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wrttuo far tt» I Farmers Misjudged Friends By H. S. Chamberlain. The chicken hawk, ordinarily despised |,v the farmer because of his depredations upon domestic fowls scarcely ever re- , eives credit for the good service he actually renders. The common opinion that this bird of prey subsists, for the most part upon barnyard poultry, is :i mistake. As a matter of fact he derives the ..-router share of his food from the.capture of small mammals, like mice, chipmunks and squirrels, and from preying npon smaller birds. Many of these creatures are destructive to the farmer's crops nnd any decrease in tlieir numbers must necessarily prove beneficial. The sparrow hawk, quite a common hird of prey, is a true friend of the farmer in thnt lie, like the owl, is an expert ns*user. Often he may be be seen hovering over a certain place in some field, then Mnl.lonly swooping down ami flying away with 11 struggling mouse in his talons. He may occasionally kill some of our wild feathered songsters, when mice are scarce, but he is worthy of respect because his chief food is the field mouse. Among the wild mammals common in our country, a number have fallen into disrepute with the farmer, just as many ol the birds have done and for similar reasons. Field mice quite detrimental to the fanner's welfare, strange as it may appear, are in an indirect way, helpful to his interests. The nests, of these lit tle animals, prepared in* the summer as their family home, become in the following springtime the habitations of families of bumble-bees, and so continue throughout the summer season. It is now generally accepted that these humble, yet combative fellows are necessary to the well being of clover by their help in* the pollination of its blossoms, thereby insuring seed production. As these bees fly from one clover bloom to another they distribute the fertilizing pollen which clings to their feet, bodies and probosces. So without field mice and their nests, for the majority of bumble bees' homes are made from these, and without the bumble-bee himself the farmer would be at a loss for his general purpose clover crop and good fertile clover seed. Here are two erstwhile enemies of the farmer turned friends, when their mission is understood. Of all four footed wild creatures found upon the farm none perhaps is given a wider berth nor so heartily discredited, and fur well known reasons, than the skunk. He has the reputation of a fondness for poultry in season* and out and he deserves some discredit on tbis account. Vet. notwithstanding, these facts he is a valuable insect destroyer; for his food consists principally of these pests, and vast quantities of them are devoured o\cry year by this animal. Nature evidently fitted him for the purpose of exterminating insects harmful to vegetation, and not for robbing hen roosts. This Ir.ttor habit sooms only a dangerous pastime with him. Then the mink and the weasel are in* a certain sense cunning enemies of the farmer and do much wanton damage at times to the birds of the Harm yard, is well known*, but we can overlook all this when we learn that they have instincts and traits wbich class them as real helpers of the agriculturist. These lithe creatures are persistent hunters of small game, trailing their ■;ti*»rry with all the cunning and ingenuity rained hunting dog, until they overtake and kill it. They are the bitterest enemies of rats and mice, and soon rid farm buildings and their locality of these pestiferous rodents. Aside from danger to the hen roosts from these animals, it is of decided advantage to have a weasel or mink around a grain stack, mow, corn crib or granary. Their presence is made known by the scarcity or total absence of rats and mice. I's.ially farmers try every means in papers, attending township institutes, preparing for the same, occupied my entire time. Retrenchment and economy is all right but for the childrens' sake do not commence with the teacher. I am a tax payor myself in a small way, but I do not begrudge the small amount of tuition tax I pay. Compare salaries of the teachers with those of any other profession, nnd you will tind thoy are the poorest paid of all. Just think of a physi- Lelter From A Bird Lover. Kdltors Indiana Farmer "No uso trying to write this morning until a cerlaiu pleasing duty is performed," I exclaimed as I threw down my pen, and after making a raid on the broad box went oui lo stop the clamor of 50 noisy little throats, whoso **wiiors remembered, and who wore trying to remind me that they bail no breakfast this wintry morn- tug, although 1 had forgotten the fiact. I did not begin feeding my birds until the lirst mow fell, tot I wauled llioni to consume the weed s Is I, it standing in certain neglected sU last year. Incredible as it may™' 'in, on that lirst white morning ,'E. k of birds, lilue- Fnnu Home of F. J. Hayden, near Fort Wayne, Indiana. their power to capture and kill any of these furry helpers, without appreciating the benefits they really bring about. The destruction of either bird or animal, for reason of any little harm they may have wrought, without some consideration of their value as partners in the farmers work, seems to be a mistake. The mission of the ceatures mentioned in this and our previous writing is not one of destruction and injury to the farmer, but on the whole, one of conservation and helpfulness. TEACHERS' SALARIES. Editors Indiana Farmer In your valuable paper I saw an article by Mr. W. It. Abraham regarding the salaries of teachers. He quoted from the report of State Supterintendent Cotton, giving the average of $44.'