BEARD J OUR GARDEN FRIENDS 101 



fourteen feet. Think of it! If a man ate at this rate he would 

 consume about seventy pounds of flesh and six gallons of water. 



Busy as he is kept, providing for his own hunger and that of his 

 family, the robin is never nervous or hurried. He is the s^-mbol of 

 cheerfulness and his caU, "Cheer up! Cheer up!" comes from the 

 ver>' depths of his sunny heart. 



The catbird has quite an appetite for fruit and berries, but he 

 more than pays for the Httle he eats by the vast number of insects 

 and moths which he destroys. 



The bluejay is a handsome fellow, but in his case beauty indeed 

 covers a multitude of sins. He is cruel, murderous, inquisitive, 

 dishonest; as mischievous as a small boy, as destructive as a 

 monkey, and as deft at hiding as a squirrel. The latter characteris- 

 tic is about the only praiseworthy thing about him, however, as 

 owing to his industry' in hiding nuts and seeds, many a waste place 

 is clothed with shrubs and trees. 



The kingbird, the phoebe, the wood pewee, and the great-crested 

 flycatcher, are dull, dark-olive or gray birds. Their voices are 

 harsh and plaintive, and they have a habit of sitting moody and 

 silent upon some conspicuous perch, waiting for insects to fly 

 within their range. 



The tireless bam swallows, their cousins the eave swallows, the 

 blackbirds, the purple martins, warblers of almost every kind, the 

 crows, the himiming-birds, the cuckoos and the orchard orioles, in 

 their dress of black and wine-color, not only make gay the life in 

 the garden and orchard, but are the greatest asset the gardener has. 



School Credits for Garden Work 



It is becoming more evident every day that gardening is to 

 become a regular part of the educational curricula. In many of the 

 best school systems it now has a definite and well recognized place 

 and the present emphasis upon real things in education is bringing 

 home its importance to all educational leaders. 



That knowledge and proficiency in gardening are as deserving 

 of recognition as similar attainment in other school studies reqviires 

 no argument. Many superintendents grant such recognition 

 either directly or indirectly and thereby help to give the subject its 

 proper standing. In some places gardening is listed as a separate 

 subject; elsewhere the credit is given in the form of extra points or 

 credited to geography or related subjects. — School Life. 



