Prescott-Russell en Numérique

Russell Leader, 18 Oct 1923, p. 7

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~ on TIE ee RE Where Do the Birds Go? By Laura During the sultry weeks of August, the stubble flelds where the hay and red clover grow knee-high in June, and over which the Bobclinks hovered in ecstacy, are tenanted by what appear to be large, sparrowy binds, as large | as "Bob o' Lincoln," but bearing no resemblance to him. They run along the ground, keeping to cover, or, at your call, stand on tip-toe to peer at you. They are always feeding, and are very plump. The stranger is per- plexed to identify this "Sparrow," and looks through his guide book vainly. No wender. These are not sparrows! Presently one of them springs into the air, and flies, horizontally to the tip of 2 stately evening primrose, where he balances. He sings as he flies and as he poses, a delightful, rippling melody which simply tumbles out of his brown throat. If the stranger has heard that cong in June he associates it with a con- spicuously handsome bird dressed in black and white and yellow. And he may discover that the singer is the same fellow in a different and much more sober dress. It is indeed Bob 0° Lincoln, and his mate, and five or six youngsters, preparing to start on their journey to the southern States. Should one not hear the loved, fa- miliar song from the brown bird, one will be certain to hear mellow calls that sound like "Chink,Chenk, chink!" or "Spink, spenk, spink!" The Bobolink undergoes two distinct moults in a year, in spring assuming his wedding garments of black under- neath from the crown of his head to almcat the end of his tail, white inser- tion on his wings and lower back, and golden spots on the nape of His neck, on his wings and tail edges, as if the bright heart of him shone out like the sun behind clouds. Formerly great numbers of Bobo- links were shot in the rice-fields of | the southern States, where they are known as Reedbirds. The slaughter may continue, despite the Migratory Binds Convention Treaty, for it is said they damage the rice crop. The rem- nant winter in South America and. return to the places of their birth in the spring. A different history attends another of the beloved Canadian birds which also dresses dn black and yellow in the summertime. This is. the Goldfinch, ; much smaller than Babolink, who is WILT a quarter inches. The male of the lat- ter species, also, undergoes two moults | in a year, assuming his golden and black livery in May for his June nup-| ! path. tials, and throwing it off in Sepiember, to replace much the same "sparrowy » garments as the Bobolink wears in winter. But the Goldfinch dces not pack his trunk and go south. He gathers his; family and friends about him and re-. mains. In the more southerly parts of | Canada, in the Ontario peninsula, at, all events, flocks of this species in their brownish winter dress may be met in the severest weather They are weed-seed eaters of the best type, the type which habitually clings to the | weedrheads, and not only picks out] the weed seeds from their moorings, ! but shakes them onto the snow where the ground-feeding Snow Buntings and Junces and Sparrows and Larks find them accessible to assist in the winter cleaning-up of Canadian fields. The Goldfinch is merry in the win- ter. Not so merry as the darling Chickadee. Its mirth is supreme and proverbial. Yet the Goldfinch is no- ticeably happy in the cold and snow of January and February, and in shelter- ed cedar swamps I have heard them ging in the sunshine almost as blithely as in June. ; A markedly migratory bird is the Purple Martin. It makes a tumultuous arrival about the middle of April, and | an even more tumultuous departure at | the end of August. For the excitement is intensified by the presence of all the | geason's young birds and the problem presented to the parents of where to | gettle the overflow of the colony on their return in the spring. No bird better repays one for shelter: and protection than the Purple Martin. | In their glorious flights they scour the gir of flies and mosquitoes and every species of flying pest, and are thus ef- CYL OO0ve Called Him. Everything Eise, | "Did she call him back?" "Think not -- but she called him about everything else." B. Durand ficient pretectors of gardens. It is one of the most purely insectivorcus of all birds, and of infinitely greater value than ths nasty, quarrelsome House Sparrow, which continually disputes ! with it possession of the houses built solely for its greatly desired tenancy. | The moment of choice must arise sooner or later--usually "sooner'-- with all persons who desire out native wild birds--Wrens, Blue-birds, Song Sparrows, Robins and Purple Marting --to nest in their gardens between these gpecies, with thelr services and their lovely scng, and the ragged lit- tle alien, with its predatory habits and offensive voice, the English Sparrow. This Sparrow is a permanent resi- "dent, wherever it secures a footing. Some persons defend it on this ground. Easily Explained. Wifle--"John, such wretched colds?" Dray Driver--"Adn't I behind a pa.r o' draft horses all day? how do you catch tes © MARCH ARTS WHEN THE WORM TURNED! --From London Opinion. Ceilings whieh have become black- ened with smoke may be cleaned with a cloth damped in warm water and] soda. | Canada is larger by 102,108 square miles than the entire United States, including Alaska, Hawaii and Porto Rico. «A Man's Prayer. Lord, if one boon alone be granted me; Let me but choose what that one boom " shall be; I shall not ask to live "mid