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We all know that the common cut-worm causes great loss every year in spite 

 of the fact that almost all our ground-feeding birds eat great numbers of them 

 and that the birds that feed among the trees and on the wing destroy very many 

 of the moths which produce them, and so we can easily imagine what the result 

 would be to the crops if these creatures were allowed to increase unmolested 

 by their natural enemies ; so prolific are they, that I believe the increase of one 

 season would provide a sufficient number to clear off all the crops we cultivate. 



A constant war is being carried on between the insect world and the vege- 

 table kingdom. The laws of nature would keep the balance about evenly 

 adjusted. But man requires that it should be inclined in favor of the plants he 

 cultivates for his own use. To obtain this end it is necessary that we should 

 carefully protect and encourage all the forces that will work on our side against 

 our insect enemies, and while they are not the only ones, yet the birds are the 

 most important allies we can have in the struggle. We cannot very well increase 

 their number or efficiency by any artificial means, but we can protect them from 

 such of their natural enemies as occur in our own neighborhood, and we can 

 encourage them to remain and breed about our farms and gardens. If this was 

 done all over the country generally we should find ourselves amply repaid for the 

 small amount of trouble expended, by the protection they would give our plant 

 life against its destructive enemies. 