?.50; this for the term ot seven months, would amount to 983.85 per month quite a princely salary indeed. He says he taught four years, and was satisfied with his salary, but does not state why he left the work. I suppose for something that would pay him better. I am surprised that any one whjo had ever taught would speak of six hours as a day's work. True that is the time employed in the school room, but the work does not stop there. I can speak from experience, for I too taught in the schools of Indiana, and I can truly say that tho day's work did not end with six hours. Preparing the lessons for next day, selecting questions for examination, correcting examination cian of lawyer laboring for $(53 a month. I contend that it costs as much to prepare for teaching as for any other calling. All honor to the army of 16,587 teachers of Indiana, their compensation can not be computed in dollars and cents, but in the lives and hearts of a grateful people. J. C. Lilly. Pierceton. According to the recent figures, German imports of wheat in the year 1901 amounted to $04,7-11,000. of which the United States supplied $41,289,750, or nearly two- thirds. Argentina supplied only $7,- 888,600 of wheat to Germany in 1901, but furnished $19,606,700 in 1904. Russia furnished $161,221,750 in* 1901 and $30,341,250 in 1901. Germany bought $20,508,000 worth of corn from the fruited States in 1901..but took only $4,- s.". 1.500 in 1904. Argentina's shipments of corn to Germany more than doubled iu the throe years, growing from $3.sr,K,500 to $7,088,750. When the new Herman tariff goes into effect, the United States will be Rhut out ,entirely, and the great Oerman market will be supplied by our competitors, Argentina, Russia and ther countries. The American farmer is among the highest type of citizens that our country affords. As I general thing he owns his .\vn farm, is independent so far as food production is concerned and living close to nature begets in him a large degree of honesty, seldom found among men in other callings. jays, sparrows iin.lg.' neon, gathered on the trees ami Iowa wing shrubs, just outside the identic!)**" indow whore they were accustomed t sceive their morning meal last winti nd for many previous winters. ~ No need to toll.,,, that my birds do not know and remember their friends and tin* honey places where they are sure of Rood and pr..lection. For lour Consecutive winters throe blue- jays have haunted ihis s.*if same window on wintry mornings, and liave feasted on the food placed within their roach. Three Une ju>s. no more, no loss, for four consecutive winters. Can any one convince me that they aro not the identical birds, returning each winter to the spot where thoy know a warm wek e and something more substantial awaits them? What saucy, n.'isy. naughty, lovable fellows tbey are my three blue jays, with a hint of the ohm.Is and llie sky iu their beautiful plumage 1 Thoy imagine themselves great thieves, too, and it is truly .livening to watch thom make-believe Ihey aro Stealing the food thoy so (eagerly and impatiently watched me scatter for thoir use. How thoy Butter and scold until I am safe behind the window-curtains, from which vantage ground I watch them as they scont and peer, an.l peck about, bopping nearer aud nearer the COTeted food, one eye on the window as though their direful enemy were hidden there, the other ou the biggest crust,— they invariably choose the largest piece for themselves, their heads turned this way and that, until thoy convince themselves that thoir imaginary' enemy is out of reach, and then, with a flash, they make a final dash and are away with their treasure, which they hide in some secret spot for future use, returning is an iu- . redibly short period of time to re|nat the same mauoouvor again and again, as long as I crust remains. Ry their actions 1 am reminded of Lowell's beautiful lines about the oriole: "Hush! 'tis he! My oriole! my gleam of summer fire; It came at last, and ovor on the watch. Twitches the pack-thread I had lightly wound About the bough to help his himself raping. Twitches and scouts, l.y turns, blessing his luck. Yet fearing me who placed it in his way. Nor more than wiser wo, in our affairs, Divine the providence tlmt hides nnd heipf. In the meantime the sparrows and Junes have attained strictly to the busi- tm ss of taking their breakfast from the ground. Sometimes n*iy robbers carry away so much of the food that a second supply is necessary for tho smaller birds. On this particular morning, "Texas HI," my Scotch Collie, seeing me scatter Continued on page 24.
