FRUIT GROWERS ARE FOND OF THE ROBIN 



A VIOLENT agitation has been carried 

 on during- the past year by fruit 

 growers in several states of the American 

 Union to secure laws that would lead to a 

 reduction in the number of robins, if not to 

 their total extermination. It has been 

 claimed that robins are very destructive to 

 fruit. 



The Canadian Horticulturist recently 

 wrote to a number of leading Canadian fruit 

 growers to ascertain their views. Some 

 of the replies are here given, and the rest 

 will be published in following issues. It 

 will be seen that, with one or two excep- 

 tions, our Canadian growers are very fond 

 of and appreciate the good done by our red 

 breasted friend and his mate. 



FRUIT growers' VIEWS. 



Robins are not nearly so bothersome as 

 the crows, nor do they eat as many cherries 

 as the crows. Would dislike much to 

 see any laws tending towards their extermi- 

 nation. — (R. J. Lightle, Brown's Nurseries, 

 Ont. 



The robin is the worst of all the small 

 birds. I have some eafly cherries, but the 

 robins get them all before they are fully 

 ripened. I have a few sour cherries, but 

 Mr. Robin will not touch them. There are 

 a great many robins around .our place, and 

 I think it would be wise to reduce the num- 

 ber if possible. — (S. W. Brigham, Isling- 

 ton, Ont. 



While the robins do sometimes take a few 

 cherries, and an occasional strawberry, with 

 sometimes a few grapes, in my personal ex- 

 perience I have never suffered any great 

 loss from their ravages. I have always 

 considered they do an immense amount of 

 good by destroying large numbers of our 

 insect foes. If it were not for the assist- 

 ance we fruit growers get from our native 



birds we would have to do a great deal more 

 spraying and insect fighting than we have 

 at the present time, and dear knows that's 

 needless. — (F. A. Sheppard, Queenstown, 

 Ont. 



I have some five or six hundred cherry 

 trees in two blocks, and a. row of mulberry 

 between. The robins go for the mulberry, 

 and my cherries are safe. I suggest plant- 

 ing mulberry instead of killing the robins. — 

 (G. Findlay, Walkerville, Ont. 



OPINION OF AN EXPERT. 



Dr. James Fletcher, of the Central Can- 

 ada Experimental Farm, Ottawa, writes 

 The Horticulturist an exceedingly interest- 

 ing letter strongly in favor of protecting 

 the red breasted songster. He says : " The 

 food of the American robin has been investi- 

 gated by students of birds. In the Stomachs 

 of 500 robins, collected in various parts of 

 the country, cultivated fruit formed less than 

 8 per cent, of their food, and practically all 

 that was eaten in June and July. It was 

 found that over 96 per cent, of their food in 

 April, 97 per cent, m May, and over 43 per 

 cent, in June consisted of insects, of which 

 almost one-fifth to nearly two-fifths was in- 

 jurious insects. in June they began eat- 

 ing fruit, cherries forming 14.6 per cent, 

 and raspberries 36.6 per cent, of their food." 

 From the evidence presented in Dr. 

 Fletcher's letter it is safe to say that noxious 

 insects comprise more than one-third of the 

 robin's food, vegetable food nearly 58 per 

 cent., wild fruits 47 per cent., and varieties 

 that were cultivated a little more than 4 per 

 cent. The Horticulturist will publish Dr. 

 Fletcher's letter in a later issue. 



The well known authority on birds, Mr. 

 C. W. Nash, of Toronto, has also sent The 

 Horticulturist a valuable statement on this 

 subject, which sustains the position taken 

 bv Dr. Fletcher. 



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