18 



MANUAL OF GARDENING 



A person has no more right to inflict a cat on a neighborhood than 

 to inflict a goat or rabbits or any other nuisance. All persons 

 who keep cats should feel the same responsibility for them that 

 they feel for other property; and they should be wiUing to for- 

 feit their property right when they forfeit their control. The 

 cats not only destroy birds, but they break the peace. The 

 caterwauling at night will not be permitted in well-governed 

 communities any more than the shooting of fire-arms or vicious 

 talking will be allowed : all night-roaming cats should be gath- 

 ered in, just as stray dogs and tramps are provided for. 



I do not dislike cats, but I desire to see them kept at home and 

 within control. If persons say that they cannot keep them on 

 their own premises, then these persons should not be allowed to 

 have them. A bell on the cat will prevent it from capturing old 

 birds, and this may answer a good purpose late in the season; 

 but it will not stop the robbing of nests or the taking of young 

 birds, and here is where the greatest havoc is wrought. 



It is often asserted that cats must roam in order that rats 

 and mice may be reduced ; but probably few house mice and 

 few rats are got by wandering cats ; and, again, many cats are 

 not mousers. There are other ways of controlling rats and 

 mice ; or if cats are employed for this purpose, see that they 

 are restricted to the places where the house rats and mice are 

 to be found. 



Many persons like squirrels about the place, but they cannot 

 expect to have both birds and squirrels unless very special pre- 

 cautions are taken. 



The English or house sparrow drives away the native birds, 

 although he is himself an attractive inhabitant in winter, 

 particularl}^ where native birds are not resident. If one de- 

 sires to keep Enghsh sparrows in reduced numbers, it can be 

 easily accomplished by poisoning them in winter (when other 

 birds are not endangered) with wheat soaked in strychnine 

 water. The contents of one of the eighth-ounce vials of strych- 



