290 
Garden Work 
the fruit buds on almost all kinds of fruit trees and bushes. 
They also do a great amount of injury to ripe fruit, both 
by eating and destroying it. But it must not be forgotten 
that many birds do a great deal of good by eating quanti- 
ties of the larvae of the injurious insects. Especially is this 
the case in the summer, when they are feeding their young. 
If birds can be prevented from doing damage to the fruit, 
they will be friends rather than enemies to the gardener. 
In small gardens this can be done by netting the fruit trees 
or bushes, but on the farms or in large orchards this is 
impossible. Some birds eat the buds only, and these 
should be destroyed or scared away. 
The House Sparrow. — One of the most destructive 
of birds is the House Sparrow. It picks the buds more 
for mischief than for food. It will pick the tender centres 
from the Carnations, and will eat the Beet when it has 
appeared above the ground or even when it is 2 or 3 in. 
high. It will also destroy peas wholesale, and will scratch 
up and destroy many of our garden seeds. These birds 
must either be frightened away, or trees and bushes must 
be protected by netting, and the seeds by stretching black 
cotton along the rows immediately they have been sown. 
This will catch the feet of the birds when they are hopping 
about, and as they cannot see it they become frightened. 
The House Sparrow also searches for, and destroys, 
the larvae of the Ladybird, those useful little insects in a 
garden. 
The Bullfinch. — This is another sreat enemy to the 
gardener. It does great damage in the springtime by 
destroying buds of fruit trees and bushes. If a sharp 
lookout is not kept at this season, the trees may soon be 