sheltered. bliss, In soft security--but only this: Let me be not a coward in the strife That sweeps across the battleflelds of life; Let me leave not for other lives to bear, The burdens that were rightfully my share. Let me not whine, nor ever seek to shirk, But cheerfully bear my full load of work, Then, place a friendly shoulder 'neath the load Of one who, fainting, falls beside the road. Iet me, oh Lord, be clean and un afraid; Let me go forth to meet life undis- mayed; Until the final hour of life brief span, Let me walk upright--let me be a MAN! Thus, let me'live; that when, the aay! a work done, I pitch my tent toward the setting sum,' Lie down to rest, and from my labors, cease, My soul, within dts house, shall be at peace! : --Will Thomas Withrow. Following the hot weather was pretty general throughout East- ern Canada during the early part of this regard in the present article, but | of trees meets the force of the wind, planting. which | By Arthur Herbert Richardso, M.A., MF. hedges it is not the fnteption of the |golid is more preferable than a mingle the area should ke summer fallowed writer to discuss the use of trees in row or two. Where only a single row 'Making Your Home Gale Proof An Instructive Talk on the Protective Value of Trees in Offsetting Wind Damage. cand worked and worked up for spring If it is intended to plant two June, the country was visited by wind | | to stress the* value of windbreaks or | and where they are reaching meturity, or three rows, and this is preferable 'and rain storms which in some gec- | shelter belts, and clumps of trees, and | they are apt to be uprooted or have for a good windbreak, the area should tions assumed the form of tornadoes. | what effect they have on the objects their tops brokem off, endangering the be treated in the same way. When In scme places the violence of the | | they are intended to protect. Also, as property they ere intended to protect. planted in rows the trees should be wind and the damage done exceeded : both shelter belts and clumps of trees Buildings shetvored io this way are spaced eight to twelve feet apart alters anything in the memory of old inhabi-| are alike in so far as they form a bar- | protected from the penetrating blssts nately in the rows. Over an acre the | tamts--roofs were lifted off, orchards irier against the elements, their value "of winter, resulting in less fuel to be , Planting distance should be six by six. gree laid low, hi bydro lines were splintered like so | much matchwood, and roadside trees, | 'especially isolated specimens, were cruelly dealt with. It was the misfor- | +S CTT SJ 17 vn aa sp ¥aY {At i 3 of rain and hail and wind, and view the swathe of destruction left in its When the storm had abated ' gomewhat, and as the road was block- ed by fallén poles and brokem limbs, ' shelter was sought in a nearby house. On approaching, it was choarved ' that no damage had been done there. The orchard by which it was surround- 'ed was pract] cally intact. Flower pots along the verandah rail were not dis i turbed and in fact the occupant did | not realize the havoc done by the ! storm until they came to the road and | viewed the surrounding country. Enlisting Nature. Now why was this house spared more than the rest? There was no luck, nor the hand of Providence, nor anything of that kind involved, but just the practical good sense of an an- cestor who had protected his home by j allowing a large clump of trees to ! stand between him and the prevailing winds of his part of the country. In: short, he had enlisted nature to assist him in moments of her violence and incidentally have at hand a source for an odd stick of timber and some fuel as well as a spot of beauty close at hand. { Theuseoftrees for the protection of property may be conveniently divided into three groups. First, hedges which consist of a single row of trees or shrubs amd which usually are not allowed to grow more than six or eight feet in height. They are set out not so much for the protection they af- ford as for their beauty and landscape effect. However, in some cases such ras gardens and nursery compartments | they are often planted for protection | as much as for their aesthetic value 'and afford shelter from desiccating winds of summer and help. to hold snow in winter. { Secondly, windbreaks or shelter | belts: These are usually planted around fields in crop, or buildings, and consist of one or two rows of trees which are allowed.. to grow uninter-| rupted to their full height. These are | planted usually for their practical | worth, but are also a source of plea- | sure to the owner as well as to the! casual passer-by. | The third | protective arrangement ! i for trees is the small clump or the | farm lot which may be so arranged i that it serves a double purpose. It] 'may congist of an cold cut-over area, | i protected -from cattle and allowed to | i form a dense cover, or it may be an | area of a couple of acres planted with | young stock. - : Although mention has been made of be treated simultaneously. How Shelter Belts Act. When the cold winds of winter or something over seven inches in length, | | tune of the writer to be caught in the' the hot drying winds of summer, come in comtact with & wall of foliage, their and behind he obstruction. ~und greatest effect' which the windbreak has, of course, is on its leeward side, and experiments have shown that the wall of foliage is fairly close, as is found for example in a row of white spruce with branches to the ground, the wind is slowed up in this direction ten feet for every foot the trees are in height, This