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Bird - Lore 



In March, under the auspices of the Bird 

 Club, Henry Oldys gave an illustrated lecture 

 before a crowded auditorium. According to 

 the Club's custom, early morning walks, 

 under well-chosen leaders, were conducted 

 during the spring migration period. The 

 growing interest in the opportunity for bird- 

 study, afforded by these walks, was very 



evident by the large registration. The week 

 of May 15 was the crowning one when, for 

 the entire week, the morning and afternoon 

 walks were conducted by Henry Oldys whom 

 the Club had engaged for one week's activi- 

 ties in the interest of our members and 

 our bird friends. — (Miss) Eleanor P. Jones, 

 Secretary. 



GOURDS FOR BIRD HOUSES 



Many a bird has looked up in surprise at 

 the house tendered to him by kindly hands, 

 but which carried the suggestion of artistic 

 design to a point beyond taste on the part 

 of the bird. 



Some years ago, when in the South, I 

 observed that many people successfully 

 attracted Martins by hanging up a group of 

 bottle-gourds in which holes of the proper 

 size had been cut. Some of these gourds were 

 brought north and hung about in the trees 

 on my country place in Stamford, Conn. It 

 was at once apparent that birds seemed to 

 recognize the gourd as natural objects and 

 seemingly chose these in preference to any of 

 my other bird-houses, even the ones which 

 had been disguised with bark and branches. 



My first experience in raising gourds at 

 Stamford resulted in practical failure. The 

 vines were grown upon trellises and given 

 ordinary care and attention in ordinary soil. 

 The fruits matured so late that frost nipped 

 most of them and the ones which developed a 

 sufficiently hard shell to serve for houses were, 

 for the most part, too small for anything 

 excepting wrens and chickadees. In the 

 following year I started gourds in pots in the 

 coldframe in order to give them a longer 

 fruiting season, but still did not succeed in 

 getting fruits like those which grew in 

 gentler climes. 



My final method is successful. A gourd 

 vine is a pig for nourishment. Well-drained 

 soil seems to be essential and this prepared 

 in the previous autumn by burying manure, 

 garbage, or leaf-mold where the gourds are 

 to grow. In the spring seeds are planted in 

 rather large pots and started in the coldframe 

 so that the young plants are well under way 

 by the time when it is safe to set them out, 



about the second week in May, after all 

 danger of late frost has passed. 



Transplanting is done without disturbing 

 the gourds, by gently tapping the pots until 

 earth and plant come out in one mass, which 

 is then planted in the rich ground. The 

 plants may be trained along walls or may be 

 set in a circle along a framework of bean 

 poles arranged wigwam style. Fences may be 

 employed also for gourd vines which are 

 wonderful climbers, a single plant sometimes 

 exceeding 40 feet in length and with side 

 branches amounting in all to perhaps 100 

 feet of vine per plant. 



There are many varieties of gourds but the 

 bottle gourd and the dipper gourd types are 

 the ones which I have found best up to the 

 present time. Seeds may be obtained from 

 any dealer in garden seeds. For the best 

 effect it is well to keep the ground about the 

 plant well cultivated and properly watered or 

 mulched. The gourds to be used for bird- 

 houses will vary in sizes from those suitable 

 for Wrens, Chickadees, Bluebirds, Nut- 

 hatches, Martins, and Great Crested Fly- 

 catchers, up to the sizes suitable for Flickers, 

 Screech Owls, Barred Owls and Wood Ducks. 



When preparing gourds for bird-houses 

 they may be first set in a dry place in the 

 barn until wintertime. A hole is then cut in 

 each gourd, of the size for the sort of bird to 

 which the house is to be offered. Seeds and 

 other contents of the interior of the gourd 

 are scooped out through the hole, leaving 

 only a hard shell. It is essential to make a 

 small drill hole in the bottom of each gourd 

 in order to allow rain-water to escape. Sus- 

 pension is made after drilling a hole in the 

 top of the gourd which will allow the intro- 

 duction of a copper wire. This copper wire 