Object Description
Title | Indiana farmer, 1906, v. 61, no. 05 (Feb. 3) |
Purdue Identification Number | INFA6105 |
Date of Original | 1906 |
Subjects (LCSH) |
Agriculture Farm management Horticulture Agricultural machinery |
Subjects (NALT) |
agriculture farm management horticulture agricultural machinery and equipment |
Genre | Periodical |
Call Number of Original | 630.5 In2 |
Location of Original | Hicks Repository |
Coverage | United States - Indiana |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Collection Title | Indiana Farmer |
Rights Statement | Content in the Indiana Farmer Collection is in the public domain (published before 1923) or lacks a known copyright holder. Digital images in the collection may be used for educational, non-commercial, or not-for-profit purposes. |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Date Digitized | 2011-01-25 |
Digitization Information | Original scanned at 300 ppi on a Bookeye 3 scanner using internal software. Display images generated in CONTENTdm as JP2000s; file format for archival copy is uncompressed TIF format. |
Description
Title | Page 1 |
Subjects (LCSH) |
Agriculture Farm management Horticulture Agricultural machinery |
Subjects (NALT) |
agriculture farm management horticulture agricultural machinery and equipment |
Genre | Periodical |
Call Number of Original | 630.5 In2 |
Location of Original | Hicks Repository |
Coverage | Indiana |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Collection Title | Indiana Farmer |
Rights Statement | Content in the Indiana Farmer Collection is in the public domain (published before 1923) or lacks a known copyright holder. Digital images in the collection may be used for educational, non-commercial, or non-for-profit purposes. |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Digitization Information | Orignal scanned at 300 ppi on a Bookeye 3 scanner using internal software. Display images generated in CONTENTdm as JP2000s; file format for archival copy is uncompressed TIF format. |
Transcript | wrttuo far tt» I Farmers Misjudged Friends By H. S. Chamberlain. The chicken hawk, ordinarily despised |,v the farmer because of his depredations upon domestic fowls scarcely ever re- , eives credit for the good service he actually renders. The common opinion that this bird of prey subsists, for the most part upon barnyard poultry, is :i mistake. As a matter of fact he derives the ..-router share of his food from the.capture of small mammals, like mice, chipmunks and squirrels, and from preying npon smaller birds. Many of these creatures are destructive to the farmer's crops nnd any decrease in tlieir numbers must necessarily prove beneficial. The sparrow hawk, quite a common hird of prey, is a true friend of the farmer in thnt lie, like the owl, is an expert ns*user. Often he may be be seen hovering over a certain place in some field, then Mnl.lonly swooping down ami flying away with 11 struggling mouse in his talons. He may occasionally kill some of our wild feathered songsters, when mice are scarce, but he is worthy of respect because his chief food is the field mouse. Among the wild mammals common in our country, a number have fallen into disrepute with the farmer, just as many ol the birds have done and for similar reasons. Field mice quite detrimental to the fanner's welfare, strange as it may appear, are in an indirect way, helpful to his interests. The nests, of these lit tle animals, prepared in* the summer as their family home, become in the following springtime the habitations of families of bumble-bees, and so continue throughout the summer season. It is now generally accepted that these humble, yet combative fellows are necessary to the well being of clover by their help in* the pollination of its blossoms, thereby insuring seed production. As these bees fly from one clover bloom to another they distribute the fertilizing pollen which clings to their feet, bodies and probosces. So without field mice and their nests, for the majority of bumble bees' homes are made from these, and without the bumble-bee himself the