THE DEVASTATING RABBIT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume L, Issue 9000, 24 January 1906, Page 6

THE DEVASTATING RABBIT.

ENORMOUS DAMAGE TO AUSTRA

LIAN CROPS

A DANGEROUS POSITION.

The rabbit has been in the minds of most men, 6ays the Sydney Morning Herald, more a menace than an actual living operating force of destruction. Now, however, -the immense losses which are Being eustamed, and the dread possibilities of the future onust be -realised or a great calamity will fall upon the inland districts. Now that good seasons have returned the Tabbits have displayed a power to increase and multiply which was never imagined in the wildest nightmares that were suffered by the settlers. The increase during the past two months has caused the country people to hold their breath when the probable developments of nest season have been mentioned. Putting the case in a small compass, it may be said that only a disease, a disastrous drought, or the expenditure of a few millions on rabbit proof fencing can avert such consequences from the increase of the pest as have not hitherto been suggested even by the experienced men who have endeavored to direct pußlic attention to the terrible state of affairs which is coming upon* the settlers.

The rabbits have but racenifcly discovered that the grain at the top of the wheat straw is very desirable, but already the busy creatures have taken 20 per cent, of the crop in many good districts. Whether the- wheat hns actually drawn the pest to these districts, or the great visitation, is d\ie to the enormous increase, is perhaps open to question. Some people hold that the graes fires out west have oaused a great movement towards the wheat districts, but after all such movements are very iinlikely to occur. Settlors are beginning to notice that the rabbits, while they move occasionally in large bodies,'* do not travel lonj distances. An observant landholder in the NaTromine district stated the other day that he had proved that rabbits which are bred over four aiiles from water never dfrink water. They will not travel more than about that distance to water, and will live without drinking while* they can get .roots and any other sappy vegetation. In a drought these rabbits will die, but they do mot succumb' while anything is left growing that- supplies a little moisture. Possibly the wheat has drawn the pest from poor country, but it is not now believed that the waves of rabbits which swarm everywhere have travelled long distances, and it is therefore concluded that next season all unprotected wheat crops will be completely overrun.

Goonibo, in the Wellington district, a. property some 35,000 acres, in extent, has been netted ; that is, the boundaries are rabbit-proof. During tE» past two

months poisoning with four carts has been going on continuously; traps inside and outside 'have been placed on tlie boundaries, dogs have been killing all tlie time, and men have been shoot - Lng every day. Quite recently 75,000 cartridges were purchased in one luxe, and these have all been fired at rabbits: men have made £5 to £6 per week each by taking the trapped rabbits out of the pits, skinning them, selling the skins, and barning the carcases. Probably 100,000 rabbits have been killed during two months, and yet the wheat crops on the property have been reduced in yield from about twelve bushels to about eight bushels per acre through the depredations of tlie pest. As a matter of course, the numbers are gradually being reduced to below pest form; but when netted country requires such gigantic operations before an impression is made, what must be the condition of the unprotected holdings?

In the memory of the oldest hands in this part of the country rabbits have never been so thick as .they are at present. When one of the "waves is passed through on a road the rabbits will hardly trouble to get out cf the way of the sulky wheels. Three and four I could be killed with each barrel of a shotgun, and they sit up in groups and seem to be rather bored because the horse and turnout does not slip along and .allow them to resume feeding. As a matter of course the unsophisticated stranger from the city is treated to some tall tales o£ the destruction wrought by the pest. A veracious settler, standing on the railway platform at Wellington, said that he sent & man to begin harvesting a paddock of wheat, which a week before had looked good for four bags to- the aore-. The man drove the harvester into the crop, but found no heads standing till he got to tlie centre. Here the Tabbits had left .about enough wheat standing to make a couple of sheaves. Having returned to the homestead he secured a reaping hook and went out to. cut the small balance of the crop, intending- to carry it home to show all' that was left, of 100 acres. When he again reached the centre, however, the rabbits had cut down and eaten the very last straw.

Jusb jm>w it appears almost certain that rabbit* will cut down a lot of the" growing wheat of 1906, and that later on they will take Buch a big hand in tlie harvesting and gleaning that there will be very ILtitle left for the farmer. As for tlie pastures, the grass this 6eason got a splendid start, but the rabbits made their mark, and; a further increase is sure to have very serious effects on the carrying capacity of the country. It is said above that only three factors, drought wire-netting, and a disease, can possibly check the increase. Drought should be left out of the statement, because such a drought as would reduce the pest would be worse than; the rabbite; wire-netting would protect much valuable country, but it cannot prove a complete check, because a -large extent of the enormous area affected could not bear the oost of the fencing. As for the disease, the position of .affairs at present demands that if there is a' shadow of a chance of introducing a virus harmless to all save rabbits, no consideration should be allowed to prevent every possible effort being made io discover that virus.

Some very interesting news relating te Mr Luther Burbank's work in developing new and strange varieties "A plarla and flowers ia now to hand. A>nong other things we learn that Mr Burbank has developed a scentless variety of verbena into a fragrance* identical with that of the arbutus, but double its strength. He has ohanged th« odor of the- dahlia a flower with an offensive odor, into the ricli fragrance of the magnolia-, blossom, A blue roc© he declares to be. qu : .te possible — "you can nave any color you w!sr.'" He had made a blue poppy. He -lias developed gladioli so that they wU 1 blossom around the entire stem, and not on one side only. He has developed the tiny field daisy into a splendid bloss no. from five to seven inches in diameter.