means then that fields in crop, especially where the growth is rapid | he tall, such as with corn, the area 5 protected considerably from violent hi) storms, Also when the drying winds of summer are retarded in this way, it means less evaporation from the soil, resulting in the ultimate com- sides, in summer, the cool shade of | trees about the bouse goes far to | making the place & home, Plant Several Rows. Not One. In localities where soil has a tend- opsTIdc rari an axhora roadwavy are action of both are much alike--trees are invaluable, In such work, one row | of trees i» zlmost prohibitive, es pecially if planted mear the object to be protected, as they are sure to de- feat the purpose fof which they are get out, If only one row can be plant ed it should be set well back from any special area to be protected. If pos- sible, however, several rows, spaced ten or twelve feet apart, are prefer- ' able. Aside from the foregoing direct benefits which may be obtained froth | protective planting, there are also in- he returns which may be had from On, stock | trees sot out in this way. eavy telephone and 'and what they are intended to do may burned and less feed for stock Be- | For the first year at least the trees 'should be cultivated sufficiently to, keep down weeds, and if additional care can be given they may me mulchy ed with a strawy manure. If a windbreak is to serve its best purpose both summer and winter, ff DECI wows or Ee amt FL Tow their leave in the autumn, break the force of the wind to a certaln extent, and especially if they are planted in clumps, but not so effectively either summer or winter as a wall of conifers on which the branches have been ail- lowed to grow down to the ground. White pine is a tree which is pretty well known and cen be grown success- fully on most soils, a heavy clay being the one it prefers least. Some care might have to be given this species owing to the encroachment of the White Pine Blister Rust, also the White Pine Weevil. But in a small area such as the windbreak would oc- cupy, such attention would not be servation of moisture. In dry years |and dairying farms clumps of trees | great. this may mean a big difference in| crops. In winter such fields are bene- fited by a more even layer of snow. It is mot an uncommon sight after a | afford protection during the heat of | | the day and it is not an uncommon ' | signe to see animals retreat to the! shelter of trees which border the A grove of white pine, or an avenue formed by this species is hard to ex: cel--and the work of the wind in twists ing and bending an old White Pine wind storm to see orchard trees mang- | | fields. Birds also are attracted by the only adds to its beauty. led and destroyed in many cases be- yond repair. large orcharding area are a protection 'to themselves, but where they are open to the broad sweep of the wind, ' they may be sheltered considerably by a few vows of evergreens. Houses and buildings mey be made more comfortable by either erecting them in the lee of a young stand of timber, or by planting a clump to wind- ward, if the drea is bare of trees. For the protection of buildings, several rows of trees or a few acres planted | nesting possibilities ¢f a small grove ietneg a bird sanctuary may be soon ' tabliched in this way. | Usually in forest tree planting, in Eastern Canada at least, preparation : of the soil before planting is not re- commended. However, in Western, Canada, and anywhere, where quick! returns are demanded from evergreens or where hardwoods are to be planted, some preparation is necessary. If a man intends to plant an acre or two, | either in a clump or in a wide strip, | - In only one city on the continen dian caleches. They are patronized capital, each year, who enjoy riding QUEBEC'S OLD-FASHIONED CALECHE t can be found the quaint French-Cana- by thousands of tourists to the ancient in the two-wheeled carriages. { added; Scotch pine is a species which, mot True, the trees in a or fringe of trees and to the one 80 being a native of this continent, is be- coming quite popular for planting pur- poses. It will grow on pocres soil than White Pine, and like the White, , pine, will not thrive on clay. Red pine is a2 native of Ontario and when allowed to grow in the open with branches to the ground, assumes a very bushy and decorative form. If could be used for lawn planting and! a row of this species near the farm buildings would be an added attrac- tion and protection. It prefers a poor soil, but also does well on anything but a heavy clay. . : Most Poplular Species. Spruce is perhaps the most popular specles for windwork purposes, Nom way spruce being the most common, although it is not a native of this con tinent. Its form and beauty is well known. It can be grown . on most soils, including heavy land and pre- fers some moisture. White spruee is used somewhat in Eastern Canada for this work and as its foliage is more compact in large trees and of a more silvery tinge, its use should increase. White cedar, thé common species, ifs frequently used for hedges and sometimes for windbreaks. The foll- age is very compact and because of this -it i3 sometimes us=d for planting undernsath other species to foermean additional windbreak at their trunks. This tree prefers a moist site amd will grow on most secils. In conelusion a last caution may be be sure and p=xce the protec- tive belt or clump between the ohject to be sheltered and .the prevailing winds, also do not plant trees too near buildings as they may become & nuisance when they grow up.

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