HELPFUL AND HARMFUL IOWA BIRDS. 
. BY FRED BERNINGHAUSEN. 
Forty million dollars is the estimated loss annually to the United States 
on account of weeds, according to Prof. Beal, member of the Depart- 
ment of Agriculture. That a generous share of this loss belongs to Iowa 
we must all admit, for Iowa is a great agricultural state. Since such 
is the case it would not seem at all strange if Iowa people should take 
steps to make this loss as small as possible. 
Further than this estimated loss, Iowa has to put up with a loss in 
crops through insects and their work. 
That the loss to the United States and to Iowa through these two 
causes is as small as it is, is due in a large measure to the presence of 
helpful bird friends. For the better protection of these feathered friends 
of the farmer and of all the people in fact, we would solicit your sup- 
port. Before proceeding further let us look into the details a little 
more. Here is what Prof. Judd of the Biological Survey has to say. 
“No less than fifty different birds act as weed destroyers, and the noxious 
plants which they help to eradicate number more than three score species. 
Among these are pigweed, knot-weed, thistle and chickweed.” Prof. 
Beal goes on to say that “It is estimated that the tree sparrows of Iowa 
alone will destroy during the year 875 tons of weed seeds.” Wild 
canaries, and the mourning doves follow in rank as named. Still another 
government authority, W. L. McAtee, gives the robin a high ranking, 
especially as an insect destroyer. According to naturalists every bird 
of the owl family excepting the great horned owl is a helpful bird. 
Some few people hold that all owls are helpful, others say all are harmful, 
but such seems not to be the case, at any rate we can see easily enough 
by the foregoing that “Birds” means money to Iowa. 
Knowing then that our financial welfare is to an appreciable extent 
dependent upon the activities of our bird friends the most natural and 
expected thing for us to do is to set about means to assist them. In so 
far as Iowa has game laws and statutes to prevent the slaughter of her 
native birds, a step has been taken in the right direction, but is this 
enough? Provision has been made to control the hunter with the gun 
