282 



THE PEOPLE VS. THE ENGLISH SPARROW. 



prepare our ammoniacal solution of carbonate of copper 

 in a cheaper form than we get it in copperdine, every 

 fruit-grower in need of the material will greatly thank 

 him- In the meantime, however, we shall stick to the 

 prepared mixture. 



Kainit vs. Insects. — We are not quite certain whether 

 kainit kills wireworms and maggots or not, but plants to 

 which strong solutions of it were applied freely seemed 

 to suffer less from insect attacks than plants not so treated. 

 At least we are hopeful that treatment with kainit will 

 give us radishes free from maggots, and save our cauli- 

 flowers and cabbages from destruction by the same pest. 



These plants, together with onions, lettuce, turnips, etc., 

 seem to endure a large amount of kainit or other potash 

 salts without injury. 



Early Vegetables, — Radishes are always the first 

 vegetables of the season, as we can grow them in four 

 weeks from the time of sowing seed. Still we can 

 never get them too early, so we start them in flats under 

 glass about two weeks before we could sow seed outdoors, 

 and then transplant in open ground an inch apart in the 

 rows. Thus we gain a week or more of time, and an 

 advantage over the flea-beetles and maggots. Radishes 

 transplant quite readily. 



THE PEOPLE VS. THE ENGLISH SPARROW. 



A SUMMARY OF THE QUESTION. 



'ITH this issue we bring the case of 

 ' 'The People vs. theEnglish Sparrow" 

 to a close. We still have remaining a 

 few unpublished communications 

 on the subject, both pro and con, 

 but as they add no new features we 

 will sum up the case in the light of 

 the evidence already presented. 



After all the violent denunciations 

 for years, all the urgent advice 

 given by press and speakers to shoot, trap, strangle and 

 poison the sparrow, after the enactment of laws by some 

 of the state legislatures offering a prize for its scalp, we 

 wonder that the sparrow has yet so many warm friends 

 among prominent horticulturists, and (what is most sur- 

 prising) that the friends seem to be in a large majority. 

 Certainly a creature that has so many sympathizers and 

 defenders cannot be wholly bad nor a general nuisance. 



Evidence shows the bird to be by no means guileless. 

 It has bad habits. It makes itself obnoxious, especially in 

 cities and the larger villages, by nesting around buildings 

 and befouling them ; it is sometimes quite destructive in 

 wheat-fields ; it is naturally pugnacious and impudent, 

 and its voice is not melodious. So much is proven by 

 the evidence, but no more. 



Individuals, or individual families and flocks, may, per- 



haps, from evil example, have developed other bad 

 habits, such as eating fruits from bushes and vines, de- 

 stroying ibuds on trees and bush-fruits, picking young 

 growths in the garden, driving away other birds, etc. ; 

 but the whole race should not be held responsible and 

 made to suffer for the bad habits of individuals. If all 

 the charges preferred against the bird were known to be 

 true, every farmer and gardener would willingly pay out 

 a fair sum to be relieved of such a troublesome pest. 

 Yet we doubt whether there is a single person in our own 

 vicinity (at least we have not found one on inquiry) who 

 would be willing to pay $5, or even %\, for the extir- 

 pation of the sparrow. In some localities where 

 sparrows exist in excessive numbers, no doubt people 

 would gladly pay something to be rid of them, but such 

 cases appear to be rare exceptions. 



On the other hand, evidence shows that the sparrow 

 destroys insects, caterpillars, butterflies, beetles (espec- 

 ially May beetles), locusts, etc., besides countless num- 

 bers of weed-seeds. Its numerous and voracious young 

 are fed almost exclusively on insect-food. This is some- 

 thing to be thankful for. 



We are not disposed to engage in hair-splitting discus- 

 sions concerning the merits and demerits of the sparrow, 

 or to weigh in gold-scales the good and the bad it does., 

 but prefer to take a broader view. We are not in sym- 



