VOL. XIX.
v.-
\ •
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, JULY 5,1884.
NO. 27.
fr:>s ff-r the Indiana Farmer.
ARE OWLS BENEFICIAL TO THE
FARMER?
Also Notes on the Species Inhabiting Indiana.
BV FLETCHER M. NOE.
Tb.-*1 is mi inclination on the part of
Marly every farmer lo kill or destroy
tirry mc ml >er of the owl family that can
l<. mini, upon the supposition that they
J«:niy u|><m every possiblo occasion any
tsirary barnyard fowl that comes within
tl.irmu-li. This Is not strictly true, for
»V.!i.nish tlio great-horned owl will now
tt. I ih. ii whon pressed for provender at-
u-k achicken, they will only do so when
I'.htr means of providing a supper have
[j-xvl  fruitless.   This  is particularly so
• _»n tin* weather is extremely severe.
I have l-eiii told by sevoral reliable ob-
*»r*rrs tlmt the little red owl (ftn^i „iin)
> i'l rnlcr a hennery at night and roost on
ib» same perch with the other fowls. As
!j.fjri.t.jist ilocs not seem to be plunder,
ih.ir motive in doing this is not easily nn-
.!.r.„-sl, but it may lie explained on the
iT'iintl that as theso owls are very affee-
•,. nttennd easily domesticated their ob-
*. i is in have companionship.
A* a proof that owls do not depend upon
l,r!«ass means of livelihood I will state
that during tlie winter of 1SS.'? and the
t; ring of lssl, I carefully illsseetod over
:*inw!saiul mado an examination of the
•vniai-li nf each, and found traces of birds
jn Iut one or two instances, and they were
*,-.->]l liinls, probably sparrows. The
■i.ni.v.isof all the others contained re-
_»insof mice and rats, the average num-
t-r contained in each being three; the
V_W number found in any single bird
«ii. 1 am thoroughly satisfied that one or
iTiipair* of owls will if protected effect-
.t»!t ri'l a farm of mice in a short time.
Will not a number of farmers whose
ii^.ls an.l barns .ire overrun with mice trill, experiment of letting the owls have
!j*s» rinse over their farms for a fow
snaths- and report the result to the Iniii-
»ii Karmeu?
TT.« following is a general description of
-.»family of StrUti'ltr (the owls) by which
-■vfif the family can be easily distin-
rit«hrtl: Head very large, shortened
«r.hwiso, and greatly expanded lateral-
■y. Tb*' face" thus formed is further de-
Svl liy a more or less complete "rulT" or
'sr-'.n nf radiating feathers of peculiar
'«:_r.on each side. Eyes very large,
"kins (lire*'tly forward, surrounded by
• cmlptof bristly feathers. External ears,
•.ir-rnely large, often provided with a
5". t«1,1p tup. Hill very thick and strong,
*"k*l at end, base of bill thickly set
»;A r]r>-e pressed bristly feathers; nos-
•-*-"'lirse; nuter toe versatile; claws very
*'-ui' »nil strong. The general plumage is
•'rysn.t and lax, rendering the flight al-
r st noiseless, like the mincing step of a
'tis. The feathers on the forehead are
''vsulnntrated into earlike tufts,
A* i. well known, owls are eminently
*"■"*.irn»l birds, but to this rule there are
i"--..mm striking exceptions. This gen-
•"•.hahit is correspondent to themodifi-
"«•*'» of the eyes, the size and structure
'?»_kh enable the birds to see by night
and cause them to suffer from the glare of
the sunlight. Most species pass the daytime secreted in hollow trees or dense
foliage and other dusky retreats, resuming
their wonted activity after nightfall.
Owls feed "entirely" on animal substances, aud capture their prey alive.small
birds, quadrupeds, reptiles and insects being their usual diet. Like most birds of
this class they eject from the mouth after
a meal, the Ix-nes, hair, feathers and other
indigestible substances mado up into a
round pellet. The female, as a rule, is
larger than the male, but tho sexes are
mostly alike in color. The nest is a rude
affair, composed of sticks and leaves, gathered in various places of diurnal resort.
The eggs are usually threo to six in number and whito.
