A FARMER’S FRIEND.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXIX, Issue 122, 15 July 1911, Page 5

A FARMER’S FRIEND.

In a lecture in Sydney a few days ago Mr A. S. Le Soouf suggested that snakes might assist the farmer in the extirpation of tho rabbit plague. Thero were many snakes in Australia, said Mr Le Souef, but only a few were venomous, and he thought it a great pity that those which were harmless should have to bear tho obloquy directed against their class generally. In support of his proposal that the non-venomous snakes, as well as lizards, might be usefully employed in getting rid of rabbits, he threw some pictures upon the screen. First there was one of a big iguana, at which he provoked a laugh by the observation that two hundred or three hundred of these would keep a farm pretty clear of rabbits. ‘ ‘Oh, they wouldn’t hurt the stock,” said lie, reassuringly. Carpet snakes ho described as just as harmless as sheep, and, to his mind, in need of very special protection, since they were “very keen on eating rabbits.” He showed pictures of some of these snakes —big creatures, with their skins beautifully marked in a variety of patterns. “They look formidable,” ho admitted, “hue Hey’re quite harmless.” Then there were green snakes —a picture of one of these was exhibited. “ft’s poisonous,” said he,,

“but it never does any harm to man, and it eats a great "'"vuy small posts tho destruction of w. 11 otherwise would cost a large sum