Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1886. The Small Birds Nuisance.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1893, 6 October 1886, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 1886. The Small Birds Nuisance.

The Selwyn County Council recently offered a prize for the best essay on the best method of dealing with the small birds nuisance, and the first prize was taken by Mr G. A. Keys, of Sheffield, Canterbury. The writer urges—l. The compulsory trimming of live fences, especially gorse or furze, and burning the refuse, thus getting rid of and destroying cover for birds. 2. Destruction of birds by poisoned grain, both wheat and oats. 3. Using poisoned berries near gardens in more thickly planted and populated centres (in conjunction with grain.) 4. By purchase of eggs and young birds. 6. By use of bird lime where fruit is apt to be injured by the birds, and by netting. Mr Keys thinks that Parliament should pass a law making it compulsory to trim live fences at least once a year, and to get rid of clippings. Fences of gorse, having in many cases been allowed to grow and spread to a great height and width, are now the breeding grounds for all kinds of small birds that attack grain, at the same time acting for all the purposes of a nursery for their yontjg. If these fences were kept within proper bounds, the hatch, ing and bringing to maturity of young birds would be reduce! by 25 per cent at the lowest estimate, as it would give the birds’ natural enemies an advantage they do not now possess, and also by allowing the weather and egg collectors free access to the nests would materially assist to reduce the pest. Attention by landowners to this matter would in a few years be of permanent benefit to themselves in regard to reduction of birds, less spreading of gorse, and better and tidier fences. The best time for attending to trimming is between the months of May and September. Regarding the destruction of birds by poisoned grain, Mr Keys holds that ithis is the system that must in the main be relied on if the present enormous increase of small birds is to be per* manently and substantially checked. The grain should be fairly whole, or at least less broken than that at present treated by chemists. Experience for the last 1 three years, he says, has distinctly shown ' that birds are extremely shy of small broken grain, leaving it on the ground untouched even when spread in spots where they are 1 numerous and other food is scarce. The grain should be so poisoned and treated with some sweetening matter to keep the 1 grain at as near its natural taste as possible, it having been found by tests that many lots of poisoned wheat were of such a brittle nature that the birds left it before taking sufficient to complete their destruction. 1 Though the present system in vogue has been a lamentable and expensive failure in the past, yet, if judiciously taken advantage of, in conjunction with other suggestions, good work could be got out of it. Mr Keys suggests the appointment of a “ Bird Banger ” or " Inspector ” who should lay poisoned grain when the land is snow covered or heavily frost bound, and at an early hour in the morning. More so in the months of June, July and August, as then the loose i grain on the stubble or straw stacks has disappeared. Another way of using poisoned ( grain is when root crops are sown in October, it having been found that grain placed between the drills is greedily taken, causing, when the grain is well prepared, a heavy loss, as, it being the early breeding season, i numbers of young birds and eggs suffer. Under this heading may be placed the idea of requesting large grain growers to render invaluable help by supplementing the ranger’s i efforts. The purchase of eggs and young , birds has been a source of considerable outlay 1 to County Councils and Boad Boards, and it may be fairly criticised as one that has led to less beneficial results than these bodies i had a right to expect. It has been abused by i both young and old, inasmuch that the higher price paid for young birds—such i prices ranging from 2d to fid per dozen heads [ —as against the one penny to threepence for i eggs per dozen, has induced the dishonest practice of breaking the eggs that were within a few, or say two days of hatching, taking the embryo bird out, and selling at the higher rate. Cases have been frequently known where the nests, to use a vulgarism, have been " shepherded ’’ for this purpose. Mr . Keys suggests, that the Banger should have the privilege of using his own discretion in deciding whether the young birds have been hatched in due courts, and naturally. This, by an experienced man, can always be easily known, and if strictly carried out would, in a short space of time, do away with the practice, assisted by the fact that eggs and heads should be paid for at tl p same rate, say twopence or threepence the dozen—always excepting the lull fledged birds, which, as there is no chance of fraud, should be paid for on a more liberal scale. The Ranger and Clerk of the local bodies should ba the only persons authorised to purchase, and do so independent of the probability that the seller was a resident of an adjoining Boad Board District, <feo. Although this might entail a slight additional expense on ouo body, yet it should be acted on, as the subject is of mutual interest to all population agriculturally speaking. All eggs and birds thus bought should at once be effectually destroyed. Mr Keys gives that he believes to bea fairly close estimate for three road boards during months from October, 1895, to March 1886; the estimate reaches close on' 30,000, awd is based on fact, thus showing the object of combined action. The use of bird lime and nets is more for the consideration of gardeners and those interested in fruit growing. Mr Keys admits that it is the most expensive and difficult process to apply practically. Considerable execution may be done by smearing fences or large tree limbs with the lime : and where netting is used, by hanging it loosely ; sometimes numbers may be captured by a small meshed net; but this system is too expensive and cumbersome to | come into general use, even on a small scale. The essay concludes with a suggestion that a competent person should have the power to test the strength of the poisoned grain, &c., and fee that it is up to the standard required and agreed upon by those purchasing, This could be easily arranged, the writer thinks, by a number of the local bodies agreeing to .take their grain from any one chemist, there being only a very limited number who poison grain—this presents bo great difficulty—in any case where grain was found under the standard strength, the seller to be the loser if rejected and returned. To cany out such a system a rate should be struck in any district where the small birds nuisance was strongly marked, of £d per £ value to defray eost of working. This in □early all localities would be fonnd ample for the purpose, and fully pay all charges, and would be willingly submitted to by nearly all sections of a community. The small birda nuisance question is one of much interest to Wairarapa farmers ; a long and continual warfare has been going on, but there has been no united action. The ideas presented above will doubtless cause some discussion, and we should be glad if some of our farmers Fill gif# tjrair own ideal open (b« aubjeoi

Farmers are the sufferers, and they are the men who should discuss the pros and cons in connection with it.