The representatives of the family in Indiana aro:
1. The barn owl (scientific name girls
jtitmmrtt. filris means "a night bird" and
Jin in men "llanio-colored",) color, tawny or
fulvous brown, delicately clouded or marbled with ash and white, and specked
with brownish-black below, a varying
shade from nearly pure white to fulvous,
with sparse sharp blackish speckling; faco
white to purplish-brown, darker or black
about the eyes, the disc liorilered with
dark brown; wings and tail barred with
brown and finely mottled like the back;
bill whitish; toes yellowish. Facial disc
highly developed, not circular; no ear
tufts, ears very largo; leg below knee
long and scantily feathered, feathers being more liko bristles than anything else;
entiro plumage very soft. Not common
in Indiana. 1 have received threo specimens of this bird this winter, which were
shot near Bridgeport, Ind.
2. Oroat-horned owl (Rttbo Virrjincann.*
from Bubo, a horned owl, and virgineanus
Virginian) also called "cat or hoot owl."
This is the largest owl found in Indiana
and is very powerful, often making havoc
among tho barnyard fowls, but this it
never does unless pressed for food. Tliis
owl has conspicuous ear tufts, the feathers
composing them being usually blank. The
plumage varies interminably and no concise description will meet all its phases; it
is a variegation of blackish, with dark and
light-brown markings. I have had specimens of this owl which failed to show any
trace whatever of light colored feathers,
while in others the lighter feathers predominate*!. They are very savago and can
inflict severe wounds with their talons and
l>eaks when crippled. It is almost Impossible to tame them, although tho rest of
the species are easily domesticated. It
breeds in late' winter or early spring
months, building a large nest of sticks on
the branches, or in the hollows of trees,
eggs whito and nearly spherical.
3. Screech owl, red owl, mottled owls,
(Sroj).. ttxia Irom Scop* screech owl and
(Mia a horned owl). This owl is very much
like the one just described, but smaller in
size, being eight to ten inches long. Tills
bird has two distinct styles of plumage,
that bear no definite relation to age, sex or
season. One plumage, general aspoct*
brownish-red with sharp black streaks;
below rufous white; variegated quills and
tail with rufous and dark bars. Another,
general aspect, gray, paler or whitish below,- above speckled with blackish, below
patched  with   the same;   wings and tail,
dark barred, usually a lightish scapular
area. This owl is quite common and is
easily tamed, rather deeming to liko cage
life.
■1. Long-eared owl, Otutt rtilijanx, (from
iitii.i, a horned owl, and rii/./nii.v, common.)
Oeneral plumage, on bark a variegation of
dark brown, fulvous and whitish: breast
more fulvous, belly whiler.foriner sharply
striped, and latter striped and elaborately
barred with blackish; tail mottled and
closely barred with fulvous and dark
brown; faco pale, with black markings
under eye; bill anil claws dark, nearly
black; ear tufts long aud conspicuous; ear
parts very large, having a semi-circular
Hap of great size. This owl is found in
meadows at nearly all times of day or
night engaged in the capture of mice and
other small animals. Thoy are very plentiful in the southern part of the State.
.1. Marred owl Suritium vcliulii-siiiii (from
Siirtiiinii, nn owl, and ii.lniliisniii, cloudy).
Tils owl differs from any known owl in
having black eyes instead of yellow, as in
all other kinds of this class. It has no ear
tufts and is cinereous-brown In color.
The whole plumage is closely barred with
*\1>14<_,-whence it* nauic, It ix not common iu Indiana, although I have hail five
this   winter that  were shot near this city.
li. Hawk owl, (day owl, fi.tnii.t tilitht,
tar. Iluilmini.ti, from .Vir ••»/.., an owl,tf/irf.r,
that hoots, ami llinlstniiiit, from Hudson
river or bay). This bird is found in Indiana but is not common, Its range being restricted more to the Northern Stales. In
color it is a dark brown altovnand generally thickly speckled with white; below
closely barred with brown anil whitish,
the throat alone being streaked; quills,find
tall have numerous white bars. The face,
which is an ashy color, Is liorilered with a
frlngeof black feathers. The tailof this bird
is longer In proportion to the size of the
body than any of tho rest ofthe family; in
fact, this bird nearer approaches a hawk
than an owl. It is not at all nocturnal in
its habits, but ranges abroad at all times,
seeming to preferdayllghtinslcad of night
for hunting its prey.
