406 University of California Publications in Zoology [VOL. 11 



Whether this was due to the better cover or to the ease with 

 which the sprouting grain could be obtained it is impossible to 

 state. 



Where meadowlarks are very numerous and the field of grain 

 small and isolated, considerable damage results. In some cases 

 such fields have had to be resown. Since the loss of a small 

 patch of grain means far more to the small farmer than does a 

 larger amount of grain to the large rancher, the bird's depre- 

 dations here are important. The investigations have shown, 

 however, that fields apparently badly damaged by meadowlarks 

 when the grain was sprouting yielded the usual crops at harvest 

 time. This can be accounted for in this way: Jhe birds can 

 succeed in pulling the grain for only a short period of time after 

 it appears above the ground. By the time the second and third 

 leaf appear the plant is well enough rooted so that the loss of 

 the kernel, even if it should be removed, would not injure the 

 plant. Consequently the apparent devastation is largely mini- 

 mized by the further sprouting of other kernels and the successful 

 survival of the sprouts of many of the kernels removed. A 

 certain amount of thinning may at times indeed be desirable. 

 The lack of uniformity in the thinning accomplished by meadow- 

 larks is, however, an argument against them. 



Broadcasted grain, unless harrowed in very deeply, suffers 

 more than drilled grain. It is the universal verdict of the grain 

 ranchers of the state that deeply drilled grain suffers less than 

 the shallowly drilled or the broadcasted grain. Experiments 

 have shown that the greatest yield comes from drilled grain. 



The following table is from University of California Publi- 

 cations, Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin 211: 



KELATIVE KESULTS FROM DRILLED vs. BROADCAST SEEDING UPON THE YIELD 



OF GRAIN 



Average of 22 trials 



Barley Wheat 



Drilled 70.80 34.85 



Broadcast 64.43 31.60 



6.37 bu. 3.25 bu. 



Percentage increase 9.9 10.3 



Money value $3.18 $3.12 



