The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923, June 28, 1901, Page 10, Image 10
2!TElIf225 !Twf'W v-'"KTrfTnl,rXTV'VtF The Commoner. 10 & The Usefulness of Hawks. Some weeks ago there appeared in ,Tho Commoner an interesting bulletin regarding the value of birds as insect destroyers. An Ohio reader of The Commonor complained that hawks preyed upon birds and should bo killed. In the course of his lotter he says: "I write this letter to you in hopes your paper with its large circulation over tho whole republic may be able to opon tho oyes of tho public to tho real causo of tho fast decrease of our feathered friends. As I was born and raised near a large city I know some thing about the destruction of birds, both in the suburbs of the city and in tho rural districts. I think I can truly say that for every bird killed by one man one thousand aro killed by other enemios, the hawk being the greatest enemy. Ono hawk will catch from five to twenty birds in one day, and there are not twenty song birds killed in a year by man, in a township. Every township has from 20 to 100 hawks, largo and small. You may call it 20, and ten birds a day apiece makes 200 birds killed in ono day or 73,000 in each township in a year. Twenty-five townships to a county and 88 counties in tho state of Ohio, would make a to tal sum of 151,800,000, the number of birds killed in ono year for a single state. The only wonder is that there is a bird left; and they do get so scavce that tho hawks have to visitHho poul try yards. Tho farmers notice that some seasons the hawks hardly bother tho poultry at all, while at other sea sons tho loss of poultry is something amazing. "Now if Professor Brunor wants to do something practical towards saving from destruction all of the birds, he wants to use influence to havo the leg islatures of states pass laws to place bounties on tho killing of hawks. Wo had a lqw pf that kind in Ohio a few years ago. A bounty of fifty cents each was paid for hawks' heads, and the sportsmen started out with their long range rifles and tho hawks were thinned out fast, and tho birds began to make a marked increase; but an other political party got control of the legislature and the law was repealed in the interests of economy. "The hawks aro getting plentiful and tho birds decrease just in proportion JTAMII.Y FOOD. Crlap, Tootlisomo and Requires No Cooking:. as the hawks increase. I am some what of a hunter myself and shoot a hawk whenever I got a chance, and have shot quite a number on your western prairies as woll as in my na tive stato. I have seen a single hawk catch a flock of twelve quail in ono day. Now if every friend of the bird would shoot a hawk whenever he got a chance, bounty or no bounty, there would be a noticed increase in the small birds. "Tho fact remains that tho hawks aro on the increase and tho birds on tho decrease, but by giving a suitable bounty tho boys will get out their rifles and will keep pegging away until the last hawk is dead, and then you will see a marked increase of birds and small game." This complaint was submitted to Professor Brunor and called forth tho following reply: "Since tho statements made in tho foregoing letter differ considerably from recent published accounts deal ing with the food-habits of hawks, it has been deemed advisable to at least call attention to what has been done on the subject. Accordingly a brief Statement is handed you herewith, which, if thought advisable, might be published along with that letter. "Mr. C. Hart Merrlam, when hand ing the manuscripts for a bulletin on the Hawks and Owls of the United States to-tho secretary of agriculture, accompanied the same with a brief summary of the food-habits of these birds as follows: " 'The statements herein contained respecting the food of the various hawks and owls aro based on the criti cal examination, by scientific experts, of tho actual contents of about 2,700 stomachs of these birds, and conse quently may be fairly regarded as a truthful showing of the normal food of each species. The result proves that a clas3 of birds commonly looked upon as enemies to the farmer, and indis criminately destroyed whenever occa sion offers, really rank among his best friends, and with few exceptions should bo preserved, and encouraged to take up their abode in the neighborhood of his home. Only six of the 73 species and sub-species of hawks and owls of the United States aro injurious. Of these, three are so extremely rare they need hardly be considered, and another (the fish hawk) is only indirectly in mainder of mankind given a whole some lesson. Why not pursue a liko policy when dealing with our feathered friends? "If hawks and owls, which are gen erally credited with being the Ishmael ites among birds, may at times be considered our friends and worthy of protection from the thoughtless gun ner, what shall we say about the song and other birds?" : . ' Great Stock Country. No better cattle and sheep, country in America. Cheap lands, pure, run ning water, and flowing wells, fine cli mate, no malaria, plenty of hay. Write for information to J. C. MORROW, O'Neill, Neb. A Debt Statement. An interesting statement has been made regarding tho national debts of the world's great nations. In 1793 it was estimated that the total debt of tho nations was $2,500,000,000. It is now estimated at $31,000,000,000. The increase in debt, population and, coin during the past century may be stated about as follows: Per cent. Increase in population 150 Increase in gold and silver 300 Increase in debt 1,000 It will thus be seen that this vast world's debt has largely exceeded the increase in coin,' ana must be based largely on credit. What has caused this Irightful increase of debt? Pos sibly one-third resulted from building railroads and improving rivers and harbors. The rest may be charged to wars many of thom unholy and little short of barbarous! This is the bur den that agriculture has carried- for, in tho end, tho great expense of war and destruction must come out of the soil. Rural Newyorker. Mr. Fleming's Opinion. Congressman Fleming of Georgia thus comments upon the ono majority decision of tho supremo court: "In three great crises which havo oc curred since tho war where tho su preme court was directly concerned, the republican party has invariably carried its point by one majority and has never wasted any of its resources in getting a larger majority than ono. "First, there was tho electoral com mission, under which Tilden was de frauded of his election by the people. That decision was in favor of the re publican party by one majority all it needed. "Next there was the income tax de cision, in which the republican party found it necessary to limit the power of congress under the constitution, and it succeeds in reversing the law that had stood for a hundred years, and did it by ono majority all it needed. "Then