7. Short-eared owl (Otv* lirachyolii-i,
Um. Strph, from (Mux, a horned owl, and
brneliyntn*, a short eared). This owl is
abundant in most of Indiana, and in size
and form somewhat resembles the long-
eared owl described al>ove, but of different
color, the breast and upper parts lieing
broadly and thickly streaked, with dark
brown l*elly, usually streaked with Mme,
also a blackish patch under eye. The ear
tufts are small and Inconspicuous having
but few feathers.
8. Tlie snowy owl (Xyctrii vivca, Slrp.
Xyclca, nocturnal, and virca, snowy,) is
frequently found in Indiana, and it has
lieen claimed that it breeds In the northern
part of the Slate, but I do not think this
has lieen proven to a certainty and therefore in the altsenco of any positive proof
It cannot l*e classed among the fauna of
tho State. This bird is nearly pure white,
although some have light brown markings, and Is very large in size. A full
grown specimen measures two feet in
length. The eyos are small in proportion
to tho size of tho bird. Tlie plumage is
very heavy, the feet l»eing entirely covered with soft long feathers.
Indianapolis.
THICKS WITH GRAIN.
In the June numlier of "drain," a grain
dealer and miller's paper, published in this
city, we find tho following remarks upon
the meeting of grain dealers held here
June 12th. They were not intended for
farmer readers, but will have a special interest to them an.l will lie of profit to many
of them.
"Thesyslem of undorgradingand corrupt
inspection is a swindle upon the buna fid,'
purchaser, and a premium to every fanner
to adulterate his productions. Wheat has
but one ultimate use, and that Is Into Hour,
anil iU value Is directly dependent ujvin its
tlour-niaking capacity. To bate it upon
another value ls to swindle some one In
the long line of purchasers, from the lield
to the bakery. The dealer has no direct
Interest whether a bushel of wheat contains
.VI i*oun<ls of wheat and 10 pounilsof chaff,
cockle or cheat, so long as he can sell the
(Ul pounds at the same price he can sell lid
pounds of pure wheat. The farmer, of
course, If he can sell the mixture, will not
attempt to sell it pure, for as things go, he
can get as much for ono as for the other.
Itut the miller not only can make no commensurate use of the adulterations, bnt. is
put to considerable expense separating
thorn.
"Many farmers make tt a practice to buy
the millers' screenings for no other purpose than to put them back Into wheat,
nml if the local miller refuses to recognize
it as a milling quality, he well sell it to
tho grain dealer, or If the regular dealer
will not accept it, will sell it to a scalper,
who will semlitto that market having
tho lowest grade, where it is passed, say as
No. 'i, ami the buyer at a distance, who accepts tho Inspector's ccrtilleate that the
grade represents a certain value In flour, is
swindled when he finds that it is a grade
or two too high. Instances aro not isolated
of such transactions, but In fact havo grown
into common practice."
This is news to us. If true the practice
should lie severely condemned by all honest men.
"A time has c/nne upon tho country
when it will require the very best efforts
of fanners, dealers and millers, to enable
them to even retain their ground iu foreign market.*, anil it may only bo dono by
furnishing an article that may be taken
on its grade without fear of fraud, and
without tho expenses of undue separation
of impurity. Tlie farmer has grown care-
loss; ho does not exercise care, either in
selecting his seed, Improving his tillage or
threshing or separating his grain. II his
threshing machines have tho latest separating attachments, he takes them out,and
lowers the quality of his grain. Ho im- :
poverishes the soil by continual cropping,
and he Impoverishes tho vitality of his
soed by successive replanting, until he can
get but tho low average of 11 bushels of
very poor wheat to tho acre. Iteform In
this matter Is very difficult, and should
proceed from all Interested in the grain
trade."
A Mammoth pie-plant leaf has lieen left
us by Asher Kellum, of Hendricks county
Tlio measurements are 43 inches In length
or (52 inchesjlncluding stalk, and 37 Inches
in width. Tho stalk at thickest part is 5J4
inches around. Mr. Kellum names it the
Jas. U. Maine variety.