SOME RURAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2057, 27 July 1893, Page 8

SOME RURAL NOTES.

By Comjnus.

It will be good news to settlers in outlying districts . to' learn from the Sulmidies Financial Statement that Goto vernment tided not intend to do Local Bodies, away with subsidies to lccal bodies. It is quite evident thai, settlement on the land cannot be effectually carried oub in the absence of requisite roads, 1 and that providing the country with roads is ' one of the most important functions of Government. It is a cruel and heartless" farce to induce people to take upland- and not provide them with the means of getting to and from their holdings. Several of -the councils of counties within the limits of which there is much outlying lands, and where, of course, population is sparser and there, are fewer people to pay rates, are deplorably in want of lands for the formation and repair of roads. For example, the Ciutha County Council is wofully in want of funds, notwithstanding the fast that its bank account is, or was lately, ! largely overdrawn. Haying a few chains of metal put on the Puerua Valley Main road, eg as to make the road at all fit for traffic during winter, has been a matter of great difficulty, and either the riding has to incur a .special debb under the. act for the purpose, or the council will oaly do the work as a very special favour and on a strong petition from all the surrounding settlers. Surely a county council ought to take the initiative in a matter' of -this sort, and see that all roads, and especially' main roads, are fit for traffic • without the necessity of settlers signing and presenting petitions. The plea of the council, however, for its apparent negleot is always, "no funds, no f uncial" - . - '

Multitudes of rabbits will probably have been already destroyed this winter by Babbit means of poisoned oats, and if Destruction.' poison <was laid now and again till the end of August, a good deal would be done in the way of checking the plague, and leaving fewer rabbits for reproduction. There does not as yet, however, appear to be any permanent decrease in the number of rabbits, for these voracious rodents breed with such frightful rapidity that though large numbers are killed during the winter, in five or six months they are about as numerous as ever. Oil of rhodium is very expensive, but I think a little of it induces rabbits to take the oats more freely. Two or three drops of the oil to about a quart of oats is probably enough. I observe complaints are occasionally made of laying the oats in small heaps, and so endangering the lives of stock.' ■ The oats should never be laid in this manner. I find' scattering a few oats on ground cut by the spade and the sod turned over is quite effective. I do not think the' Acclimatisation Society has as yet made any attempt to Owls. introduce the owl into this country. We have only one sort of native owl — the little morepork. A curious and interesting little bird he is, with his soft .brown plumage and bright staring yellow eyes. For such a small bird, his call is extraordinarily loud and deep toned. Early settlers were used to hear the cry of this bird as they were bringing home loads of wild pigs in the evening — ," more pork ! more pork ! " A few nights since I heard the sound of a tussle in the house, and found my cat had got hold of a morepork. The poor little beggar was making a hard fight for his life with beak and claw, ■ but I am afraid he would not have had much chance with the cat if I bad not interfered. However, I rescued him and let him go, and he flew off apparently not much the worse for hi} encounter. I think the cat had caught him on the roof of the house, where he had probably stationed himself on the lookout for mice or young rats. There are several sorts of owls in the British Isles—the common barn, or barndoor owl as it used to be called, and the long and short-eared- brown owls, for example. It appears to be Jbhe' short-horned owl which has done such- good service in 'the destruction of the voles or field mice which lately proved such a fearful scourge to the farmers of Ecotland. Probably owls would be of service here in the destruction of rats and mice, and they might perhaps kill young rabbits. We are not much troubled with voles or field mice at present, but perhaps we may ■ have a visitation of the plague some day. Owls are not likely to destroy poultry. If I remember .aright I think it used to be a , ; practice' in the Home country Books. to hire boys to frighten rooks and other birds off the newsown corn-crops, but I see the owner of a large ' rookery giving in the Spectator of May 20 last a good character to the rook. He, says of a neighbour, a young fame?, that two years ago he .sowed a' large field with wheat, and tHe operation was no sooner completed than the acreage was black with rooks. The wrathful owner was in despair, and was advised to plant some other crop on the land, which must of necessity have been rendered quite barren of -seed ; but he determined to " let the' land alone till autumn." The result was that he never reaped a richer' iarvesj. Since : then he has taken note of the wayß of rooks.and he believes that they do more good than harm. Another neighbour, an old farmer, whenever he opened, dead rooks shot by boys, found the birds had on every occasion fed solely bn grubs, the crop of one being full of wire worms.