MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 85 



slight individual success and no substantial effect on the steady 

 losses. Poisoning is reported to have been used with success 

 in other places, but has never been tried on the Station plant. 

 It is doubtful whether it is justifiable, save under very excep- 

 tional circumstances. The point is that it is difficult to manage 

 affairs in such way as to insure that only the crows will get 

 the poison. There are so many useful and valuable animals 

 about the farm that easily might get the poison before the crow 

 did, with a resulting loss greater than that caused by the crow, 

 that it would seem wise to resort to poisoning only when it can 

 be done under well controlled conditions. 



The plan which has finally been adopted at the Station poul- 

 try plant for dealing with crows is one which is perfectly safe 

 and sure in its operation. It consists simply in running strands 

 of binder twine about two feet apart over the whole of the 

 poultry range occupied by the young birds, until they reach such 

 size that they are able to take care of themselves. These strings 

 are run over the tops of the brooder houses, and on supports 

 made by cross strands of either wire or two or three strings 

 of binder twine twisted together. These cross strands are held 

 up where necessary by posts. The whole network of strings 

 thus formed is put at such height that the attendants in working 

 about the yard, will not hit the string when standing upright. 

 The area covered in with strings in this way on the Station 

 poultry plant is usually about 3 acres per year. The expense 

 of covering this area is from $15 to $20 for twine. The labor 

 of putting it up is comparatively small. It forms a perfect and 

 complete protection against both crows and hawks. 



The appearance of the range when covered with strings is 

 shown in figure 22. 



Next in importance to the predaceous birds, as poultry ene- 

 mies, stand the rats and the foxes. In times past foxes have 

 destroyed many chickens from the Station's poultry plant. Of 

 late years, however, none has been lost. The protection is 

 afforded by a fox proof fence surrounding the whole plant. 

 Rats may become a very serious pest. They live under the 

 brooder houses and take the young chicks. Various methods 

 have been tried at the Station, but no wholly satisfactory way 

 of dealing with rats has yet been found. Trial was made some 

 years ago of one of the most widely advertised of the bacterial 



