282 An American Fruit-Farm 



People in the country are horrified if told that 

 nineteen people — so the report goes — ^may be 

 found living in one room in Pittsburgh. But these 

 good country people are not disturbed by the 

 slaughter of the birds. Consistency — so the pro- 

 verb runs — ^is a jewel, even (as the French say) 

 '/when it is made of paste." 



In one season, one San Jose scale will produce 

 3,216,030,400 of its kind; this is the law, "each 

 after its kind," with a vengeance. One pair of 

 robins — ^probably the most useful of our common 

 birds — ^may possibly in one season raise seven 

 robins. Do you see the difference? But, you say, 

 robins do not eat scale. There are other and more 

 common scales, plum scale, peach scale, maple 

 scale, oak scale, apple scale, cherry scale, black- 

 olive scale, greedy scale, oyster-shell bark-louse 

 scale (which is the most destructive next to the San 

 Jose, and is common east of the Mississippi, and 

 is the food of many birds). What birds devour 

 scale? Titmice, woodpecker, orioles, thrush, wax- 

 wing, warbler, chickadee — ^many varieties of these 

 birds. Scales and insects increase by the millions; 

 birds, possibly by the half dozen. Kill the birds 

 and let scales and insects grow ! ^ 



And there are farmers who say: ''Give us this 

 day our daily bread. " There are fruit-growers and 

 farmers who demand the presence of experts, and 



* Read Birds That Eat Scale Insects, a little pamphlet published and 

 freely distributed by the Department of Agriculture of the United 

 States Government. 



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