farmer would be at a loss for his general purpose clover crop and good fertile clover seed. Here are two erstwhile enemies of the farmer turned friends, when their mission is understood. Of all four footed wild creatures found upon the farm none perhaps is given a wider berth nor so heartily discredited, and fur well known reasons, than the skunk. He has the reputation of a fondness for poultry in season* and out and he deserves some discredit on tbis account. Vet. notwithstanding, these facts he is a valuable insect destroyer; for his food consists principally of these pests, and vast quantities of them are devoured o\cry year by this animal. Nature evidently fitted him for the purpose of exterminating insects harmful to vegetation, and not for robbing hen roosts. This Ir.ttor habit sooms only a dangerous pastime with him. Then the mink and the weasel are in* a certain sense cunning enemies of the farmer and do much wanton damage at times to the birds of the Harm yard, is well known*, but we can overlook all this when we learn that they have instincts and traits wbich class them as real helpers of the agriculturist. These lithe creatures are persistent hunters of small game, trailing their ■;ti*»rry with all the cunning and ingenuity rained hunting dog, until they overtake and kill it. They are the bitterest enemies of rats and mice, and soon rid farm buildings and their locality of these pestiferous rodents. Aside from danger to the hen roosts from these animals, it is of decided advantage to have a weasel or mink around a grain stack, mow, corn crib or granary. Their presence is made known by the scarcity or total absence of rats and mice. I's.ially farmers try every means in papers, attending township institutes, preparing for the same, occupied my entire time. Retrenchment and economy is all right but for the childrens' sake do not commence with the teacher. I am a tax payor myself in a small way, but I do not begrudge the small amount of tuition tax I pay. Compare salaries of the teachers with those of any other profession, nnd you will tind thoy are the poorest paid of all. Just think of a physi- Lelter From A Bird Lover. Kdltors Indiana Farmer "No uso trying to write this morning until a cerlaiu pleasing duty is performed," I exclaimed as I threw down my pen, and after making a raid on the broad box went oui lo stop the clamor of 50 noisy little throats, whoso **wiiors remembered, and who wore trying to remind me that they bail no breakfast this wintry morn- tug, although 1 had forgotten the fiact. I did not begin feeding my birds until the lirst mow fell, tot I wauled llioni to consume the weed s Is I, it standing in certain neglected sU last year. Incredible as it may™' 'in, on that lirst white morning ,'E. k of birds, lilue- Fnnu Home of F. J. Hayden, near Fort Wayne, Indiana. their power to capture and kill any of these furry helpers, without appreciating the benefits they really bring about. The destruction of either bird or animal, for reason of any little harm they may have wrought, without some consideration of their value as partners in the farmers work, seems to be a mistake. The mission of the ceatures mentioned in this and our previous writing is not one of destruction and injury to the farmer, but on the whole, one of conservation and helpfulness. TEACHERS' SALARIES. Editors Indiana Farmer In your valuable paper I saw an article by Mr. W. It. Abraham regarding the salaries of teachers. He quoted from the report of State Supterintendent Cotton, giving the average of $44.'