STOATS AND WEASELS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3137, 18 July 1881, Page 4

STOATS AND WEASELS.

Sir, —In your issue of Monday last I notice a curiously illogical letter from Mv John Smith. In ifc hs argues against the introduction of any raoro of "what he cfilU pests, becaubu the rabbits and sparrows are already playing such havoc in the country. It is just because we unfortunately have these that'we must havo what I have lon. felt satisfied is the only practical remedy. When in England in 1874 I got conclusive evidence of this on several estates, unci over periods extending to 17 years. In every case destruction of 3toats and -weasels for game preserving meant rabbits and heavy los3es to farmers. Where, on the contrary, game was left to take its chance, rabbits were in no instance the source of any 10-<s whatever. In strong corroboration of what I contend for, let me cito Mr Bullen's letter* (which X enclose) from Kaikoura. Yeats of experience there have proved to lji> n beyond a doubt that -although less hardy and destructiv-e than the weasel, the fenvf has nearly settled a difficulty which at on time threatened to exterminate his stool;. What does Mr Smith fe.ar in connection with weasels ? The estates f refer to at. homo were mainly of farms from 500 to 1500 sheep each, but in no instance were lambs interfered with, and as to poultry there were no complaints whatever. Wild animals li l --" weaseh avoid homesteads except in such severe winters as we never have here. As is also well known, they are very easily trapped if at all likely to become too numerous. As things stand now. what is the outlook ? One-sixth of the colony overrun, and the army of rabbits marching with faster strides each successive year ! A competent judge, speaking to the question in Parliament, estimates the diminution in sheep at two millions. Some will say poison is effectual. I admit it is by far the most destructive agent we have 'yet secured, but at what cost ? An army of men literally wasting material and labor, and this must go on year after year, over an ever widening field, till the limits of the colony are reached. A fence put up, a field ploughed, or a building erected are onward steps in the accumulation of capital, and labor products which has made the England of to-day such a world's wonder. Kabbit destruction leaves literally nothing behind it. But Mr Smith has a remedy better than poison—better even than stoats and weasels. He says small farmers don't fear tho rabbits ; let the large holders cut up, and thus solve the difficulty. lam sorry hard facts are so much against him. Will he kindly give n* an estimate of the losses in such essentially small farm districts as Taratahi and Masterton for the last eight or ten years, this to include the miles of rabbit paling and netting. Turning to the settlers on the necessarily larger holdings in the nigged and almost roadless East Coast District. I remember when Mr Smith made one of their number. Pigs and wild dogs, scrub-covered hills, and no roads at all, sadly interfered with his comfort and the nett proceeds of his yearly wool harvest. A fat farm five minutes' walk from railway and post-office have wonderfully dimmed his memory. He dreams of settlements and smiling homesteads, even to the summit of the Tararua, but in filMr.g in the purchas,, like -a wise man, he would much prefer the Tararua portion done by proxy. We can all remember a largo estate in this district (one of f most accessible of them) being cut up for sale recently. Why didn't small settlers secure it ? I think Mr Smith could find an answer for himself. Let him rest assured that, in the main, the larger holders of land would only be too glad to cut up for small settlement wherever the land is sufficiently goodand ploughable, for tbe simple reason that it pays best. Let the history of large holders in Canterbury be a witness to this. In the same way let Mauriceville, Worsewood, and numerous other places speak to the waste of capital and labor involved by settlement under unsuitable conditions. —I tun, &0,, W. 0. Buchanan.

Kaikot/ba, 26th May, 1881. _SIE, —In reply to your favor of' the 7th inst. re rabbits and their destruction, T have had a great deal of experience, and have "used and tried every means I could think of to try and get the vpper hand. I believe if rabbits are thick in the country, the first thing to do is to poison them with phosphorised wheat, and it requires to be done properly and well. I use lilbs of phosphorous, loz of rhodium, and about a pound of sugar to lOOlbs of good clean wheat, and it must be properly made. I use a 30 gallon boiler (similar to those Used for washing purposes, and in iron, that you can shift about). Boil about 7 gallons of water, then put in the wheat (lOOlbs), let it come to a boil, then pub in your phosphorous, stir it a little, put on a close fitting cover on the boiler, draw out all the fire, and leave it until next morning, when it is ready to use.

During the time the wheat is coming to a boil (I use an oil drum made into a boiler), put 1_ gallons of water, make it boil, then put in phosphorous and sugar. It requires to boil about five minutes to dissolve it all. As soon as the wheat is come to a boil, put it in. I have made it different ways, and I find this is the best and best quanties. Some wheat takes more water than other. There should be no water in the morning at the bottom not taken up, if there is, don't put quite so much, or if too dry, put a little more in making the next lot. Experience soon tells you when its right. Now we find the rabbits will eat this all seasons of the year, but it requires to be carefully put down on bare places, where they feed, about a tablespoonful scattered over the size of a cheese-plate. When they are thinned clown, in the Spring, then if you turn out ferrets in sufficient quantity I think you will have very little trouble afterwards. I turned out ferrets eight years ago, a few, but have been breeding and turning out a good many the last three or four years, und we find tbey breed in their wild state. I might say the ferrets are doing nearly all our work now. Believing there are hundreds in our country, wo breed from 150 to 200 every year. We did succeed in importing two weasels, and I had the satisfaction of letting them go myself in good condition, I believe male and female, but could not touch them to make sure. I have never seen tliem since, although we have seen rabbits killed exactly the same as they kill.

I believe the stoat is far better than tho weasel. Next to the stoat the cross between ferret and stoat or polecat. My advice is, do not allow a rabbit catcher with or without dogs or traps in your country at any price. _ Small farmers will let them kill tho rabbits to get their skins, thinking they are getting rid of the rabbits cheap, but they catch the ferrets and cats, which by the by are not to be despised. Ferrets travel a good bit, and your neighbors reap the advantages, and should assist each other. Unfortunately it is very difficult generally to get unity.—l am, &0., G. E. Bulled

Kaikoura, June 21st, 1881. Dear Sir,—ln reply to your favor of tho 6th inst., we had to reduce our number considerably, but now are breeding up again. We have not used poison on our run, south of Kahautara river (a tolerably large stream), for years leaving it entirely to the ferrets, with a man to protect or to see no rabbiters trespass, and he is always killing with gun, this over a large block of rough country. Captain Keene's country is on tho north side of tho Kahatitara. Unfortunately some of our ferrets do cross, but they (Captain Keene's people) allow rabbit catchers to go on their country to kill rabbits, tho painful consequence is my ferrets have been caught by scores, I think hundreds, and sent all over the country, virtually undoing what we have clone, and unless Government will protect the sheepfarmers who try to battle with our enemy,

and undoubtedly the Government's enemy, f fear we sir 1 ' fare badly. WV"t is ♦-> hinder a loafer killing ferrets on your run ?

I consider six rabbits will eat and destroy grass for one sheep, so in proportion to tho number of rabbits you have, you must reduce your sheep, that is to them properly. Babbits select tho very choicest sheep food. I don't think ferret.9 live to a great age, but can't say that I have noticed, any distemper. Weasels 1 can say very little about. I know they were fed on blood. I believe the ferrets are far more destructive to rabbits than weasels., except the stoat. I question if it is possible to get anything better than the ferret.

Where my paddocks, house, abd gardens are, was a rabbit warren of tin I sands. I put up four miles of wire net'lng, three feet wide, six inches under ground, then poisoned all inside. The wire netting kept others from coming in, and wire netting you will find of great advantage, if you have ony natural boundary to asjist. We musL try tc - t the Government to protect the ferrets. —I am, &c, G. P. BULLEN.