INJURY TO OATS. 73 



stacked preparatory to thrashing, they covered the whole stack. I had to shoot at 

 them two or three times a day to scare them away, and upon thrashing my wheat it 

 was estimated that fully one-tenth of the crop was destroyed. Oue of my neighbors 

 estimated that one-half of his wheat was eaten by the Sparrows last year. This 

 year I had about four acres in oats. After the oats were put in the barracks the field 

 was filled with thousands of Sparrows, and when they had cleaned the field they at- 

 tacked the oats in the barracks, and I think they got every oat that was exposed. 

 (November 8, 1686. Present about fifteen years.) 



When wheat or other grain is grown in small quantities, for exper- 

 imental purposes, it is liable to be severely damaged by the Sparrow, 

 especially if planted near towns or cities. We append two or three 

 complaints on this score from the many received : 



Andrew Gray, of Willoaghby, Lake County, Ohio, in a letter to Hon. 

 Gorman J. Colman, Commissioner of Agriculture, says: 



This is to inform you that I drilled in the seed wheat you sent me in one corner of 

 the field that I sowed to Clauson. I sowed it on rich, smdy soil and it came through the 

 winter well and gave promise of a splendid crop, especially the Biehl Mediterranean, 

 which looked the most promising, although the Martin amber did very well. But, alas 

 for human hopes! About four or five days before it was ready to cut I went to see 

 how it was getting along and found tbat the English Sparrows had harvested the 

 crop. Their first choice was the Martin amber ; the next was the Dield Mediterranean; 

 aud the last the Clauson. I saved about a peek of seed from the two kinds. I think I can 

 safely say that I would have got as much as one and one-half bushels of seed from 

 the two quarts of seed sent, if the Sparrows had let it alone. They are a nuisance! 

 They used up as much as five bushels of wheat for me this year, and as many oats. 

 (October 25, 1886.) 



William B. Alwood, of the Ohio State University, near Columbus, 

 Ohio, writes: 



It never fails to attack our wheat fields in unlimited numbers about ten days before 

 ripening; and each year we are compelled to resort to shooting. On the plats of the 

 experiment station many varieties of our cereals would be utterly ruined unless 

 watched with care. The Sparrows attack indiscriminately wheat, oats, and barley, 

 but they attack the wheat with such force and persistency that many times the heads 

 are completely broken down over rods of space. (July 16, 1887. Present more than 

 ten years.) 



J. F. C. Hyde, of Newton Highlands, Middlesex County, Mass., 

 writes : 



It is very injurious to grain crops, taking nearly or quite all in some cases. I had 

 a new variety of wheat which I was growing for seed, aud they took every grain. 

 (February 11, 1884.) 



INJURY TO OATS. 



Next to wheat the Sparrow seems to prefer oats, aud numerous 

 instances of heavy loss to this crop have been reported by our corre- 

 spondents. 



The following may be taken as samples of the evidence on this 

 point: 



From Dr. M. C. O'Toole, Berkeley, Cal.: 



It will eat every kind of grain, and in large quantities, but wheat is injured more 

 than oats or barley. (February 17, 1387. Present about three years.) 



