lumbia during Farmers' Week is a forceful one on this subject. 



"The Economical Value of Birds in Horticulture." This quota- 

 tion from "Fifty Common Birds of the Farm and Orchard," United 

 States Department of Agriculture, bulletin No. 513, may serve to 

 introduce to us the importance of bird life on the farm — "and in- 

 deed it is believed that without the aid of our feathered friends, 

 successful agriculture would be impossible." 



The estimated damage from insects and rodents is 10 per cent 

 of the value of farm crops. We find that 5 per cent of the total 

 of insect life is responsible for this damage, and that this 5 per 

 cent has become destructive almost wholly because of the removal 

 of their natural enemies and their natural food plants. 



This problem of the decrease in the number of birds and in- 

 crease in the number of insects and rodents may be stated in this 

 way : We find in nature an equation where one species, by virtue of 

 its destructive power, prevents the overproduction of another, and it 

 may be readily seen, that man, in his advance towards civilization, 

 has introduced an artificial factor that has unbalanced this equa- 



