165 
PARK AND CEMETERY 
and pulled over until it is in a horizontal posi- 
tion. The remaining portion of the wagon is then 
attached. Drying of the roots during transit is pre- 
vented by a covering of wet burlaps. In planting these 
stages of procedure are undertaken in reverse order 
and the tree supported in a vertical position until filling 
and tamping of the soil has advanced to a stage when 
the truck may be removed without causing the tree to 
settle or tilt. 
A second method is especially suitable if transpor- 
tation is for but a short distance. Expense probably 
deters to a large extent its more general adoption. 
When properly utilized it is the best method with 
which we are familiar. It consists of excavating a trench 
encircling the tree at the distance from the trunk 
in a manner to leave all the roots undisturbed. Six 
tunnels are then dug underneath the ball of earth 
attached to the roots. Three of these extend trans- 
versely to the others. Timbers long enough to reach 
from one end to the other are then placed in these 
tunnels. After shoring the timbers the unsupported 
area of the base of the hall are securely blocked up, 
using timbers for supports of this blocking. Tree, 
earth and blockings are then elevated by ordinary 
building movers’ jack screws. The moving is done by 
rollers or “shoes,” and a windlass exactly like a house 
is ordinarily moved. A mulch of straw or other suit- 
able material is spread over the surface of the ball of 
earth and the sides protected by moist canvas. 
Emil T. Mische. 
THE SPARROW. 
From Bulletin No. 8, New Enjyland Association of Park Superin- 
tendents. 
Last spring there came to our Beardsley Park sev- 
eral varieties of very beautiful birds, ranging in size 
from the Oriole to the Wren, most of them with 
bright and varied hues and pretty songs. But they 
disappeared in three or four weeks, killed or driven 
away, I believe, by that most pestiferous, pugnacious, 
dirty-looking, offal-eating sparrow. It is to be regret- 
ted that something is not being done to destroy this 
vicious little land pirate. Remedies have been tried, 
but many of them are open to objections. Destroying 
the nests of these birds, and a judicious use of poisoned 
wheat would greatly diminish their numbers and the 
summer birds would return to our parks and opens 
and live upon their natural food, the insect, which is 
playing such havoc with our vegetation. — Chas. E. 
Keith, Bridgeport, Conn. 
Our merry Bridgeport friend certainly is out on the 
warpath — he means it for the park loafer, not the poor, 
little, hard-working sparrow. Don’t blame it to the 
sparrow; it is the climate of Bridgeport. Probably 
none of the birds missed by Mr. Keith would stay in 
Bridgeport in summer, even if the sparrows could be 
banished and the freedom of the city thrown in ; or, 
perhaps the sparrows leave such poor pickings that 
they are driven to the north. Now the Boston sparrow 
can be seen at almost any time struggling with big 
moths, or picking up “any old thing” in the way of a 
creeper or a crawler. When looking for the little fel- 
low’s virtues, don’t put the large end of the glass to 
3^our eye. He is courageous, cheerful, industrious, 
companionable ; he stays to help brighten our winter 
days with his friendly chatter ; he is a devoted mate 
and parent ; more important than all, he eats and de- 
stroys insects or eggs of insects injurious to vep-eta- 
tion. Long live the sparrow ! — J. A. Pettigrew, Bos- 
ton, Mass. 
* * * 
I cordially agree with Mr. Pettigrew that the Eng- 
lish sparrow is more sinned against than sinning. 
They say he drives away the singing birds. I don’t 
believe it. Certainly not in the arboretum where the 
sparrows, robins, thrushes, blue birds, quail and all 
birds work in perfect harmony with one another, all 
doing their particular part. While he polices the road- 
way he also does his share in the grub business. I 
often see them tackling large grubs and even cater- 
pillars of large size. I like to see this hardy little fel- 
low who stays with us winter and summer amid storm 
and sunshine, always seemingly contented with his 
lot and doing his part of the work. He reminds me 
of those hardy pioneers who first came to this country 
who had the perseverance and pluck to winter out the 
storms and hardships and build up a nation like no 
other on earth. They came to stay. 
Jackson Dawson, Boston, Mass. 
^ ^ sK >1^ 
Apropos of the above discussion. Dr. Sylvester 
Judd, Biologist of the Department of Agriculture, has 
developed some interesting facts from a study of more 
than 4,000 English and American sparrows, which are 
published in a pamphlet of the Department. He has 
come to the conclusion that the native sparrow is a 
valuable bird, and should be sheltered and protected, 
but that his English cousin is a pernicious and useless 
consumer of valuable grain and useful bugs. An ex- 
amination of the stomachs of the two birds, shows 
that the American sparrow selects his food largely 
from noxious weeds and insect pests, while the taste 
of the English bird runs toward fruit, grain, and 
other things that man is trying to cultivate. Mr. Judd 
says that there are 22 species of sparrow^s in this 
country which have valuable traits, and calls the 
American sparrow the farmer’s friend. 
His economic value, says Dr. Judd, is greater than 
that of any other bird whose commercial usefulness 
has been investigated by the department. 
