Bird's Berries And Barrow's Birds

In its report of the State Horticultura! Society meeting in that city, tlie Adrián Times has this paragrapb: 'This was foUowed by 'The Neglected and Dejected Raspïerry,' by W. F. Bhd, OL Ann Arbor. He spoke of the vicisitudes through whieh v.hi-s truit hac". passed, and menf.oned reasona or many oí its failures. The tree cricket is the worst insect pest, white anthracno.se and the curl leal are dis-eases. Mr. Bird descrifoed all the:-. e and the remedies used. He preierred the Cathbert and MaïUoro. He eonsidered that proper care and cultivaron would brhig its due reward. "The three berries were discussed at length." i , lowing the above was a brief report of another important paper : -Prol Walter B. Barrows, zoologist and geo'.ogist oí the Michigan agricultura! college, gave an entertaining and instructive talk on 'Bird'a in Horticulture.' Mr. Barrows is a ready ■talker, and brimful of a practical knowledge of his subject. He gave the foUowing list of birds in the order of their importance. with which the fruit grower has to coatend : Bobm, chrry bird, red-headed woodpecker, English sparrow, Baltimore oriole. brown thrush, cat bird, goldenwiaged woodpecker, crow bïackliird. bluebird and the common crow. Of these the first five are perhaps the only ones worthy of special notice. ■The robin is still a question of honest doubt. He would not advocate its killing as it undoubtedly eats many Insecta! Kxaminations o? the contenta oí gizzarde and crops of birds made at Washington, and the resuli have been very important in determining what birds shou-d be spared. AVhi e many species eat buds yei it is found that those buds contaiu worms or eggs, wWcU 's the thing the birds are aft er. Tlie English sparrow is atoaolute1- worthless. He advocatéd lts v, holesale polsoning. Hè datai ed his method oí doing the work o as to avoid possibiUty oí harm -.o other species. He has found the gizzard of the sparrow ful! oí buds, but not one timo in a hundred had he discovereè. injurious insects therein. Tlie cherry bird will eat cherries, but he had repeatedly fpund that it bat! devoured immense quantitles of ttful insects and cankerworms, aland beetles oí vile taste and i doi whicli other birds absolutely refused to touch. Other birds liad good qualities that tended to offset their voracity or fruit. A stuffed hawk perched on a pole il' ïor a ti:ne keep o'.her birds away. H'; undersbood a stuff ed eat would answer the same pui-pose. Very coarsc mesh nets of white string placed above small fruits will almost invariably keep birds off. 'Prof. Barrows illustrated his talk ■n ith mounted specimens oí the birds üi question."