May Historical Highlights

Fireworks and loud noises were successful ways to keep birds away from fields.
Placing firecrackers at various intervals in slow-burning fuse ropes, such as the
Caw Caw rope shown here, helped to keep animal pests away from crops. This
ad from J. E. Fricke Co. ran in the September 1955 issue of Market Growers
Journal. Today, there are electronic devices available to growers giving off specific sounds that will drive birds and other animal pests from fields. Many growers now
have to deal with urban sprawl and neighbors who are not appreciative of loud noises.