THE BABBIT NUISASCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1855, 10 June 1887, Page 11

THE BABBIT NUISASCE.

(Feom Our Special Corbespondent.)

Wellington, June 1.

The annual report of the chief inspector upon the rabbit question was laid before the House to-day. He states that on the whole the position is but slightly altered. Another dry summer has not tended to decrease the pest, and unfortunately a mild winter last season on a large portion of the infected country rendered the poisoning operations in many localities comparatively ineffective, with the result that in a part of Otago (especially on the Waitaki river) the rabbits are more numerous than they have been before. But at the same time this influx is confined to the low-lying lands on river frontages, the higher country being, so to speak, clear. Together with this increase the infested area is gradually becoming more extensive, and they are reported to have been seen this year as far back as the junction of the Clark with the Haast river, on the west side of j the Haast saddle. It is questionable whether their advance in this direction will be either rapid or in great numbers, as the extent of timbered country, together with the rivers, must afford a considerable check, and the climate is wet. Their natural enemy has been seen along with them, and the distance to the nearest pastoral country they endanger is considerable. Although Canterbury as a whole cannot be considered infested, yet there are three points where the utmost care and vigilance is required to prevent a serious outbreak. On the east o£ the Waitaki river and at Akiterawa station in the Waimate country they are established, and a frontage of several miles along the river and from one to two miles back is infested the whole area comprising about 3000 acres. I* is reported at the present time that they are not as numerous as they have been ; but when the great danger is taken into censideration, would it not be better at once to wire-net this block securely than run the risk of their spread* ing over a larger area by the means used to destroy them ? If this country were so enolosed I at once, the rabbits might almost be exterminated and the danger averted. No furi ther spread of the pest has yet occurred on the east side of the Dobson river, and a vigilant supervision is being exercised at this point, which is the key to the Mackenzie country. On the west side of the Ohau lake and towards the Hopkins river they are getting decidedly more numerous. In the North Island matters are fairly satisfactory, but the dry season has rendered the work of destruction more difficult. As regards natural enemies he says : " The utility of the stoat as a native factor in rabbit destruction is unquestionable, and the evidence to the effect conclusive. For the inaccessible portions of the colorfy no other means are at present available. These remarks are specially applicable to the Wallace and Southland districts, where the great utility of the ferret is undeniable, the rabbit rapidly disappearing and the ferret being found in considerable numbers. This method, especially in Wallace, has been carefully and systematically carried out during the year. The following number of ferrets have been purchased and released by the department on Crown lands, principally on rough back country : — Wairarapa district, 40 ; Canterbury, 20; Waitaki, 160; Southland, 800 ; Lakes, 286 ; or a total of 1922 during the year. At the same time 7580 have been released by private owners in Marlborough (2350), Wairarapa (900), Canterbury (70), Waitaki (130), Vincent (1300), Tapanui (1000), Southland (1000), and Wallace (700), besides others of which no record could be procured. Although rarely seen, both the stoat and the weasel are believed to be doing good work. The farthest point from Lake Wanaka that sheep are mustered from the

Wanaka Peninsula has been 'remarkably free from rabbits since the weasels were released there, although little work has been done on it otherwise. The chief inspector suggests that encouragement should be given to the, breeding of ferrets, and that to ensure a supply locally * 15s a pair should be paid for them. , Regarding Crown lands, he suggests that" Parliament should make liberal provision for dealing with' them, and considers that if the Crown Lands department were debited with, the outlay , in-, ciirred,a keener perception of the-position would be shown. He hears that in high lake country more lands will be abandoned, , owing to the fact that this .high country, which. at, its best never carried many,- .sheep to the acre, and is difficult to muster, .could not, at the late prices obtained, for wool and sheep, 1 together with the annual expenditure' for, the destruction of rabbits and other drawbacks, be worked otherwise than at a loss. , As to. the meaus of destruction, ,no fresh, methods, have been added to those already known.,.' With theview of retrenchment a. considerable number, o£ agents and some inspectors have been dispensed^ with. The result of the' past year's, proceedings show that although the pest is still slowly making fresh-headway, yet their numbers on the. previously .infested country are as, a rule less, and the increase of the sheep ,. good. Thei lambing and clip speaks for itself, but the fact \ remains that the pest is still and must be an annual tax upon the owners of properties as. well as on the State, and' that some inexpensive^ factor in the shape of a disease or a naturalenemy is required as a destroyer to abate this continual drain on the principal industry of thecolony. The total number of skins exported, from the colony during the year ending, March, 31 amounted to 8,900,692. ' , , r Attached to the report of Chief Inspector. Bayley'onthe rabbit pest is an account by Pro--fessor Ivey, of the Canterbury Agricultural College, of some experiments with all available, kinds of foods, aromatics, &c, in order to ascer-, tain whether it was possible to discover a bait that the rabbit would take during the summer months. He has to report failure, as no food, has been found that the rabbit would prefer to, grass. In the Upper Waitaki district, where some experiments were made, tho rabbits .absolutely refused the food laid -^ as bait %i A few experiments were made in inoculating from diseased rabbits, but the results did not prove satisfactory. It was ascertained ■ that the smallest dose of strychnine which., would prove fatal was one-sixteenth of a grain, - and the professor considers that small quantities - might be advantageously used. , Its effect on other animals need not cause alarm. As to the introduction of the natural enemy, while the pro* , f essor thinks they would be an unmitigated nuisance to the farmer, ho has seen reason to modify that opinion in regard to pastoral countsy. With regard to summer - killing, he, suggests small areas in certain localities favoured by rabbits being enclosed with wire netting and planted , with lucerne and other succulent crops. The fencing could be arranged sothat the rabbits could l get in easily but escape with difficulty. The , rabbits might then be driven into a sort of ccult, t de sac and easily killed. This would aid winter poisoning, and be cheaper than shooting, dogging, and trapping in summer.