To date, there appears to be at least two courses open to an individual whose I 

 crop is jeopardized. He may exclude the birds from the crop by covering it or ! 

 he may use some type of scaring device. Exclosures made of lasting material i 

 and erected properly are birdproof, resulting in complete protection. However, 

 they are expensive and impractical unless used on small acreages on a high-income 

 crop. 



Small fruits, such as blueberries, strawberries, and grapes lend themselves to the 

 exclosure type of protection. Other crops, such as small grains, and peaches 

 cannot be covered economically. Therefore, scaring devices must be employed where 

 bird losses are heavy. Scaring devices do not eliminate bird depredation, but 

 they do help in reducing amounts of damage. However, it must be remembered that 

 scaring devices arc most effective on flocking bird species; hence, starlings are 

 much more apt to be deterred with noise than robins or orioles. The effectiveness 

 of a scaring device depends on habitat, crop to be protected, species causing 

 damage, type of device, and manner in which it is used. 



The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service is fully aware of the seriousness of bird 

 problems and is currently conducting basic research and field investigations to 

 develop ways and means of effectively combatting these problems. In order to 

 be acceptable, control methods must be selective so that only the culprits 

 responsible for the damage will be punished. Also, control methods must be 

 safe — presenting a minimum hazard to humans and desirable animals and birds. 



Richard N. Smith 



U. S. Fish and 

 Wildlife Service 



I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 



POMOLOGICAL PARAGRAPH 

 Pic ker's Tapes 



Growers are making good use of picker's tapes not only for tallying the 

 number of boxes harvested by each picker but as a means of determining who 

 picked the apples and from what block of trees they were harvested. 



Every morning during harvest the orchard foreman gives each picker a roll 

 of the tape which is used to identify the boxes harvested by each picker. A 

 serrated section having the picker's number and the box number is fastened to a 

 top edge of each apple box. 



In one orchard, the foreman keeps a daily record of: (a) names of pickers; 

 (b) the date; (c) the name or number of the section of the orchard being 

 harvested; (d) the first box number on the tape handed to each picker in the 

 morning; (e) the box number on each tape at the end of the day; and (f) the 

 results of the bruise count made by the checker. By inspecting the tape the 

 grower can determine the above data for any box during harvest, storage, or 

 packing period. 



