CHAPTER XXXVI. 



BIRDS. 



IRDS play a very important part in the economy 

 of Nature, and by their destruction of insects 

 lend material aid to the farmer and horticul- 

 turist. We are greatly indebted to birds for 

 the extermination not alone of insects, but also 

 for the destruction of numerous weed seeds. 

 Everything should be done, therefore, to en- 

 courage birds to nest and stay near our vege- 

 table gardens. 



In former years in the northern and central States, in which 

 I have had considerable experience in truck gardening and hor- 

 ticulture before coming to this country, I used to do all I could 

 to encourage the blue bird, of which there were a great many 

 in that vicinity, to nest near my truck gardens. The English 

 sparrow was at that time making a general invasion and monopoly 

 of the country, thereby driving the blue birds from their usual 

 haunts. By placing boxes, such as are suitable for their nesting, 

 around the edges of my vegetable field I found every one of them 

 inhabited by these little friends. The sparrow insists upon in- 

 habiting boxes or receptacles near a human habitation, but the 

 blue bird will nest in any box or cavity such as, for instance, where 

 a woodpecker has formerly had its habitation. While these little 

 mends do not inhabit this southern country, and I must say I 

 miss them very much, I find numerous other varieties of birds 

 from the North here during our winter months. Much as has 

 been written both for and against the English sparrow, but from 

 years of experience and close observation my impressions are 

 strongly in his favor. The complaint is made that the adult spar- 

 rows are grain eaters, and that they feed only their young on 

 insects. Of course this is not so, but even if it were, they rear 



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