160 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Prof. Wm. p. Brooks (of Amherst). I am sure the 

 lecturer knows perfectly well that the crow does a great 

 deal of good. So much has been said against the crow, 

 that many feel that they agree with Mr. Baker as to what 

 should be done with it. I don't know but they are right. 

 I don't know but I should also do as they would do. But I 

 learned something in Germany that interested me about 

 crows. A professor was talking about sugar beets ; he said 

 they did not all usually come up, and it was necessary to 

 transplant some of them. He noticed that part of the 

 plants would become wilted. The crows would come along 

 and pull up all these beets that the farmers set out with so 

 much care ; and the farmers thought, with ]Mr. Baker, that 

 was a dreadful thing. Finally, some one who knew a little 

 more about crows began to study the question, and he came 

 to the conclusion that the reason was that the crows thought 

 there was a white grub at the root, and the reason of that 

 was because their experience had shown them that whenever 

 beets in the field wilted, it was usually because there was a 

 worm at the root, and in taking the transplanting into their 

 philosophy they thought there was a worm there. These 

 white grubs are very troublesome now in the beet fields ; 

 and the German farmer believes that, although the crow 

 does do a great deal of harm, it is one of the best friends 

 the farmer has, and the beet culture would be almost impos- 

 sible but for the great good the crow does him by digging 

 up grubs ; and now when he transplants he pinches off nearly 

 all the leaves, and so the crows do not dig them u\). 



Mr. FoRBUSH. I don't want to say very much about the 

 crow. ]My point in regard to the crow is this. I am on 

 record in the publications of this Board at some length. 

 The conclusion there is, that it paid the farmer to encourage 

 the crow, if the farmer did not let him get the best of the 

 bargain. A few crows arc not so much trouble to the birds 

 or to corn as more. When they get numerous their great 

 appetites compel them to turn to food that they neglected 

 when not so numerous. There is only just about so much 

 good they can do, anyway. I should hold the crow in 

 check. 



