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especially when the ground was soft. As soon as the rice kernels began to form blackbirds gathered in great flocks to feed on the grain and continued to frequent the fields as long as any of the crop was exposed. Before the rice was cut it was difficult to drive the blackbirds out as damage resulted from trampling the grain. After the rice had been cut and shocked Mr. Kelly stated that he had employed as many as fifteen men to keep the blackbirds out. Two or three of these were given guns and ammunition. The others were mounted on mules and rode about after the birds cracking whips loudly to frighten them out. This method was at times very successful. Considerable damage is caused by blackbirds in fields that stand for some time after the grain has ripened. The mature heads weight the stems down and when blackbirds alight on them to feed the stalks break down. Where large flocks of the birds are feeding this frequently flattens down considerable areas of grain so that it cannot be cut.

O. A. Ulland of Markham, manager of the Blue Cree^[[k]] Canal Company, stated he had had 6,000 acres planted in rice this year. He stated that damage from blackbirds this season had been considerable. The birds began feeding in the fields when the grain was in the milk but the worst damage had been done to the grain after it had been shocked. In one field of Early Prolific Rice part was threshed soon after it was cut while the rest was left until a month later. Blackbirds had been feeding in the field in the meantime and had stripped much of the grain exposed on the shocks. The difference in yield in the two parts of the field amounted to 3½ bags to the acre. (A bag of unhulled rice weighs from 185 to 190 pounds; it contains approximately 4 bushels).

H. H. Foster, a rice-grower below Markham, stated that he had had

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