iL 
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cmoh trouble with bltiolchlrda and that they had been eepeoially bad this 
year* Shooting azui poieonlng wae resorted to but these ueasures brought 
only moderate sucoess* 
jlre* C* W* Turner above Citrus Grove stated that blackbirds had been 
iBttoh worse this past year than In 1916* In the spring of 1916 all of the 
farmers in that region by agreement had poisoned the blaokbircs at sowing 
tiise in the spring* This so reduced the niuBbers of the birds that there 
was little trouble the following fall* In 1917 these measui'&s were not 
adopted and the birds had again beoomo abundant* Blackbirds had been so 
bad this past season that it had boon necessary to protect certain shocks 
a 
of choice rice desired for seed by throwing sacking over them* 
s 
A* ?* Johnson* a merchant in Citrus Grove* stated that his customers 
had made many complaints of damage by blackbirds this past year and that 
he had sold mors amnunltion to be used against them than usual* One mem 
had purchased ahedls to the amount of ^40*00* 
I* 0* hoborta of Wadsworth stated that in that vicinity the destruc- 
tion of the nests of blaokbirds was a common practice in order to aid in 
keeping down the numbers of these birds* 
Similar statomeuts were mdo by a numoor of other rioe-growers but 
need not to inoorporatod here as if this were done it vvould lead to need- 
et 
less repltion* 
A 
From all accounts it see^aed that alight damage was done to the rice 
crop at planting and after the grain had sprouted* Beroue damage ocgaa 
when the rice reached tlie milk stage in its development and ooutinued un- 
til the grain was finally harvested* hxoept in a few oases no detailed 
estimates of the amount of damage inflicted by blackbirds could be made 
as the birds were working in the fields over such an extended period of time* 
