PLANTS USEFUL TO ATTRACT BIRDS AND PROTECT 



FRUIT. 



By W. L. MCATEE, 

 Assistant, Biological Survey. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Birds play a very important part in the economy of nature, and 

 by their destruction of insects lend material aid in keeping the bal- 

 ance true. Both the farmer and the orchardist are greatly indebted 

 to birds for the destruction of insects and weed seed, and nowhere 

 is the nature and extent of this indebtedness more fully appreciated 

 than in the United States. In every part of our broad land also are 

 lovers of birds whose pleasure is in large part measured by the num- 

 ber of feathered acquaintances each season brings. Both for prac- 

 tical and esthetic reasons, therefore, there is a demand for infor- 

 mation as to the best method of increasing the bird population in 

 restricted areas, particularly on the farms and about homes. There 

 is a demand also for the provisioning of large preserves for both 

 land and water game birds and the protection of crops by cultivating 

 seed and fruit bearing plants more useful to birds than to man. 



Various other factors may be made to contribute to the success of 

 efforts to attract birds, such as a supply of water for drinking and 

 bathing, nesting boxes, protection from enemies, and winter feeding; 

 but the main purpose of this article is to call attention to the plants 

 which best serve to provide food for birds and to draw their atten- 

 tion away from cultivated crops. 



PLANTS USEFUL FOR ATTRACTING FRUIT-EATING BIRDS. 



A large variety of shrubs and trees are cultivated for ornament 

 in the United States, but in most cases it is evident that they have 

 been planted with.no thought for the needs of birds. Our native 

 shrubs should be utilized as far as possible, especially as many of 

 them are not exceeded in beauty or interest by foreign plants. Fur- 

 thermore, as a rule they are more attractive to birds than exotics. 

 It should be borne in mind also that smoothly trimmed hedges and 

 the stiff trees of a formal garden are not nearly so attractive to birds 

 as untrained bushes and tangled thickets. Shrubs of sterile vari- 

 eties or those closely pruned after blooming are not sought by birds, 

 while those allowed to ripen fruit are often crowded with feathered 

 visitors. Moreover, plants clustered with fruit of varying color are 



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