ACCLIMATISATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 516, 25 May 1909, Page 6

ACCLIMATISATION.

SOCIETY'S ANNUAL REPORT. ' ".'. A YEAR OF PROGRESS, / ; P Another year's progress is recorded in the report of tho oounoil of the ■ Wellington Aoeliinatisatioii Society, to be submitted at the annual, meeting to-morrow night. .' ' : : : :. Owing to tho necessity for economy, th« council has not been able to launoli out ( in new directions, but has successfully endeavoured to augment tlia various new jierus of red door established throughout' tho district, to restoolc all such rivers and ■streams, as appeared to need it with yearlings and fry obtained from sea-run fish in the rivors of the South Island, to keep up tho, head of game birds by oxten;, sive breeding operations at tho ( game farm, and to put down poaohing as much as is possibu with the means at its command.

. "■',' Financial. . : ■ ' . The statement of accounts attached showi that the revenue of the society has been maintained during the year justolosed. Tho total receipts were JE2065 6s. Bd., and the cxpendi. ture J25178 IBs. 7tL, leaving a debit of lid. Looking to.tho debit of lost year (Xt 29 3s. 9d.) with which the sooiety commenced, and to tho, state of business generally: throughout 1908, the result must be considered satisfactory. There art still some outstanding, accounts, but allowing for these the financial.-. position has improved vory considerably;'and there eeems no reason to fear but that with > care the sooiety will be able to show the usual credit balance at tho end of the present financial .year. While fishing licenses have shown a decrease of £67 If. 6d., both shooting "cenj™, : and deer-stalkinß licenses have, increased. The 1 former from 4309 16s. 6d. to JC39I oa. 6d.; and the latter from 16s. 6d. to J2219 ss. Judging from present returns, this improvement it. being maintained. - •'. , '■', '< ;

Game Farm. ■ : In order to keep down expenditure, the caretaker was direoted to reduce the output of. birds, and consequently the numbers, reared and turned out are not so groat as,last year, Still, as will bo seen by the ngurcs below, very good results have, boen obtained, .and; the fertility of tho pheasant eggs in particular va» above ■ tho "average. The 'total nuinbor of birds roared was as follows-.-Wild ducks (English mallard, New Zealand grey,' and American black duck), 170; pheasant, 230. Total, 400. There were- 360 pheasant eggs sold to the Touriet ■■ Department, and 60 wore. Bent to Palmerstoh North. ! ■ •'' , ' The caretaker reports that, stoats and ferrets have, been unusually numerous, necessitating constant vigilance on his part in order to pre-i vent destruction of the young birds placed ont in coops. In spite of the greatest care taken, however, ho estimates that.tho notuy loss from the depredation of stoats'and weasels has not been 1 less than v 50, birds—chiefly . pheasants-* while.the number., of duoks' «Rgs. taken from the n«ts has been verv, considerable. All. the ducks have been distributed, and most of the phensnnts'hsvo also boon sent out,. Of tholattr, the largest order received-was iliat from ,tlw Stratford Sooioly. (50 braco). , .." ,■■' - ,' .-. Owin i? to tho high nrico of strain, etc., it, is evident that the breeding of pheasants for sale to other pociotios is'not profitnble,, and that the sociotr's operations in'this direction should. bo , confined to raisin<r,only such a number'oft i hirdvas enn bo F.ifely turned out, in its own distriot. particularly varieties of.wild duple and nimil.bith.nf which.appear to do well in Various parts of thecountry. ; -, The d&sr on tho reserve and in the enclosure continue,.to thrlw and .increase.■„' Six yonnif calves were droppod within Hio enclosM snnce, two tif them by Warnbom Park hinds.;. Some very fino staffs rame out of the bush adjoining the enolosure'this'scßfon.; :. ; \ ; ', '.'.';, ' : ; ''.■'■';'■'',' ;': Red Deer. / | . \ •;-.'. ■Thedeer at thogameAfarm.aredoing very well. ' The English stags arc,-'getting, acclimatised; and were roaring this year;towards the end of March. . The first fawn from thij English hinds was only'born in April, so that the latter have not yet adapted themselves to the' New Zealand seasons. ; Last year an additional ton acres were fenced in; and 25 acres are now enclosed for the deer. It ie hoped thin season-'to have a further 35 acres felled.

