THE DEER QUESTION.

Southland Times, Issue 22131, 27 September 1933, Page 12

THE DEER QUESTION.

To the Editor. Sir,—".3o3” docs not give me the credit of explaining that his lancewood can be seen on the Boulevards of the Continent and England in the polished handles of walking sticks and umbrella and parasol handles, and he ought to retract his* accusation against the deer. “.303” says that perhaps I am right about the floods, and perhaps I am not, as he states that the Waiau river at Lake Manapouri has a rise and fall of 17 feet; but one never hears of extraordinary damage at flood times. Why? Now “.303” I can assure you it has nothing to do with deer, and if you really want to know (and get me permission from the editor for space), I would be able to prove that Nature is a wonderful engineer when it can control a mighty river such as the Waiau. “.303” mentions that an overseas gentleman spent 14 days in the Iris Burn locality, and only saw five deer. I wonder if he told him he ought to hunt deer in Dee street? Messrs Craig and King, of Gore, who made several trips through McKinnon’s Pass, reported they had noticed, great areas of mountain lilies, where it was subjected to constant partial destruction by fragments of falling rocks, but the more it was broken the better it seemed to grow. Now “.303” kindly note deer nibbling these plants improve the growth, but if you carry a spade and bag and help to dig up roots and all you must remember Nature cannot come to the rescue. I am told the beech country about Manapouri somewhat resembles the land about Lake Monowai. There is, say, 1000 acres of flat country about Monowai that is infested with rabbits, and I should say the extra stocking capacity of that land now is about half a woodhen to the acre. Formerly it was beech bush country, but you cannot blame the deer for its present state. Wild pigs have done a lot of rooting up of “Clecknum-discolour” (fern), and roots of forest trees and shrubs, but rabbits teemed in thousands, eating anything green and scratching and poisoning the ground, which made Nature powerless to come to the rescue. The Maoris on the mainland of the North Island say that Mayor Island is now well afforested, and was once completely covered with fem and flax, with very little native bush. This statement was verified in a report by Dr. A. H. Cockayne, which stated that in places the fem was very high and matted. Later pigs were liberated on Mayor Island and, fem-root being so plentiful, the pigs became so fat that they could be caught by hand. As the fem became eaten out, the pigs became leaner and fewer, but through their assiduous roofings in search of underground food, they made ideal beds for forest seeds. In time these seeds struck with the result that to-day the whole of the island is well covered with young bush. Now, Mr Editor, I '.hink this proves that in the absence of Nature’s great enemies, rabbits, fires and the digging up of roots and all by human hands, Nature will and does come to the rescue.—l am, etc., H. H. TWEMLOW. West Plains Road, Waikiwi, September 25, 1933.

To the Editor.

Sir, —The letter published in your issue of the 16th inst by “The Musgetdeers” contains a most remarkable offer and as one who appeared to ridicule the deer menace, an exceedingly valuable admission against his case. He offers to pay £3 3/- to any charitable institution if any person can on a one day trip from Invercargill, returning the same day, shoot and kill six deer in any part of Southland with the exception of Murrell’s “meat block.” By excepting this “meat block” which no doubt means the district in the neigh-

bourhood of Lake Manapouri, from his offer, your correspondent must be understood to acknowledge that the deer abound there in great numbers. His letter supports my contention that these animals are to be found in great numbers in some parts of the country and constitute an increasing danger to our forests.—l am, etc., “.303.”