SMALL GREY OWLS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 235, 21 September 1911, Page 5

SMALL GREY OWLS.

TO lUK KDIToIt. | Sir. — I have be> n much im;i«<d -it the various letters that have appeared <>n this question, ami feel il.-po--ed with your kind permission answer them oner- and for all. It :- not my intention to open up a m-i«-paper controversy on this quest .on at the expense >?f your valuable space. I must say my friend “A Friend of the Birds" shows, a 1.. t of ignorance and unchnritttMencss on this question, :m;- ram i in that lie says. '"these owls will propagate as the ribi.’ts did. i •v." Now ties is ; absurd, because rabbits breed a batch every six weeks, with the exception of winter time, having s’x or s.v.n at .1 time 1 , and possible some of these breed again the same yr.r. Owls, from what I ran learn, only lay two or three eggs at a time, nil only once in the «• .win. In England there arc about ten viretics cf : r.h. and yet the countrv is net over-run with them. But they r*/> an immen - amount of good by keeping d< wn the mice pest and other such vermin without exterminating th. bi nit'iii! songsters my friend is 'tons about. He is un harirab'. uth it he says we have imported th. in o i to enable us to expert siir orchard pre ducts, and that we sh« >n>l put t htt'c more “spunk" (whitivi.- ti.it means) into our work and mt grudge a fit* extra hours of l-.l>ei:r. It is evident, sir. he is not a fruit grower. If he was he would know at ..m e there is no truth in these statements. We imported these birds because we had found it impossible to crow some kinds of fruit on account of the small birds. I realised this particularly last season with the r.i-pberry crop. Owing to the dry o.i‘i>n. the fruit grew anil ripened so d. wly that the birds had practiealiv the whole rq>. In previous good seasons I had picked I2olbs a <iny off five icri s. This last season the best day’s p'ek was about rff the same area, and the paddo.k. swarming w : th lerd*. With grape*, -.trawberries, ehei.'i-. and currant' " is the same. If y.u want to grow them you must .over them at a great expense. Some years ago I tried to grow rmlltt, sorghum, brown corn, and bti-k wheat, and succeeded admQiLly as far ns the crop and the land was concerned. hut the =ma!l birds trek the let. and I got ab«edute!y nothing f;. • mv Labour and expense. I am sure Mr. R. Chambers could surprise anyone with his experience of the small bird pest in his viney ards, and my only fear is that the small owls we have imported w : H not be* able to rope with the pest sufficientlv to keep it in cheek. The birds really prepogate almost, if not quite, ns fast as the rabbit. Professor Kirk. Chief of the Biological Department, will inform anyone of the immense nnmbcof progeny a pair of sparrows will bring forth in the course of one vear. and it will be an eye-opener. However. sir. my Association deliberated the pros, and cons, of th's importation very fully, and finally came to the conciucion that much more benefit than harm would be derived from their introduction : for we do not believe they will ever exterminate the ; small birds. We do. however, hope ’ they will keep them in check. Thanking you in anticipation. —I am. etc..

FREDK. COOK. President H.B. Fruitgrowers’ Ass'n Hastings, Sept. 2t>. 1911.