grassed, and fenced. There; will then be & fair-sized deer park divided into, three paddocks. Thfc,- .general-,ropbrt.from;the stalkere and rangers is that, the'heads in the Wairarapa are not - improving.—Thore appears to be, too many hinds and deer with deformed;or. So'or heads, and the old hinds want shooting.' ertain sportsmen- were authorised to shoot stags with deformed hcadsj-and a ' number have been killed, • but the incoming council is recommended to consider the question of authorising reliable men to shoot a large number of those undesirables In the, herds at the Hanrangi Deserves in particular. , With tho Obieot of getting a ohango.of blood, the council hopes next year-to be able to turn out in , the Wairarapa ■ some of the • deer: bred at the game-farm from the English stock. The herds* established at - Paraparaumu,, Wainui, Tauhe. 'rinikan,,and Eketahnna are all reported to be doing well; . " ;)/• . ■ ;,. : -'.'■'.'■ •- The season, hnii been a i very .successful one,. The rangor and party were oble.to obtain from Mr. John, Martin's run .17 red deer calves. Three were captured elsewhere, while Mr. CMrnside, , ' of' Werribea Park,' Victoria, ' pr&- : sented; two. young stags to the society..■'■ A '.new herd (two .stags and three ■ hinds) has been started beyond Mangawckai-at tho toot of the Ruahiue Kange, and the remainder of those on hand will bo distributed at different.points,in the Tararua Kange and at Eketahuna. Those previously turned' ont' at the last-named place are, reported to be doing remarkably well.

■:■-.■•/:'', 7; V v-Fisli . .;.' ;[ .'.Y./ 'Five hundred thousand brown trout ova were obtained- froin itho Government hatchery, at Hakataramea, amT 90,000 Rainbow ova from . Kotorun. .The brown ova arrived in excellent condition, and hatching commenced on July 16. x The'batching was .successful,. 478,000 fry ... resulting. l?rora the Rainbow- ova, fry were obtained. As last year, the: Rainbows wero procured principally to enable the society to supply kindred sboietics, and not for liberation 111 the Wellington district, where they do not appear to' bb.a success, Uen thousand • iirown fry wore retained 'at ifastertori for yearlings, and a very niuoh bettor resalt than last year is anticipated.' Six '■ thousand .brown trout fry wero put into tho Akatarawa Pond, and ar* • being held until the yearling stage. The year-. . lings hold at that'pond the previous year wore liberated in the Akatarawa; Papanuv and Ohnriu streams during July, but did not prove to-be so largo in numbor as was anticipated. Owing to difficulties regarding a suitable site, tho holding pond at Palmorston North has-not v«t been constructed, neither has the council been ablo to extend tho poud at Akatarawa., In view of tho fact that fhe lease of the site of the butchery in Mastcrton has still fojir, ■ years to run, , nothing line been donojdunng tho post season-with regard to the proposed now site. : This is a question, however; which will . have to be faced sooner or later, and provision made for 1 the necessary additional expenditure. The thanks of, tho ■society are due to the Railway Department: and tho shipping companios for: the, great • assistance rendered tar granting the ; free carringo, of, animals, birds, ;-, and fish during 'the past. year. ■ = '.- -, ■

':'.'■'.■■■'■ Sub'CommitUe'i Report. : Report of' sub-committee etate ■ that game of all' sorts seems to bo on the increow in the Hunt«rnl)« district. Hares aro very plentiful. The siib-continitte* says that: since .its formation ■■in-'June; 1907, it.fius found that tho council of the society, has treated the district very liberally in regard to; trout yearlings and fry. pheasants* and ducks; Califormau quail are numerous in many parts of the JLkotnhuna die- , triot, and. Virginian .quail,swhich-, it waa thought had died, out, have been seen in conntrv where they wero not liberated.- .Pheasants, th'ough not so numerous as.quail, are on the increase; The liberation of fresh stock seems, to bo a move in tlie rinht direction. Havts aro increasing rapidly, and gunners-this season have better prospects of, sport than they have had for'some, years. Tho bush fires last summet did considerable mischief to trout 1 iu tho Mangatninoka-Kivcr.' .' r ■ , .:, • ; During tho year '40,000 trout fry havo been liberated by the Palmorston North branch.of llio society in various small'streams, .including tho Kahuterawtt and thu Tokomaru. ,Tho branch also arranged with Mr. Akcra, of Linton, and Mr. M'Lean, of-Korero, for the'keening' anil, protecting, of young pheasants,until niter the shooting season was "over," when tho birds wero set at liberty. : Tho birds havo dono well, and numerous clutches of young ones have been seen. The thanks of tho cbimnitteo , hnv« l)ooii given to the gentlemen nnmed for the trouble and"expense they incurred for tho nurposo uf, forwarding tho interests of members of tho society in tho'protection and dissemina. tion of gaino. ' . .■■■: > ', : : ; •;