You will recall Longfellow’s poem, how the 
birds of Killingsworth were exterminated 
through a bounty from the ruler. The next year 
the land was barren and the king offered a 
bounty for living birds who became numerous 
and restored the harvests to the realm. 
Not alone they who are commercially inter- 
ested in the products of the soil, but all who are 
dependent on these products are asking what can 
be done to destroy the insect pests now so de- 
structive to agricultural pursuits. To all such 
I advise, ‘‘ Read the handwriting on the wall — 
protect the birds!” 
Under the surface of the broad acres of our 
fertile country a host of root eating grubs are 
destructively working. On the surface are 
hordes of beetles and insect pests equally busy 
destroying surface vegetation. In our forest 
trees and in the trees of our parks and streets 
are myriads of trunk borers and leaf-sucking 
insects — drawing the very life blood. In the 
air from horizon to horizon are clouds of winged 
midgets that carry into our homes annoyance and 
poison into our bodies. 
Of all this we are abundantly conscious and 
yet it is with no great concern we read the hand- 
writing on the wall — “ Protect the birds.” 
The farmer, because more directly interested, 
should join the effort now being made. He at 
least should be policeman of his own acres. 
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