WINDBREAKS., SHELTERS, ETC. 95 



rural homes. Clinton, Conn., has perhaps the parent 

 society of this sort. Street trees are planted by these 

 associations; but better yet is the advice given to 

 private owners, in the way of selecting trees and 

 plants for their lawns and hedges. 



SECTION II BIRD CULTURE. 



So very important at the present time is the 

 cultivation of birds in the interest of horticulture 

 and agriculture that I make a separate section of the 

 discussion. Hedges and windbreaks may serve a 

 very important end, both in furnishing shelter and 

 in furnishing food for these feathered friends of ours. 

 We are learning that success in agriculture depends 

 much upon their alliance. Among the more impor- 

 tant in this section are the catbirds, robins, song 

 sparrows and their cousins, with the goldfinches 

 and other seed eaters. The first of these destroy 

 vast quantities of insects, while the latter destroy the 

 seeds of noxious weeds. The benefit that accrues to 

 us is so great that we can hardly succeed in some 

 branches of horticulture without them. Apart from 

 the benefit which they do us in the way of destroying 

 our foes, we must count in the advantage to us from 

 making home delightful with their songs. Man 

 cannot live by bread alone that is, he cannot live in 

 a manly way. I will go so far as to say there is no 

 other object in hedge planting and the growing of 

 windbreaks more important than that of bird protec- 

 tion and bird fostering. The destruction of our 

 feathered friends is but one degree worse than their 

 neglect. 



