THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



237 



crop taken from the land makes the soil 

 poorer to that extent. The honest man 

 will therefore return to the soil every 

 year an equivalent for the crop removed. 



GOOSEBERRIES. 



The Rural New-Yorker reports as 

 follows : — 



Triumph was received from George 

 Achelis, of Westchester, Chester Co., 

 Pa. It is a large beriy, certainly ; but 

 it so mildews this season that a longer 

 trial is necessary to make a report in 

 other particulars. 



Cayuga and Ircdustry, the former 

 from H. S. Anderson, Union Springs, 

 N. Y., the latter from Ellwanger & 

 Barry, Rochester, N. Y., have not as 

 yet fruited. 



Orange is from H. M. Engle of 

 Marietta, Pa. "It is," he writes, 

 " probably a seedling of the Houghton." 

 This berry is with us of real value. It 

 is one of the earliest to ripen, if not the 

 earliest. It is of medium size, sweet 

 and tender. The color is a dull yellow. 

 Plant thrifty. 



Imported Variety from H. Sumner, 

 Polo, 111. He imported it 10 years ago 

 from England. The berries average of 

 fair size. Some mildew and some do 

 not. A longer trial is needed. 



Dougal No 10, mildews badly. 



Dougal No. 3, berries from medium 

 to large — scarcely any mildew. Green 

 when ripe. Ripens with Porter. 

 Quality medium. 



Dougah No. 2. Frmit of medium 

 size and high quality, hairy. Color 

 light green shaded with purple. 



The Editor of the Canadian ITor- 

 ticulturist fruited the Industry this year 

 and was much pleased with the size and 

 quality of the fruit ; when cooked the 

 fruit was inviting to the eye, much 

 more so than that of the green varieties, 

 and of a rich and agreeable flavour. It 

 has not yet suffered from mildew. 



FOOD-HABITS OF BIRDS. 



It is well known that certain birds 

 are directly destructive to farm crops, 

 causing a loss of many thousands of 

 dollars each year, and that others are 

 highly beneficial, preying upon mice 

 and insects which are injurious to vege- 

 tation ; but the extent and significance 

 of these effects and their bearing on 

 practical agriculture is little under- 

 stood. Moreover, great difference of 

 opinion exists, particularly among farm- 

 ers, as to whether certain well-known 

 species are on the whole beneficial or 

 injurious ; and many kinds which are 

 really of great practical value are killed 

 whenever opportunity offers. For ex- 

 ample, hawks and owls are almost uni- 

 versally regarded as detrimental, while 

 as a matter of fact most of them never 

 touch poultry, but feed largely, and 

 some almost exclusively, on mice and 

 grasshoppers. 



The wholesale slaughter of small 

 birds has been known to be followed by 

 serious increase of noxious insects ; and 

 invasions of insects which threatened 

 to devastate large tracts of country have 

 been cut nearly short by the timely ser- 

 vices of some of our native birds. 



In view of the above facts, and many 

 others which might be cited, it is clear 

 that a comprehensive, systematic in- 

 vestigation of the inter-relation of birds 

 and agriculture should prove of value to 

 farmers and horticulturists. Such an 

 investigation has been undertaken by 

 the newly-established Division of 

 Economic Ornithology of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, and the assistance 

 and co-operation of persons interested is 

 earnestly solicited. 



The food of all birds consists either 

 of animal matter or vegetable matter or 

 both, and its consumption must be ser- 

 viceable or pi*ejudicial to the interests 

 of mankind. Therefoi-e, according to 

 the food they eat, all birds may be 

 classed under one or two headings — 



