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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



For the New England Farmer. 

 "SPAKE THE BIRDS." 



Mr. Editor : — It is strange that after so much 

 dissemination of a broader, deeper and more 

 benevolent philosophy in regard to the value of 

 the "sweet warblers of the grove," that there 

 should be any person living under the influences 

 of a genuine New England rural home, who can 

 deliberately advocate the destruction of birds, 

 especially "robin red-breast." The writer, J. B. 

 R., in the last issue of the Farmer (May 1st,) is 

 so far in doubt of the correctness of his danger- 

 ous views, as to call in the nominal authority of 

 Moses to justify his conclusions. It would be 

 difficult to name an iniquity which the selfishness 

 of man has perpetrated, for which he has not 

 sought a justification from the Bible. Without 

 wishing to discuss Moses' views of "dominion," 

 it must, I think, be clear to every enlightened 

 head and heart, that the only "dominion" which 

 God ever gave man over "birds, beasts and fish- 

 es," is the dominion which mind has over matter 

 — the dominion of intellect over mere animal in- 

 stincts. But where, save through the cravings of 

 his depraved appetites and passions,does man find 

 authority for laying under tribute all of God's 

 animal creation, to gratify his passions or sub- 

 serve a lazy and blind convenience ? Because 

 God has given to man "dominion over birds, 

 beasts and fishes," by virtue of his superior en- 

 dowments, it by no means follows that men may 

 be tyrants by virtue of their power. The char- 

 acteristic of tyrants is to destroy whatever stands, 

 lives or moves in the way of their pleasure or 

 convenience. "He who spake as never man spake," 

 has assured us that the raven is fed by the fath- 

 erly care of its Creator, and that not a sparrow 

 falls without its Maker's notice. These views, I 

 know, are abstract, and will avail but little with 

 such as seem to think all God's creation has been 

 made for their especial benefit and convenience. 

 Let us, therefore, appeal to the self-interest of 

 such, and inquire whether the services which the 

 "robin" is performing, are not far more valuable 

 than a few or even all the "cherries ?" The robin 

 is well known to be the consumer of a vast mul- 

 titude of worms, bugs, beetles and curculios, 

 which if left without check, would destroy fruits 

 far more valuable than "cherries," which in dog- 

 days are no real estate, though pleasant and cool- 

 ing, moderately partaken of. A long list of val- 

 uable services might be presented in detail, which 

 not only the robins confer, but which are con- 

 ferred in kind, by nearly all the birds which fre- 

 quent the haunts of men, not even excepting the 

 "villanous" crow, whose intelligence and sagacity 

 often baffle the ignorant enmity of its pursuers. 



But aside from material and transient interests 

 involved in the destruction of birds ; what man 

 is so dead to the spiritual teachings of animated 

 nature, whose soul is so unstrung to the "music 

 of the birds," as to find it in his heart to ruth- 

 lessly shoot them down for the paltry reason that 

 they partake of some of the bounties of their 

 Creator — that they deprive their lordly masters 

 of a few "cherries" or other small and quickly 

 perishing fruits ? Who would not give up his 

 daily repast of cherries for a few days or even 

 weeks for the soul-inspiring "music of the birds" 

 — their joyous carolling from "early dawn to 



dewy eve ?" He who has no heart for the com- 

 panionship, the joy of life and gladness of the 

 song of birds, should forthwith seek the crowded 

 and dusky haunts of city life. I cannot speak 

 I calmly in view of so cruel, unjust and injurious 

 a proposition as that of "killing the robins," or 

 any other of our almost domesticated birds. If 

 it is right or expedient to kill the robin, then we 

 had better encourage our boys to the wanton 

 practice of destroying their nests, and thus pre- 

 vent the increase of an evil, instead of taking 

 pains to cure it. Does not such a rapacity as 

 would kill the birds for pleasure, convenience or 

 even temporary profit, feed and keep alive a 

 spirit of vindictiveness and hatred towards real 

 or supposed enemies of our kind ? Is the shoot- 

 ing of robins the best moral lesson and the most 

 refined pleasure we can give our sons ? Even if 

 it is certain that the birds do us some real injury, 

 are we for this reason to destroy them, and thus 

 teach our children that they may destroy what- 

 ever gives them inconvenience ? 



I apprehend that the killing of any of our 

 birds of the air or forest, under our present mea- 

 gre and imperfect knowledge of the "unkindly 

 offices" which they fill, would be like wielding a 

 giant's club in the dark — more likely to injure a 

 friend than foe. 



I will not allow any shooting of birds upon my 

 farm, and I would that every farmer well consider 

 both the temporal and spiritual welfare of him- 

 self and family, and of the community, before he 

 suffers his farm to become the hunting-ground of 

 idle and vicious sportsmen. "Spare the birds." 



Wtstboro', May, 1858. t. a. s. 



For the New England Fanner. 

 BEE-HIVES. 



I am aware of the confidence placed in the 

 opinion of those who have experience in the sub- 

 ject under consideration, even without their rea- 

 sons. Lacking the experience of many in bee 

 culture, I gave what I thought good reasons for 

 diff"ering with Mr. Quinby, in the opinion that a 

 rough bee-hive was the cheapest. He has given 

 his reasons for leaving the inside of a hive un- 

 planed. I will fully concur with him, for the rea- 

 sons he gave, that it is unwise to place a large 

 swarm of bees in a hive having nothing for their 

 support but a plane polished surface. I beg leave 

 to add that the "single case reported," was in a hive 

 furnished with a very simple device, designed to aid 

 the bees in supporting themselves until they could 

 commence building their comb, affording a more 

 sure support than could be had on an unplaned 

 board, not only affording a support to the bees, 

 but so arranging them that they would, almost 

 invariably, lay the foundations of their combs, 

 where a skilful engineer would have placed them, 

 having for his design, economy of building ma- 

 terial, the filling of the hive to the best possible 

 advantage, and a thorough ventilation of the 

 whole, after the work was completed. A hive 

 thus filled may be as thoroughly ventilated when 

 standing in its usual position, as it is possible to 

 be when inverted, and the bottom board removed, 

 as Mr. Quinby recommends in his winter man- 

 agement of bees. If the hive is inverted the chips 

 from unsealing honey, dead bees and other offend 



