THE DANYSZ EXPERIMENTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2761, 13 February 1907, Page 7

THE DANYSZ EXPERIMENTS.

(Australasian, 2nd inst.) So far as they have gone the experimeott on Broughton Island point to a successful iH-,ue. When inters iewed last week. Dr Danysz, who is apparently very hopeful of fin i her described wiia-t he had far done, ami -poko of what ho intended to do. To tho laymen theie doos not seem m> much more !♦ ft to bo done. Two \ital facts ha\o boon established, which must Mlence advor-o < nt m.i*>iu. Those who fore, -aw the wholesale d< of .-took will, pvihiips. be disappointed to learn that n<V danger is to be foarod from tho contamination of sheep or cattle by the diseased rabbits; while otheis, whose stated objection to the ex|>erinient was based on the supposition that the disease could t never bo dis-emtriated among wholo colonies of labbitd, will find that there is no c»use for further opposition on that ground. Careful e\i-rriments 1,a,v0 boo.i mado with domestic <anmd,!-. aiitl tliov ha\o not o\on "ickened under th<> injection of the Mrus. Even the viiMtne guinea-pig, which ,e*>ms to succumb to any complaint, on the slightest piovocation. ht- shown that Dr Danysz's <hsco\erv hold- no terror for him. A horse charged with enough poison to dis-po-o of 10,000 rabbits «emc<l utterly oblivious to the responsibility of his position, and never looked like dying. The only difference in his behaviour that could be "detected after the injection was made was that he ate his food with keener relish than before. Pigs fed on the carcases of rabbits which had died from the bacillus showed no departure from their normal state of health, while sheep, cows, goats, and other graminivorous animal* continued to graze in paddocks wheio rabbits had died by the score, without any haim o\ertaking'them. The rabbit plague n now quiescent, but it, is certain that it will break out again with unabated virulence as soon a* feed becomes scarce. There are still millions of iabbits in the west and north wott, but fortunately in many places thcro is al=o an abundance of grasa, and whi'e there is plenty for both sheep and

The special GkXDWS FraTTLisxs mack np by. Niuito aitd Blaib will ¥c found to giv* «*i cellent resnltg when used for Flowers ani V«f •- tables; also fox Pet Plant*, in sa3 out of * greenkoam. It im jmt op in 7lb htfft, ti Utt exch. Ajik i«mr ct«xckteptt fox it.

rabbits, complaints of the ravages of the 3pest will nor be heard. As soon, however, as the feed begins to fade the rabbits vill come with their customary rush, and *he question of their eradication will again receive attention. Pastoralists are therefore watching the progress of the experiments with as much interest as ever, and present indications are that the time is not long before more convincing trials will be carried out on the mainland.