Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 1887. The Rabbit Nuisance.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2079, 10 June 1887, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 1887. The Rabbit Nuisance.

The report of Mr B. P. Bayly, Superintending Inspector, with repeat to the rabbit nuisance, which has only been published within the last day or two, contains a considerable amount of information. In the Otago Provincial the rabbits are ! hiTcasing in numbers, especially near k- Waiteki lliver. Several districts Canterbury are threatened with an ; in. ; .si- i ’ hi’ !)'■•!. In t a North I 's’ 'iJ C ik. vly states " aat matters are fairly satisfactory ; Out the dry season has rendered the work of destruction more difficult.” In the King Country, Auckland, the rabbits have obtained a footing. Mr Bayly next refers to “ the natural enemy of the rabbit. He expresses an opinion “ that the utility of ferrets in destroying rabbits is unquestionable.” During the year the following number of ferrets have beeu purchased and released by the department on Crown lauds, principally on rough back country in the following districts : Wairarapa 40, Canterbury 20, Waitaki 160, Wallace 616, Southland 800, Lakes 286, or a total of 1,922 during the year. At the same time 7,580 have been released by private owners. In Marlborough 2,350, Wairarapa 900, Canterbury 70, Waitaki 130, Vincent 1,800, Tapanui 1,000, Southland 1,000, Wallace 700, besides others of which no record could be procured. Although rarely seen, both the stoat and weasel are believed to be doing good work at the head ef Lakes Wakatipu and Wanaka. Mr Bayly further remarks —“ Whilst dealing with tho natural enemy as a rabbit exterminator, it must bo patent !o an’’ pract’cal man that, so long as the prosed vant of unanimity of action i.:; tho part of those most inteiested in rabbit destruction exists, -’o long vi ll no decided results bo obtained. As at present conducted, one owner perhaps poisons thoroughly iu the winter, and iLou leaves off or trier- to avoid fa;; Lor destruction until tho next winter again ; another perhaps follows up tho pok'mirg by destroying ail he possibly ran by other means, am! then re'oa.'m Pm terret; his neighbour perhaps believes iu traps and dogs, by both of which means tlienatuial enemy is destroyed and the rabbits thoroughly scattered. Fumigation, again, where the natural euemy are, means their destruction as well as that of the pest; owners using these means to obtain temporary relief, completely nullify the efforts of t ”-ea whose aim is permanent suppression of evil. A suggestion is Made that the i breeding of ferrets in the colony yhould be encouraged, aud that the Govern ment should offer 7s 6d per head or 15s per pair for them, and Iss each for all female ferrets in voung, in 1 ktobei* and November. On the dem of other means of destruction :--r tk- rabbi's, Mr Baylv states that -■ • .-a m‘ik»G have betu dovi»od

I i adJitioi in tno-o alrc klv Ei .ivn, I ii'ijq.ilior’isiv; "nun bum;; slid lire iiost effectual atjo'it employed. Mr Bayly states “that the various opinioos with respect to the utilitv of phoap’aoriaed grain are very conflicting. Given certain conditions it may bo employed to advantage, bat the evidence available does not show that it can be depended upon in all cases. Fencing, where the country is adapted *o it, must afford a valuable check ; end when erected upon private properties the rabbits can be destroyed without the danger of their beiug again suddenly overrun, as frequently occurs where no obstacle to their advance exists ; and it is a question whether the expenditure incurred in uintinous destruction would not become eventually tar in excess of what the first outlay would be in protection against the plague. Were wire-net

fencing included 5u the schedule to the Fencing Act, many would avail themselves of this protection, which the fact of it not being a legal fence precludes.”

Mr Bayly, in closing his report, says—“ that the rabbit pest is still and must continue to be, an annual tax upon the owners of properties as well as on the State, and that some inexpensive factor in the shape of disease or natural enemy, is required as a destroyer to abate the continued drain on the landowners and the colony.” It appears that a circular was sent to all the rabbit inspectors in the colony, asking what means had been taken to abate the pest in their several districts ? To these queries, Inspector Orbell, Masterton, replied that the means of destruction employed were —“ (1). Phosphorized grain, carrots arsenicized, bisulphide of carbon, working tame ferrets with nets, warrens and watercourses broken up, in some places trapping, shooting and bunting with dogs, ferrets and cats turned out, and the cover of bush and scrub have been cleared. (2). The natural enemies to be turned out in as large numbers as possible in the early spring. (3). Satisfactory progress has been made.” He also makes the following general remarks:” Native infested land should be individualized ; rabbit-proof fences in badly infested parts of a district to be declared a legal fence. In South Wairarapa the rabbits are consider ably reduced. Wild ferrets are fast increasing, and their good work is perceptible. I have great faith in the phosphorized grain and the natural enemies doing the work of extermination upon tho pastoral country. Stoats and weasels arc spreading over the district; 300 have been turned out on the Te Awaiti Estate by E. J. Kiddiford, Esq., with excellent results. Ferrets require to be turned out in large numbers, and the ground worked systematically before they become effective, and the supply kept up annually, and as many as possible tamed out in the spring. The excessive dry weather of the last six months has been very favourable for the maraase of the rabbit pest, but mnch satisfaction I am »bl<3B° r t that the rabbits in South VVairfWp* are on the decrease.”

Inspector Drummond answers the queries pretty much in the same way.

We gather from all this evidence that no new aud effective destructive agent, in addition to those already employed has yet been discovered for killing the rabbits. Professor Ivey, of the Canterbury College, tried all sorts of poisons with ineffective results, nothing being equal to phosphorized oais. He also tried inoculating from diseased rabbits, but that plan was a failure. Professor Ivey remarks--" I may at once say that the anticipated difficulty—viz., to find a food that the rabbit would prefer to grass—has not been met. Whatever course may iu the future be pursued with respect to the rabbit, I think our experiments here are fairly conclusive that the work of keeping the animals within bounds will not be done by means of a poisonous bait that will compete with the animal’s natural food where that is in supply.” It seems clear that the rabbit pest will have to be fought with for years to come. As settlement progresses and the country districts become more populated, it may, however, be hoped that the evil will be brought within manageable limits. Meantime Rabbit Inspectors will flourish and unhappy settlers will be prosecuted and fined by that band of officials.