Economic Value of Birds to Farmers and Fruit 
Growers. 
By Prof. Wm. F. Blackman. 
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 
There are four chief reasons why the 
lives of our birds ought to be protected. 
The first of these reasons is urged by 
the poets and the preachers—the birds are 
beautiful to look at and lovely in song, 
and hence should be cherished; the second 
reason is urged by the sportsmen—game 
birds must be protected in order that they 
may be reasonably abundant during the 
shooting season. The third reason is 
urged by the tourist and those whom he 
supports and enriches—birds along our 
seashores, lakes and river courses, espe¬ 
cially such as are tropical or semi-tropical 
in plumage and habit, give a charm to the 
Florida landscape which is unique; as a 
valuable asset to the hotel keeper, to the 
railway and steamboat company and to all 
those whose livelihood is derived in con¬ 
siderable measure from our winter vis¬ 
itors we should not permit the process of 
extermination of our plumage birds whicn 
has already gone to so deplorable a length 
to continue. 
These three reasons for the protection 
of our Florida birds, are good, all of 
them. But there is a fourth reason, to 
which attention is perhaps less often 
called, but which is no less cogent than 
the others. I refer to the economic value 
of our birds to the farmer and fruit¬ 
grower. It is to this matter that I wish 
to call your attention for a few minutes 
this evening. 
There are three ways in which birds 
perform services of incalculable import¬ 
ance to the tillers of the soil. In the 
first place, they help to keep down nox¬ 
ious weeds; in the second place, they de¬ 
stroy injurious insects; and in the third 
place, they devour rabbits, mice and other 
rodents, which infest and injure the fields 
and the orchards. 
i. Take the matter of noxious weeds 
first. How many plows, harrows, hoes,, 
rakes, darkeys, mules and dollars are ded¬ 
icated to the doleful business of killing 
weeds? How we sweat and groan over 
the task, which forever renews itself^ 
year after year! How do these weeds; 
tempt to profanity? How do they test 
our faith in the divine order of the world? 
Why, we ask, did a good God create “pus- 
ley” and sandspurs? Meantime, millions 
of feathered field-hands are working tire¬ 
lessly from dawn to dark every day to 
“down” these weeds in the gardens; in 
the plowed fields, in the pasture lands 
and ranges, in the woods, everywhere, 
they are at work with keen eye and swift 
wing and sharp bill and voracious appe- 
