1156 Canadian Furestry JourmiL June, 1917 



in earnest endeavor to please her; though had I not been consumed with 

 curiosity to know how long he would insanely hammer against that steel 

 surface, I should have considered it nerve racking. 



Now, just one little plea for the Flicker, locally known and misnamed 

 "Sapsucker" — and most unjustly and falsely accused of being a destroyer of 

 apple trees. 



Apple trees, as you doubtless know% are often killed by the "apple-borer," 

 who penetrates to the very heart of the tree, through a tiny tunnel which she 

 bores for herself prior to depositing an egg at the end thereof. 



Sometimes a tree wall have thirty or more of these life-sapping holes; 

 the tree grows weak, its foliage pale; and in spite of well intentioned remedies,, 

 (wrongly root-applied) the tree consumptively fades away. Were these 

 larvae^ result of the eggs in the tree, left to complete their development, soon 

 the entire orchard would be dead. But friendly little Flicker, while extract- 

 ing these deep hidden grubs with his long slender beak, breaking away the 

 bark with which the eaten passages are covered, — is accused of being the 

 originator of the deep inroads to the tree heart; and is further blamed for a 

 habit of which he knows absolutely nothing; — that of "drinking the sap of 



*^^^ ^'"^^' A Friendhj Word for the "Sapsucker'' 



In trying to save the orchard from further injuries through the borer, 

 poor Flicker is misjudged; and pays for his friendly act with his truly valuable 

 little life. " ■ - 



I have opened the crop of Flickers still warm after death at an apple 

 tree; and have never found any signs of sap, or moisture beyond that naturally 

 existing where a tightly packed mass of worms, insects and larvae w^ere to be 

 found; a quantity beyond belief, gathered by one tiny industrious, hungry, 

 feathered ally. 



It is hardly fair to all concerned that I should close eVen this incomplete 

 introduction to our woodland friends, without mentioning the good work done 

 by moles, gophers and ground worms; chiefly angleworms. 



These little friends may seem of a doubtful order; but their endeavor 

 lies largely in opneing and loosening the soil; admitting warm air, pulverizing 

 and enriching soil, carrying leaves below the surface to decay and form loam; 

 admitting moisture. The debt we owe to the despised angle worm, would, in 

 itself require the resourses of an able paper to unfold. 



The gopher in some localities becomes a menace; but the tiny mole no 

 bigger than a mouse, is of more benefit than harm. It has never been proven 

 that it eats the root of any plant; while his ventilation of the soil, preventing 

 souring, and packing, is a great and good work for so tiny and helpless an animal. 



WOODLOT PRESERVATION ply himself with firewood in time to 



While Old Ontario farmers are be- come, and twenty or thirty years 



ing instructed how to plant and care hence the Temiskaming farm with a. 



for trees, and admonished to care for wood lot will be worth more than an 



and. conserve their wood lots ifthev adjoining farm from which every last 



are so fortunate as to have them, the tree has been removed. On a great 



impression still prevails in New On- many farms, it is true, fire has been 



tario that the tree is the natural through every part of the bush and 



enemy of man, to be destroyed at killed it out, but there are still quite 



sight wherever found. As a result, a number where this is not the case, 



there are alreadv farmers within a and where quite large patches of live 



few miles of New Liskeard, says the timber can still be found. 

 Temiskaming Herald, who are com- Such bits of bush which it may be 



pclled to buy wood from neighbors. desired to keep can be preserved from 



The wise farmer, however, will keep danger by future fires by the clearing 



a few acres of his lot in timber to sup- up of any dead-wood or underbrush 



