“UNDESIRABLE IMMIGRANTS.”

Western Star, Issue 2112, 20 May 1896, Page 2

“UNDESIRABLE IMMIGRANTS.”

SMALL BIRDS. Mr C Mouat, of Thornbury, gave us a call on Saturday, and in tlie course of a conversation on the above subject said he would like it known that he did not agree with a proposal made at a recent meeting of the County Council that heads and eggs of small birds should be paid for. In his opinion that would be a great waste of public money. He suggested as a better method for ridding the country of small birds, which were an intolerable nuisance, that the Council should provide ratepayers with poisoned grain free of expense during the months of June and July, when frost and snow covered the ground. During these mouths the birds will snap at anything in the shape of food. Hence they would eat the poisoned grain with avidity, and

this would lead to their wholesale destruction. He also thought the simultaneous laying of the grain during the mouths mentioned should be made compulsory. We commend the suggestion to Cr Hamilton who takes a great deal of interest in the subject.

ANOTHER OPINION Not long ago we had a conversation with Mr W Johnson, Groper’s Bush, and he is also agreed that simultaneous action is the *aly way to eradicate the small bird pest. He tried every means to rid his farm of the innumerable number of the feathered tribe, but in vain, and was all too strongly reminded of their presence by the fact that he lost all the produce of his orchard, even such fruit as apples being scooped ont by the birds. Referring to the starling, which has rapidly multiplied in this district, he spoke in terms of praise, as he considers it invaluable in clearing the ground of insects. When these attack the turnips the starling pulls up the seedling to get at the grub, but then it might just as well do that as that the turnip should succumb to the depredations of the grub. If the turnip is free from the grub —and instinct tells the bird whether it is or not—the bird will not injure the turnip. Being such a good insect hunter therefore it would probably prefer grubs to poisoned grain, so that fears need not be entertained that this farmer’s friend would be killed off by the wholesale laying of poisoned grain.

THE CANADIAN THISTLE. It is the opinion of one of our leading farmers that the Canadian thistle, unless its spread is checked, will soon become a greater evil than the rabbit. It is not so long ago since the only known specimens of this new plague flourished like the green bay tree at the rear of the Riverton post office; and so innocent looking was it, that no one thought of interferfering with it. Now it has got a hold on some of our best farming land, and all farmers who know of its existence on their own land, should as a duty to their neighbors and to the country at large, take every means in their power to stamp it out. In fact, if the Hon John McKenzie, who is considered to be very Tory-like in some of his so-called “ farmer’s-friend ” legislation, were to get a noxious weed bill passed dealing solely with this weed, he would be doing a service instead of being laughed at for trying to inflict pains and penalties on any farmer who had the misfortune to have a crop of “undesirable immigrants” such as Yorkshire Fog or burrs on his land. The Canadian thistle spreads from the roots as wel I as from seed, and like sorrel, it sends out shoots which come to the surface about every two feet and form separate plants, which in turn do likewise, the whole forming a net work which speedily impoverishes the ground and chokes all other vegetation. One farmer tried to irradicate it with salt, then by deep ploughing. The latter means it is thought will prove successful, but he lost the use of his ground for three years in dealing with the scom-ge. Another farmer assures us that con stant hoeing, say going over the ground once a week with a hoe, cutting off every new shoot, as it appears, will in time completely destroy it, the constant check so weakening the roots that they completely die out. He adopted this means himself, so that we have no hesitation in recommending his remedy to any farmer who may have land afflicted with the Canadian thistle.