NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



" When a large area is sown down, and netting 

 is impossible, I have found a very simple method 

 most useful. Stretch lines of string about 15 feet 

 apart over the whole area, on stout stakes about 6 feet 

 high; from these lines at intervals of 15 feet suspend 

 a medium-size potato 4 feet from the ground, liberally 

 furnished with wing feathers of fowls or other such 

 feathers ; the slightest breeze sets the potato in motion, 

 and proves a most effective deterrent. The preparation 

 of a seed bed with a fine tilth is a great aid. The seed 

 can then be well covered, and is not so easily found by 

 the birds." 



SUMMARY 



The most efficient and cheapest way to protect 

 large areas has been found to be the live scarecrow, 

 in the shape of a boy with a pair of clappers or an 

 empty petrol tin and a drum stick. He should be 

 the possessor of a strong voice, and ought to carry a 

 rattle or " bull roarer " to use at intervals. A " bull 

 roarer " is a small, flat, oblong piece of wood, to which 

 is attached a stout cord about 3 feet long. The 

 boy whirls this rapidly in the air. When properly 

 manipulated it makes a roaring noise terrifying to 

 birds. The best plan is for the boy to sleep in a hut 

 in the centre of the orchard or field, and to begin his 

 demonstrations before the early bird arrives. The 

 boy should have an assistant in the form of a terrier 



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