CANBERRA WARFARE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23362, 30 November 1937, Page 15

CANBERRA WARFARE

POISON ATTACK ON SNAILS BIRD-LOVERS UP IN ARMS (From Our Own Correspondent) SYDNEY, Nov. 16. Canberra, the garden city, suffers the same fate as all luscious gardens —it is plagued by snails. Scientific investigators have tried a number of methods of ridding the beautiful public and private gardens of the pest. They have even imported a couple of dozen English thrushes, which are supposed to be Public Enemy No. 1 in the snail world. AH to no avail. The snails continue to multiply and flourish, and the gardens to suffer. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research recently demonstrated the efficacy of bran poisoned with Metaldehyde. But this drastic measure is having unexpected repercussions, and Canberra people are likely to be divided into two camps. Gardeners are using the bait enthusiastically and are killing off thousands of snails each night. It is also suggested, however, that they are killing birds, and a move has started to prevent the use of the bait. Dog owners are supporting the bird lovers. Officials have suggested that baits should be laid under small boards placed bridgewise over depressions in the gardens. Snail poisoners, however, declare that, after the first few hundred snails have been killed, the corpses block the approach to the bridges and thus their offensive is wasted. So the double warfare goes on—the snail-killers with their poison "gas," and the bird-lovers against the garden-lovers.