News Notes 



CALIFORNIA 



The California Audubon Society — whose president is Dr. David Starr 

 Jordan — and whose secretary is Mrs. Harriet Williams Meyers — has just 

 issued a very important leaflet upon "Blackbirds, Robins, Meadowlarks and 

 Flickers. Shall we kill them?" 



An intelligent understanding of the injuries done by these birds and the 

 benefits conferred by them shows a decided balance to their credit. 



CONNECTICUT 



Hartford — The Year Book of the Hartford Bird Study Club makes you 

 know you would like to live in Hartford. So attractive an outline of a year's 

 work in a Bird Club has never come within the notice of the news editor. 



The spirit of the Club is expressed on the first page with Ruskin's thought: 

 "The greatest thing a soul ever does in this world, is to see something and tell 

 what it saw in a plain way." The subjects of the bi-monthly programs are 

 inspiring and must keep the members in a state of joyful anticipation, even 

 in these troubled times. The meetings must be like an oasis. Even in the 

 mere list of committees you can almost hear the birds singing. In addition 

 to ordinary, prosaic committees like membership and Executive and Pro- 

 grams, there are Field, Protection, and Sanctuary Committees. The subjects 

 of the meetings include "Our Club," "The Lure of the Swamp," "Boy Scouts 

 Following the Trail," "Annals of a Quiet Neighborhood." "Insects," "Christ- 

 mas Bird Census," "New Year's Lists," "Homes Without Hands," "When 

 Day Breaks," "Notes of the Night," "Birds in Poetry and Art," "Fossil 

 Birds," "Roll Call — Two Minute Field Experiences." And at the end of 

 this delectable feast for nature lovers they say: "The love of Nature is 

 a great gift, and if it is frozen or crushed out, the character can hardly fail 

 to suffer from the loss." 



ILLINOIS 



Chicago — The National Crop Improvement Committee under the direction 

 of Mr. Bert Ball is taking practical steps to have all the corn planted in 

 Illinois tested by school children. The following is an excerpt from a letter 

 to the public: 



"By having the children make these tests in school, if the seed corn, as 

 it will, should be found deficient, more vigorous measures will be taken by 

 the farmers' clubs and local committees. 



"By seed testing alone we should be able to add^ 10 bushels to the yield 

 of the average acre of corn, and where there are 100,000 acres of corn 10 

 bushels per acre would mean a million bushels which would sell, at present 

 prices, for more than two million dollars. This our children could do for 

 their country with very little effort." 



Sent out with this is a graphic circular describing methods of testing corn. 



Macomb. — A very important number of the Normal School Quarterly is 

 given to the results achieved by Professor Charles W. Finley and his pupils 



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