THE RABBIT QUESTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2302, 14 April 1898, Page 5

THE RABBIT QUESTION.

In conversation with a prominent Otago farmer a representative of this journal elicited his views opon the much vexed question of. rabbits, and the gentleman mentioned is very emphatic in his opinion that poisoning should not be discontinued. Ha states that, judging from the letters of Mr M'Queen and others last year, it might have been expected* that no rabbits would be available for tbe factories this year, and yet the industry seems to be extending. He continued t

"I have had abent 16 years' experience with rabbits on a large sheep farm, and I ficd that trapping, when it had a fair trial, is a complete failure in keeping the pest down. I consider that land can be cleared of rabbits in one-tenth of the time that would be taken -with traps. If we bad rabbit factories ail over the colony at reasonable distances from each other, without' the aid of poisoning many runs would have to be abandoned.

" I admit that a great deal of labour h:;s been employed and good wage's made by trapping for the factories', ont as yet the factories have only paid the coat of lcilliig the rabbits, and the farmers have had to feed them for nothing. If the price of rabbits were such as to pay better* than sheep New Zealand could export enormous quantities, and the higher the price, the more likely would people be to farm them ; but seeing tbat the rabbits pay nothing at all to tba farmer for feeding them, I am convincsd that it would be a great calamity if the farmers were prevented from poisoning them during the summer, and especially in the autumn.

" I have given both trapping and poisoning & thorough trial and find the latter to be ten time? better than trapping from a .farmer's point of view.

11 The Rabbit Act is in forca to keep rabbits from spreading, and ib is well known thainothing is worse for scattering them than trapping. The only remedy I know is to put up rabbit-proof fences, and this should be encouraged as much as possible, but where there i 3 no rabbit-procf fencing thorough poisoning should be'compulsory immediately before trapping — say, in the month of March. After that date any stragglers not poisoned could be trapped. To trap before poisoning only scatters them all over the district, and has proved a complete failuro so far, as there is still a good supply of rabbits. I find that we have better £ras? and' carry more stock since wa employed summer poisoning."