No. 138,) 177 



of their own i'ood, In destroying insects, and in numbers and some 

 of the worst kind when they abound, such as grubs, beetles, 

 grasshoppers, &ic. We saw the fine efiects of this, on a few farms 

 we visited in July, two or three years ago, in the interior. In one 

 neigh borliood, swarms of grasshoppers were laying waste almost 

 every thing green. One farmer told us he had common fowls, 

 in tolerable numbers, and but few turkies, but these would seem 

 to make much head against the enemy. This gentleman told ug, 

 he had a Iriend living without the line of march of the invading 

 foe, who had a large flock of turkies ; he had seen the efficiency 

 of his own, few as they were ; he borrowed them, brought them 

 home, and put them on his place, in a few days he was compar 

 atively clear of the grasshoppers ; they saved his corn and second 

 growth of grass, besides other plants. He told us, his common 

 poultry kept about the yards and gardens near his house, but the 

 turkies scoured the fields at a distance, and appeared to find and 

 tace the enemy In every nook and corner of his premises, and 

 devour hira. To talk of destrojing mischievous insects entirely, 

 Is idle ; no man who knows any thing of their character, ever 

 pgretended it could be done; all we can effect is, to lessen their 

 number, and thereby mitigate the evil. Turkies should be in- 

 duced, if possible, to come home every night the season through, 

 to roost on trees or other pretty high objecta near the house ; this 

 will instil into them the habit, and prepare them for late in 

 autumn and winter. In nut and corn time they will frequent 

 the woods, iu quest of one or two of their favorite feeds ; indulge 

 them, the season is short, it will put new life in them ; will make 

 them almost think of ages back, when all around was a wilder- 

 Qe8*5, and these fruits al)ounded, and could be fed upon nearly 

 without stint or molestation. Some farmers think poultry of all 

 kinds are troublesome and expensive, and especially turkies; they 

 will not pay ; they roam at seasons all over the farm and neigh- 

 bourhood, tread down and devour the grain and grass. Most 

 animah do this more or less ; even cattle sometimes brefik inclos- 

 ures and injure grain badly, and at all times trample down and 

 eat grass ; common fowls and other poultry do the same, only 

 •vbout the house though. D()es this more domestic poultry travel 

 over the farm and destroy myriads of insects in evexy part of It, 

 I AiaembJy, Ho 13;j.j 12 



