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- 7 - best prevented by shooting. This past season Mr. Foster hired a man to keep the blackbirds from feeding in one field of 76 acres. The ammunition used in this attempt cost in all about $50.00. The effort was successful and the birds were unable to do much harm. He stated that poisoning is sometimes successful and at others not. At times blackbirds refuse to take poisoned grain or again after a number have been poisoned their companions leave these fields and feed elsewhere. W. H. Ramsay of Bay City claimed damage from "Jackdaws" (Great-tailed Grackles), "Blackbirds" (Brewers Blackbirds) and "Rice-birds" (Red-winged Blackbirds). Damage is inflicted in the same way as described by other men in preceding paragraphs. Mr. Ramsay stated that in 1917 because of shortage of water only about 800 acres of rice had been planted in a region where formerly from 4,000 to 6,000 acres had been grown. He believed that greater damage from blackbirds than usual had resulted as the attacks that formerly had been distributed over a wide area had this year been concentrated on a comparatively small acreage. No attempts were made to drive the birds out. The amount of rice destroyed by the birds on the basis of the yield on other years for [[strikethrough]] the [[/strikethrough]] ^[[a]] similar area was given at about 20 per cent of the total. G. W. Kelly of Bay City had raised no rice in 1917 because of shortage of water but had grown about 700 acres in 1916 and varying amounts on previous years. He reported much damage from blackbirds. Mr. Kelly stated that in land that had been devoted to rice culture for a number of seasons it was usually necessary to plant the seed grain as shallow as possible. In some cases the seed was only partly covered and this was liable to be eaten by blackbirds. These birds also pulled the sprouting grain