How Animals Help Us (1954)

[Music] so [Music] one saturday in autumn jimmy was on his way to his grandfather's farm [Music] oh a rabbit you know getting to see animals was part of the fun of going to grandfathers usually there were many to see rabbits field mice squirrels [Applause] birds of all kinds and sometimes pheasants [Applause] now finding out about animals was fun to jimmy he knew that some of them are helpful such as the little birds that eat harmful insects but crows farmers think of them as enemies because they eat the crops some animals are so very helpful that men raise them and take care of them what's that at first all jimmy could see was the grass moving and then a kitten a lost kitten [Applause] there isn't room for you at our home thought jimmy maybe grandfather will let you stay on the farm [Applause] but grandfather only keeps animals that are helpful jimmy knew that so that was when jimmy really began to think about the ways animals help us [Applause] now here were grandfathers cows and jimmy remembered that every night and morning the cows are brought to the barn to be milked giving milk is the way cows help us they provide us with food that's the reason grandfather keeps cows have you ever seen a cow milk this way [Music] most of the cows are milked by machines well the kittens certainly couldn't give milk then jimmy saw the chicken yard grandfather keeps a large flock of chickens they have a big yard and a big house do you know how they help they provide food too the hens lay eggs see well the kitten won't ever be able to lay eggs isn't there something it can do to earn its keep at the farm pigs when the little ones are big and fat enough grandfather sends them to market they provide food just beyond the fence is the turkey yard the turkeys are useful as food too well the kitten can't provide food give milk or lay eggs but he is cute maybe he can be useful in some other way after all grandfather keeps other animals too what about the sheep some people raise them for food but grandfather raises them for wool [Applause] see the deep woolly coats sheep grow them for the winter in the spring the wool is clipped off then the sheep start growing new coats the wool is made into cloth so sheep help us by furnishing material for clothing then jimmy remembered a trip he and his grandfather made to a neighboring farm where another kind of animal is raised mink they are hard to handle and can bite fiercely but they have beautiful coats of fur and that is why the farmer raises them mink provide fur for clothing well the kitten had soft fur but jimmy hadn't ever heard of anyone raising cats for fur he'd have to think of something now right in front of jimmy was a third way animals help us but he didn't notice because there was grandfather do you know the third way animals help us jimmy was so excited about showing grandfather the kitten and finding out if grandfather would keep the kitten that he forgot about everything else he's a cute one said grandfather do you think he can help around the farm well said jimmy i know a good many things he can't do he can't give us food the way cows do or the chickens or the pigs or the turkeys he can't give us clothing as the sheep do but couldn't you keep him anyway well jimmy if you figure out how the kitten can be useful it can stay then grandfather went off to finish his work and jimmy took the kitten to the house to give it something to eat on the way he tried to think of other ways animals can be useful then he saw the horses again work of course jimmy thought about oxen that are used for work in faraway lands and camels that carry people and things they help by doing work and jimmy had seen the wonderful work dogs can be trained to do to lead a blind man dogs what about pal grandfather's dog he works he guards the farm and often he helps grandfather herd the sheep or the cows so grandfather does keep animals that work if only the kitten could work then jimmy had an idea he knew what the kitten could do to help about the farm do you of course like most of us the kitten will have to grow before it can do its work but when it is grown it will help have you guessed how out at the barn grandfather stores grain and mice come to the barn and eat the grain now do you know how the kitten will earn its home at the farm how many other ways can you think of that animals help us you