264 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Much complaint comes from New England farmers re- 

 garding depredations by blackbirds upon corn, and a great 

 deal of damage has been done, particularly in Massachusetts 

 and Connecticut, on places where sweet corn is grown for 

 seed. Many farmers are seeking to destroy these birds. The 

 shotgun and poison have been resorted to, and last year the 

 Connecticut Legislature passed a statute allowing the killing 

 of blackbirds when engaged in destroying corn. It would be 

 wiser to protect both birds and corn. The Goshen, Ind., 

 " News-Times " states that Charles Briner, well known in 

 Elkhart County, says, " Spare the blackbirds." During the 

 fall of 1912 he noticed swarms of blackbirds in his cornfield, 

 and took special pains to see whether they were destroying 

 the com or " bud worms." Invariably they killed the latter 

 by hundreds. He watched them carefully and saw them ex- 

 tract the worms. In the southern States the bud worm, or 

 boll worm, is one of the greatest pests on growing corn. 

 These com pests are gradually working north, and Mr. Briner 

 says that every farmer should guard every natural friend to 

 his growing crops. A farmer in Concord, Mass., put out 

 poisoned grain for blackbirds in the fall of 1913, and ap- 

 parently many grackles or crow blackbirds were destroyed 

 in this way. On July 4, 1913, Mr. Wilfrid Wheeler, Secre- 

 tary of the State Board of Agriculture, who lives in Concord, 

 noticed that grackles apparently were eating the cherries from 

 his trees. He shot one that flew out from the cherry tree and 

 examined its stomach. He found it packed with the remains 

 of the tent caterpillar moth; also there were three grass- 

 hoppers, three or four small caterpillars, possibly cutworms, 

 and no cherries. 



Mrs. Mary R. Stanley of North Attleborough reports that 

 a male bluebird which was feeding its young in a bird house 

 on her place appeared to be li\dng entirely on the elm-leaf 

 beetles, but did not take them to his young. This beetle is 

 one of the greatest pests of the elm in Massachusetts and has 

 destroyed many fine trees. 



Rev. William R. Lord of Dover, Mass., states that the 

 authorities there have been cutting wild cherry trees because 

 they harbor tent caterpillars. Mr. Lord declined to have the 



