Short meaning: It means if the scarecrow was not there, the crows would come and eat the farmer’s plants (the crops).
Words explained:
- Scarecrow – a pretend person made of straw that farmers put in fields to keep birds away.
- Crows – black birds that might eat seeds or plants.
- Crops – vegetables or grains that farmers grow to eat.
- Without – means "if it isn’t there" or "if we don’t have it."
- Would eat – tells what would happen (the crows would come and eat the crops).
Simple example: Think about a cookie jar. If there is no lid (without the lid), a hungry friend would eat the cookies. The sentence is saying the same kind of thing but for a field and birds.
Fun idea: Draw a field with a scarecrow and some crops. Then draw the same field without the scarecrow and add crows eating the crops. This shows what the sentence means!