How a sprinkler can guard your garden:
A scarecrow that actually scares
DAVID MINK GateHouse Plus

Animals laugh at our scarecrows. Come on - a flannel shirt and a stuffed burlap bag on a stick? This contraption couldn't scare a child with a scarecrow phobia, let alone a crow.

People keep erecting these lanky guys, though, because we still have a very real need for them. Deer, rabbits, crows and all manner of other creatures ravage gardens nationwide, and gardeners can ill-afford to set up watch towers and post sentry all hours of the day and night.

Technology has advanced in the last 100 years or so, however, and advances in motion detection will have customers pulling down their old scarecrows and erecting the ScareCrow.

The ScareCrow is a motionactivated sprinkler designed to deter animals from trampling and foraging where they shouldn't be. Powered by a garden hose and a 9-volt battery, the sprinkler automatically comes on when heat or movement passed by its sensor. It emits a three-second alarm and shoots a pulsating jet of water at the intruder, scaring it away.

The ScareCrow has a range of 35 feet and can cover over 1,000 square feet with its water blasts. As a clean alternative to smelly and poisonous chemical deterrents, the sprinkler is widely endorsed by the National Home Gardening Club and has received the Retailer's Choice Award.

The ScareCrow can be found online, or check with your local retailers.