THE EARTH'S BOUNTY 



In such a place, at Badger, Neb., six Bob- 

 whites were shot in November, 1901, whose 

 corn-distended crops contained, in all, 181 

 kernels. Birds that feed in wheat stubble 

 often take from 100 to 200 grains of wheat 

 at a meal. A Bobwhite was taken in Decem- 

 ber, 1902, at West Appomattox, Va., whose 

 crop contained 508 grains of wheat, and was 

 distended almost to bursting. This habit of 

 gleaning waste grain, after harvest, is bene- 

 ficial to the farm, as the germination of volun- 

 teer grain is not desirable, especially where 

 certain insect pests, or parasitic fungi, are to 

 be combated. As the scattered kernels are 

 often too far afield for domestic poultry to 

 gather, the Bobwhite's services in this respect 

 are especially useful. 



Being such splendid aids to agriculture, I 

 think that every owner of land should con- 

 sider it a moral duty to keep a few pairs in 

 captivity, and turn their progeny loose each 

 season, and to construct a few shelters, in re- 

 mote parts of the farm, to save their being 



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