Show rations our part in feeding the nation IL special information serelo lo PA united states department of agriculture MANY COMMON BIRDS USEFUL TO FARMERS eck 5 kf the little girl think the bluebird could ever do anybody any harm Y BIRDS ARE USEFUL ON FARM what it eats decides whether feathered songster Is beneficial or injurious MANY FRIENDS OF FARMERS department of agriculture offers to jell tell agriculturist whether inhabitants of fields are doing more good than harm whether a bird Is beneficial or injurious tx to growing crops depends almost entirely what ie it cuts cats if it consumes insects the bird Is nn an ally of the former fanner it if it feeds largely on growing crops it suay may bo be mi n enemy not nil all birds are ben acne L but the useful kinds for far out imil the injurious and so great Is their value tuluo us insect destroyers in tile united states that to tile tho united states department of agriculture girod credit of be being lugone one of tho greatest controlling factors in lia limiting the development 1 ment of insect pests pesta dud and in prevent las ing disastrous outbreaks jn in te h e ease caso of species which are abundant or which feed to some extent on oil cropp crop the question of their average diet becomes ono one ot of sup tin importance and only by sto stomach macli examinations lons can it be satisfactorily solved field observations haffa haat proved to lo be bd inconclusive birds are often accused of eating this or that product of cut ovation Uv atlon when tin n ox lamination ot of tho the storn tomacha tomac hg shows the accusation to be false aid offered to farmers the biological survey of the united states department of agriculture has conducted in the past few years a n systematic investigation of tho the food of the species most common about farms und nd gardens tin doffers an to supply cupply lafor 1 mation illation to any farmer in doubt as to whether his bis birds are an asset or a liability within certain limits birds eat the kind of food that Is most accessible especially when their natural food Is searce or wanting thus they sometimes injure tho the crops of tho the farmer who hits has unintentionally destroyed their ina natural food fond in ili tits hla improvement of bf swum or pasture much of tho the damage done by birds and complained ut of by f banners and fruit growers arises from this very cause the berry bear ing shrubs and seed sed bearing weeds have been cleared away and the birds have no recourse but to attack the tha cultivated grain or fruit which has baa replaced their natural food supply destroy many insects the great majority of land birds subsist upon insects during tile the period of nt nesting and molting bolting mol ting and also feed their heir young upon them during tho the first few weeks many species live almost entirely upon insects taking vegetable v ege table food only when other subsistence fulls falls it is thus evident that in the course of ft year birds destroy au an incalculable a lable number of insects insect and it Is to overestimate tho the vable of their services lc s tn in restraining the great aie ada of inject eject life in NV winter Inter in the northern part of the country insects become scarce or entirely disappear many species 4 if f birds however remain during the cot mason and are able to maintain life by eating vegetable food as the seeds ot of weeds here again la Is another useful function of birds in destroying thee weed and thereby lessening the growth of the next year |