Protection from Birds. 



297 



ering trees as a protection from birds, we procured 

 from the American Net and Twine Co., of Boston, 

 Mass., several hundred square yards of bird netting, 

 and a part of the trees were covered with this just 

 before the fruit began to ripen. 



"Three trees of the Bessarabian variety were 

 standing together in the same row, all well loaded 

 with early fruit. Two of these were covered with the 

 netting and the third left exposed. When the fruit 

 on the covered trees was ready to pick, the exposed 

 tree was completely stripped of every cherry, thus 

 showing what the result would have been to the 

 others had they not been protected. The question 

 has often been asked : Will it pay ? 



"As already stated, the trees were young, having 

 been set but six years. Each tree bore a half bushel 

 or more of fine fruit this year, which sold for eight 

 to ten cents per quart. The trees were of the round- 

 headed type, about ten feet high, so that the labor 

 involved in covering was comparatively slight. The 

 amount of netting required for each tree was about 

 seventy -five square yards, which cost four cents per 

 square yard. As soon, however, as the fruit from 

 these early trees was gathered, the netting was trans- 

 ferred to later varieties, and the same process re- 

 peated. So that when the experiment was completed 

 the account stood as follows : 



To 75 yds. netting at 4 cents. .$3.00 



$3.00 



By 16 qts. of cherries at lOcts. .$1.60 

 " 18 " " " "8 " . 1.44 



$3.04 



