No. 15. 



Birds — Spring Wheat. 



275 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Miscliief and injury from tlic wanton 

 destriiclion of birds. 



The seabon having now arrived, that the 

 little songsters make their appearance 

 amongst us, to build their nests and rear 

 their young, I appeal to every man, woman 

 and cliiid in the nation, to aflbrd protection 

 and security to them, in return for their most 

 valuable services to us in the de.-truction of 

 tlie myriads of insects and worms--, that annu- 

 ally devastate our fields and gardens. It 

 cannot but have been noticed by tlie most 

 ignorant, that the various tribes of insects 

 have increased in a geometrical proportion to 

 tlie decrease of birds, who are their natural 

 enemies ; the equilibrium of nature has been 

 destroyed by our cruelty and ignorance in 

 refusing protection and succour to our best 

 friends; and the annual loss sustained by it 

 to the country, it would not be possible to 

 estimate. During the past forty years the 

 various tribes of small birds have been di- 

 minishing with a frightful rapidity, and if it 

 ehould progress in the same proportion for 

 forty years to come, it will be a serious 

 question whether the produce of the country 

 can be kept up, so as to supply the wants of 

 the inhabitants. Where is the fanner ihat 

 followed the plough fifty years ago, that doesji 

 not remember the flocks of birds that crowd 

 ed the furrows of the newly turned up earth, I 

 devouring every grub or worm that was ex- 

 posed to the surface ! They seemed fearless 

 of man, each one appearing anxious to bei 

 nearest to the foot of the ploughman to destroy | 

 his inveterate and insidious enemies. Now 

 what has become of those faithful guardians i 

 of our property'! The answer to this ques-j 

 tion can be given by every farmer in the 

 country without danger of mistake. As soon 

 as they appear amongst us in the spring, and j 

 begin to build their nests, a set of idle, mis- 

 creant boys commence annoying them ; take! 

 their eggs and often destroy their nests, and 

 offer every kind of persecution to tliem wiiich 

 is in their power; and at all seasons of the 

 year a set of ruthless vagabonds prowl through 

 every neighbourhood with their guns, ever 

 ready to shoot down a robin, sparrow, tomtit, 

 or wren, either of which are rendering more 

 service to the community in proportion to 

 their ability, than their murderous persecu- 

 tors. The damage sustained to grass and 

 grain, the injury to fruit trees and destruction 

 offences by this worthless part of our popula- 

 tion, is a matter of serious magnitude, but it 

 sinks into comparative insignificance when 

 contrasted with the increasing devastation! 

 by insects, mainly produced by the persecu-' 

 tion and wanton destruction of the class of 

 birds which were doubtless intended to keep 



their multiplication within harmless limits. 

 The wheat, Indian corn, fruit trees, garden 

 vegetables, and even the grass and the trees 

 of our forests annually furnish the most con- 

 clusive testimony of the great disturbance in 

 the equilibrium of nature, produced by these 

 ignorant savages who can load and shoot a 

 gun. — Public opinion, the influence of which 

 is so potent in many other matters, ought 

 speedily to be brought to bear on this very 

 momentous subject. Where would exist the 

 difliculty in calling public meetings in town- 

 ships or neighborhoods to concentrate, and 

 express public opinion on a subject in which 

 every member of the community has so deep 

 an interest] Let this speedily be done, and 

 try its effect ; if it should fail, other means 

 must be resorted to, for the grievance is of 

 too alarming a character to be tolerated 

 longer in civilized society. Teachers of re- 

 ligion and school teachers ought to consider, 

 whether they might not render some service 

 to their fellow citizens by occasional instruc- 

 tion and admonition, that would illuminate 

 the ignorant and alarm the vicious, in a mat- 

 ter that so deeply concerns the public wel- 

 fare. 



A premium of ten dollars, or a medal of 

 equal value, at the option of the writer, will 

 be paid to t!ie person who will furnish the 

 I best essay on the foregoing subject, adapted 

 for publication in the "Farmer's Cabinet and 

 the newspapers generally. The editor ofthe 

 Cabinet who will pay the premium, to be the 

 judge. The essay to be produced in time for 

 the" June number, and not to exceed four 

 pages. 



Agricola- 



Spring Wheat — New Certificates. 



Extracts of a letter from the Hon. Wm. H. 

 Tilghman, dated Talbot county, Maryland, 

 11th Nov., 1837. "Coming near home, I 

 saw Mr. Reybold, or rather the result of a 

 committee of the Kent county Delaware, 

 Agricultural Society, who have had the flour 

 made of some of his Spring Wheat, and bread 

 ofthe flower, which gave universal satisfac- 

 tion, to a large and intelligent company pre- 

 sent at a meeting (among whom were seve- 

 ral celebrated millers.") 



Mr. Reybold (President ofthe Delaware 

 Agricultural Society,) has lately written to 

 " Judo-e Buel," (conductor ofthe "Cultivator," 

 printed at Albany, N. Y.,) saying that he got 

 last winter of Mr. Hathaway, and sowed six 

 bushels ofthe Italian Spring Wheat, that he 

 merely ploughed up his stock field, as he does 

 for oats and sowed it ;— that he raised about 

 thirty bushels to the acre, and it was his in- 



