JAN 23 Ans’d

Lawrence Bruner Prof. Lincoln, Nebr.
r Sir: Yours of the desired information of 1/14/05 at hand. Thank you very much, also for a copy of “A plea for the protection of our Birds”.
Now I will say to you that this very problem has troubled me very much, and I’m thankful for what our State legislature has done 2 years ago in this regard. And I lay in a Plea in the strongest term possible for the same, or a more stringent law by our present Legislature for the protection of our Birds especially the Quails, the Maddow Larck and Plovers, as these Birds I know myself live from insects intirely during Summer with no harm no one, and should be intirely prohibited from being killed. But instead the hunters (lots of them too) from town come out and in spite of all we can do they shoot them down. The native Grasshoppers are getting more numerous every year in the Alfalve fields as they hatch there right long, also the Cut worms at first cutting are there by the thousends & thousands under the shocks we have them so thick they litteray cover the ground, and therefore it draws
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d of Birds above mentioned in the fields e have a feast, and while they gather the hunters come along, and we get in ad row with them sometimes, as some of them have even Bottles along out of which they drink and be a shooting left & right & by so doing my son Paul very nearly got killed by one at one time as he was shocking up Alfalve hay.
Now worthy Professor could I urge you to lay this before one (or all) of our Legislators, who in your mind would take the most interest in the matter? If you lay it before them it might have 10 times better afact as if we farmers lay it before them. But let me tell you: If we cannot stop shooting these kind of valluable inocent Birds, we will some near day be overun with Grasshoppers, of which do now cut off the Seed Bulbs, so it does not pay to cut any for Seed anymore, also the cut worms spoil many of Alfalve kills & large spots. And it is acknowlaged by Ill. Bankers that our Nebr. Alfalve has raised the price of land $10.00 per a. and the fall Wheat another $10.00 per a, but shall we have all this destroyed by hunters?
Yours truly Gustav Lonz