EXTERMINATING RABBITS

Te Aroha News, Volume XLI, Issue 6546, 20 November 1924, Page 1

EXTERMINATING RABBITS

. ivmV- v ••; ■. i -fv v ■ 0 ■m ■■ ' ■ 1 . : ■; - . . An Australian landholder gave a trapper contracts to trap out all rabbits on 1,620 and 1,480 acres, at 3/and 5/- per acre, respectively. The country was black, rugged, volcanic, and> mountainous. The job was completed in 23 weeks, the contractor employed six men; per week. He took 17,000 rabbit skins and had to break ;■j , . • in all burrows, burn all hollow logs, afid smash in all rocky harbours. The lamb-holder states that one man is 'now able to keep the 3;100 acres free of rabbits. Before cleaning the pests out, 1 his best lambing was 60 per cent. Since the completion of this work, he has marked 85 per cent,, of lambs, although there has been/ only seven inches of rain during the past six months. Expenses, he states, were re-paid in the first year. He is thinking of speculating in infested country to eradicate and sell.