?.50; this for the term ot seven months, would amount to 983.85 per month quite a princely salary indeed. He says he taught four years, and was satisfied with his salary, but does not state why he left the work. I suppose for something that would pay him better. I am surprised that any one whjo had ever taught would speak of six hours as a day's work. True that is the time employed in the school room, but the work does not stop there. I can speak from experience, for I too taught in the schools of Indiana, and I can truly say that tho day's work did not end with six hours. Preparing the lessons for next day, selecting questions for examination, correcting examination cian of lawyer laboring for $(53 a month. I contend that it costs as much to prepare for teaching as for any other calling. All honor to the army of 16,587 teachers of Indiana, their compensation can not be computed in dollars and cents, but in the lives and hearts of a grateful people. J. C. Lilly. Pierceton. According to the recent figures, German imports of wheat in the year 1901 amounted to $04,7-11,000. of which the United States supplied $41,289,750, or nearly two- thirds. Argentina supplied only $7,- 888,600 of wheat to Germany in 1901, but furnished $19,606,700 in 1904. Russia furnished $161,221,750 in* 1901 and $30,341,250 in 1901. Germany bought $20,508,000 worth of corn from the fruited States in 1901..but took only $4,- s.". 1.500 in 1904. Argentina's shipments of corn to Germany more than doubled iu the throe years, growing from $3.sr,K,500 to $7,088,750. When the new Herman tariff goes into effect, the United States will be Rhut out ,entirely, and the great Oerman market will be supplied by our competitors, Argentina, Russia and ther countries. The American farmer is among the highest type of citizens that our country affords. As I general thing he owns his .\vn farm, is independent so far as food production is concerned and living close to nature begets in him a large degree of honesty, seldom found among men in other callings. jays, sparrows iin.lg.' neon, gathered on the trees ami Iowa wing shrubs, just outside the identic!)**" indow whore they were accustomed t sceive their morning meal last winti nd for many previous winters. ~ No need to toll.,,, that my birds do not know and remember their friends and tin* honey places where they are sure of Rood and pr..lection. For lour Consecutive winters throe blue- jays have haunted ihis s.*if same window on wintry mornings, and liave feasted on the food placed within their roach. Three Une ju>s. no more, no loss, for four consecutive winters. Can any one convince me that they aro not the identical birds, returning each winter to the spot where thoy know a warm wek e and something more substantial awaits them? What saucy, n.'isy. naughty, lovable fellows tbey are my three blue jays, with a hint of the ohm.Is and llie sky iu their beautiful plumage 1 Thoy imagine themselves great thieves, too, and it is truly .livening to watch thom make-believe Ihey aro Stealing the food thoy so (eagerly and impatiently watched me scatter for thoir use. How thoy Butter and scold until I am safe behind the window-curtains, from which vantage ground I watch them as they scont and peer, an.l peck about, bopping nearer aud nearer the COTeted food, one eye on the window as though their direful enemy were hidden there, the other ou the biggest crust,— they invariably choose the largest piece for themselves, their heads turned this way and that, until thoy convince themselves that thoir imaginary' enemy is out of reach, and then, with a flash, they make a final dash and are away with their treasure, which they hide in some secret spot for future use, returning is an iu- . redibly short period of time to re|nat the same mauoouvor again and again, as long as I crust remains. Ry their actions 1 am reminded of Lowell's beautiful lines about the oriole: "Hush! 'tis he! My oriole! my gleam of summer fire; It came at last, and ovor on the watch. Twitches the pack-thread I had lightly wound About the bough to help his himself raping. Twitches and scouts, l.y turns, blessing his luck. Yet fearing me who placed it in his way. Nor more than wiser wo, in our affairs, Divine the providence tlmt hides nnd heipf. In the meantime the sparrows and Junes have attained strictly to the busi- tm ss of taking their breakfast from the ground. Sometimes n*iy robbers carry away so much of the food that a second supply is necessary for tho smaller birds. On this particular morning, "Texas HI," my Scotch Collie, seeing me scatter Continued on page 24. |
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