The Rural Voice, 1991-08, Page 30WHERE HAVE ALL THE SCARECROWS GONE?
STUFFED SHIRTS THEN AND NOW
ONCE COMMON IN FIELDS AND GARDENS, THEY ARE NEARLY EXTINCT
by Carl L. Bedal
Where have all the scarecrows
gone?
After diligent searching, I found
one bona fide scarecrow in Vern
Pawlcch's vegetable garden on the
outskirts of Parry Sound, Ontario. He
says crows dug up the corn and peas
which he had planted. So Vern and
his wife Barb built a scarecrow,
starting with a cross and a clown's
head which the dog had dug up. Then
they dressed their creation.
"Does he work?" I asked the
Pawlcchs.
"Yes," said Barb, "although a
plastic bag on the clothesline works
almost as well."
The Pawlechs have not given up on
their Tess -than -perfect scarecrow
although the last time I talked to them
they seemed to feel guilty about his
loneliness.
They had heard about another one
50 miles away. "I'm sure that one is
female because it looked like a woman
working in the field. If I can find it
again, we'd have a mate for ours,"
Vern said.
Although scarecrows are scarce
now, they were used for centuries in
central Europe to prevent birds and
animals from destroying crops. In
France they were used in orchards to
frighten birds.
In northem Simcoe County, Ont-
ario, 17th century Huron Indians hung
straw archers on poles at their door-
ways to frighten away disease and the
spirits who brought it. In appearance,
if not in function, these apparently
resembled the scarecrows used in
France.
Early Canadian settlers used scare-
crows in the fields to ward off attacks
of blackbirds and crows, which in
some cases completely ruined their
crops. But by the middle of this cen-
tury their use was decreasing until
now it is difficult to find one. Why?
The stu stuffed shirt scarecrow has been a fixture in Canadian fieldsand gardens for years
but it's use is dying out, replaced by high tech wildlife control devices.
Jim Gardner, a fish and wildlife
supervisor, with the ministry of. nat-
ural resources in Parry Sound, Ont-
ario, explains that although crow and
blackbird populations are increasing,
we may not see as many because there
is less to attract them — fewer gardens
and corn fields, and the absence of
snake fences which harbored birds.
Although employed scarecrows are
hard to find, they have not been rele-
gated to history. In Magnetawan,
Ontario, 4-H groups construct them as
one of their activities.
"The kids enjoy making them.
Every year their creations are di-
fferent," says Janice Skinner, member
of the Parry Sound -Muskoka 4-H
Leaders' Association. "My club
includes 10- to 17 -year olds. Most are
girls, but this year there are three boys.
They take old shirts and overalls and
pack them with straw, stuff nylons or
leotards, make button eyes, or cut felt
ones. To make an elbow, start putting
the stuffing in to where you want the
elbow, bend it, then put stuffing in the
other end and stitch it."
"Whatever comes into the kids'
imagination, that's what they do," says
Skinner.
How is this scarecrow art used?
According to Elaine Moor of Magnet-
awan, "My daughter, Brandy, makes
one each year for the fall fair where
prizes are offered for the best one."
They are also used for decorating the
agricultural hall at fair -time.
Jeff Marley, founder of Margo
Supplies Ltd., a Calgary -based com-
pany selling wildlife control devices,
asked if the original scarecrow
26 THE RURAL VOICE