again there was the Porto Rican tax cases, in which the republi can party found it necessary to en large the powers of congress under the constitution, and it succeeded in reversing the accepted principles of law that had stood for a hundred years and did it by one majority of tho court all it needed. "Every good citizen is impelled to give the court the fullest credit for sincerity and honesty, and these three instances of one majority will no doubt be accepted by the public as mere co incidences. But I venture the asser tion that if the republican party con tinues to get many more such critical decisions by one majority, the average American mind will come to the con clusion that it is not altogether due to luck." Government Changed. The constitution, to defend which nearly a million men have poured out their blood on a thousand battle fields, is not for all. Some milions who. havo lived all their lives under the folds of the star-spangled banner havo been jurious, leaving but two (tho sharp- told ? tne supreme court that the A little boy down in N. C. asked his mother to write an account of how Grape-Nuts Food had helped their family. She says Grape-Nuts was first brought to her attention on a visit to Charlotte, where sho visited the Mayor of that city who was using the Food by tho advice of his physician. Sho says, "They derive so much good from it that they never pass a day without using it. While I was there I used the Food regularly. I gained about 15 pounds and felt so woll that when I returned home I began using Grapo-Nuts in the family regularly. My little 18 months old baby shortly after being weaned was very ill with dyspepsia and teething. She was sick nine weeks and wo tried everything. Sho became so emaciated that it was painful to handle her and we thought wo were going to lose her. Ono day a happy thought urged mo to try Grapo Nuts soaked in a little warm milk. Woll it worked liko a charm and sho began taking It regularly and improve ment set in at once. She is now getting well and round and fat as fast as pos sible and on Grape-Nuts. Sometime ago a number of tho fam ily wore stricken with LaGrippe at the same timo, and during tho worst stages we could not relish anything in the shape of food but Grapo-Nuts and or anges, everything olso nauseated us. We all appreciate what your fam ous food has done for our family." shinned and Cooper's hawks) that really need to be taken into account as enemies to agriculture. Omitting tho six species that feed largely on poul try and game, 2,212 stomachs were ex amined, of which 56 per cent contained mice and other small mammals, 27 per cent insects, and only 3 per cent poultry or game birds. In view of these facts the folly of offering boun ties for the destruction of hawks and owls, as has been dono by several states, becomes apparent, and tho im portance of an accurate knowledge of tho economic status of our common birds and mammals is overwhelming ly demonstrated.' "From the data given above wo may readily infer that careful research has shown us that these birds aro not so bad as we imagined them to be, but that they are even capable of rendering the tiller of tho soil valuable service as police officers in dealing with vermin like mice, ground-squirrels, gophers, prairio dogs, etc. Hawks, like men and boys, some times do, no doubt, develop abnormal tastes as well as habits. Occasionally one may develop a fondness for the inhabitants of our poultry yards or oven for tho harmless and beautiful song birds of our groves, meadows and fields. But this fondness for bird flesh in a few individuals does not indicate that tho entlro group Is mado up of the samo class of Individuals as regards their traits or desires. In the case of tho man or boy chastisement Is, or Der Boeren. '' I should be, administered and tho re- Independent. constitution does not protect them. They no longer have unalienable rights. Congress can take every ono of them away. Five men who live at Washington, surrounded by an atmos phere of imperialism, militarism and plutocracy, have changed the whole form of our government. All men not even all white men born in. the United States are no longer equal be fore the law. The law that is, tho constitution provides that some of them shall not have soldiers quartered upon them, shall not bo subject to un reasonable searches and seizures, shall not bo held to answer for crime except upon the presentment of a grand jury, shall have the benefit of counsel, shall be confronted With the witnesses against him, shall be tried in tho dis trict whero the crime was alleged to be committed by a -jury of his peers, shall not be subject to excessive bail nor twice be put in jeopardy for the samo offense. Now some sixteen mil lions of people are living w.Ithin the jurisdiction of the United States who havo been deprived of all these rights. Now Christian men can be transported ten thousand miles away from their homes, tried in secret, denied counsel and be deprived of; life, liberty and property without any process of law. This is the ending of tho great party founded by Lincoln which drew its in spiration from the declaration that "all men woro created equal" and in whose ranks so many of us were glad to serve for many years. Nebraska Fight on, brave souls, with .Bothaandj De Wet! Ye noble men and boys, whom, to oppose Requires ten times your force in English foes. God crown your arms with freedom's victory yet, For hallowed is your strife,- ye pa triots bold; And may your every aim be true to thrust The tyrant's legions into Afric's dust Fools that they are, mere purchased things and sold. ( . That heart is pulseless to our na tion's creed Who lauds the coining of men's blood to gain Gold for a clique andubjects for a ' reign, - o Or for assaulted freedom does not' bleed. ; Rise, freemen, all! ere King and Would-Be King And Greed the knell of all republics ring. Franklin Quinby, in The Public. . One of the first things to attract the attention of Baby Clarence was grand ma's hat-rack, made of a pair of deer horns. One afternoon when ho was three years old, his papa took him to Capt..G.'s park. When relating the in cidents of the trip to his mamma on their return, ho exclaimed: "And, oh, mamma! I saw a deer, and he had a hat-rack on his head!" Current Lit- , orature. Astonishing Binder Twine Offer. If you need blndor twlno for this season's crop, and want tho highest grado binder twino mado, oitlior Standard, Sisal or Manila, and you want to rocoivo an astonishingly low prico oilor, an extraordinary inducoraont for you to sond to Chicago for your twine, cut this notico out and mail to Skaks Roebuck & Co., Chicago, 111., and you will rocoivo by return mail, post, paid, samples of tho highest grado Standard, Sisal and Manila, together with a most extra ordinary oiler, including a pueoiai urico that I will moan a biff sdving to you. .