South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1882-12-01
The Rabbit Plague in Aust ALA
A Big Chance Tor Pa ,ins ioven,ioa.

&AS As~sSSAs A0ooS AA - 00eA AAAGs'
Big Chance Tor Paying ipven,ioa.
The ancient saying that the race is
not always to the swift nor the battle
to the strong is receiving new Illus.
tration in Australia. Or all animals
the timid rabbit would seem TO be the
last that would ever wage war OF
determination against man; aud yet
that is precisely what it is dong in
Australia. One colony has already
lost two millions OF sheep by them !;
the plague is spreading northwurd ut
the rate Of one hundred miles or more
year; aud the Federal Australian
says that tue rabbit invasion threatens
the great industry ol the colony with
ruin. The impossibility OF feeding
large tlvcks of sneep and innumerable
rabbits at the same time on the same
breadth of pasturage, is just AS great
us would be that OF growing wheat
and hay on the same soil. There Is
only one alternative in this case: eli
ther the flock owners must eXpel the
rabbits, or the rabbits will cXpel the
flock owners The conviction is that
the evil has attained "a magnitude
which puts it beyond the hope Of con-
troll by local efforts, or even by any
one colony. The movement for the
determination OF the rabbits must be
simultaneous and universal to be OF
any avail.
The proposition n ,w Is for n gener-
al act OF the colonial assemblies levy.
ing tax Oil all lands, whether stock
Ell or not, to meet the cost Ola gener-
al war upon the invaders 10y the col.
onlal governments. 1t is proposed
that each colony shall appoint staff
or rabbit inspectors to enforce rerress
I'VE legislation, each colony under
taking to keep its own borders tree
from the plague.
The flock owners over the entire
area OF the CONTINENT saws the
Australian, must make common
cause in the endeavor to exterminate
the plague, and to that end must aid
their respective governments by eve
~ means in their power. War 10
the knife must be declared by every
individual interested in station pro.
perty IN Australia against Il es,ilence
which positively threaten. nothing
less than the gradual destruction ot
the wealthest interest that has vet
grown into tlourishlug existence in
this part of the world
Having declared general war upon
the rabbits, the great question would
appear TO be the devisimg of modes OF
attack that will be ut once efficient
and economical One flock owner is
mentioned as having trapped five
thousand of the little pests in q space
OF four months; others have tried
general poisoning, and yet no perccp
tlble check has been put npon the rap.
id multiplication of the prolific and ali
devouring vermin. Shooting the rab
bits is out of the question, there are
80 many of them, their wariness am,
burrowing habits adding to the hope.
lessness of meeting the invasion by in
dividual destruction. They must he
killed by the million, and at IL cost
that will not exceed the value of the
land reclaimed from their ravages.
Probably the most welcome guest
in Australia to. day woald he the ii,
ventor OF n solution for this pressing
and all important problem. The mo,
ney values at stake are enormous
and the successful inventor of Il cure
for the evil, which so graveIy threat.
ems the prosperity and future progress:
OF the Australian colonies, would
doubtless make as good thing fol
himself rs his invention would be for
the sheep raisers. Scientific Amer.
How Ills Legs Were Put on Par
There lives in this city an ex. Union
soldier who was wounded IN the righ
leg ut the battle of fredericksburg
the bone having been shattered above
the knee in such manner that the
limb was in healing materially short.
ened and he was apparently perma
ncntIy lame. Recently he was iniur
ed i'm q railroad accident, the left lee
having been shattered at the thigh
When Inc recovered and was able 10
walk again he found the leg hurt il
the accident had been shortened IL
healing to the same extent as the 9th
err one. He can now walk without
any crutch or other assistance, anC
his legs arc on par. --Curnberlanc
| Civilian.
The West Virginia Central anC