San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-06-08
A NEW ZEALAND PEST.
Land Almost Impoverished by nordes OF Rabbits.
0entlemAn's Magazine

from the ravages of these gentlest OF
furry foes. About twenty years ago, a
colonist brought seven rabbits from the
old country TO his home at Invercargill,
in the southern Isle. IL was thought
that TO turn these adrift on the bleak
sand'hills along the coast could not fail
TO prove benefit TO the colony. For
some years this answered capitally, and
the colonists enjoyed excellent shooting
on the links, rs such sea beard is call
ed in Scotland. But ere long the rab-
bits increased to such an extent that
they cropped of every blade OF grass
and even devoured the roots, which
alone bound the light sand hills and
prevented them from blowing over the
better soiled inland. Very soon this
evil occurred, and the land was greatly
injured. Then the farmers on the sea
coast began shooting and trapping in
earnest; but by this time some more
rabbits had been imported to Otago,
and from these two centers the mischief
rapidly spread. Considering that each
rabbit breeds eight times year, and
produces an average of six young at q
litter, it is easy to perceive how rapid
must be their increase. On the other
hand, their human foes are few, the
settlers in the interior living eight or
ten miles apart-a lonely life, in truth,
where perhaps half dozen men herd
the focks which range over $4,000 acres.
1t became evident that these shepherds
could never check the progress of the
evil without assistance, so men were
hired to ferret, trap, shoot or worry the
invaders. These men travelled with
large packs of dogs, numbering from
one to two dozen. They were paid at
the rate of two pence skin. 1t was,
however, soon found that the sale Of
skins fetched less than they cost, while
the presence of strange dogs disturbed
the sheep, and often resulted in their
being worried. The sheep-runs being
in general tracts of Grown lands, mere
ly rented by the farmer for limited
term of years for the purpose Of rearing
stock, it was found in many cases not
to be worth the expense of attempting
to cope with the mischief. One cure
after another was tried, such as stop
ping Uuo UuIIOWo WALL CObuOu-WdoUc
saturated in bisulphide of carbon, but
all were successfully given up as use
less efforts to meet 80 widespread an
evil. In cases it was found that the
land could no longer support one-fourth
of it's former number of sheep, SO the
holders were absolutely compelled to
throw up their leases and abandon their
runs. The extent of the ravages could
hardly be credited were it not for cut
anddry statistics of the Rabbit MUS
ance Committee. 1 may quote few
items from the evidence of many gen.
tlemen owning large sheep runs in the
provinces of Otago and South Canter-
bury. Many begin by stating how in
credulous they were at first that rabbits
would even take to the new country
sufficiently to afford them sport. All
too quickly their eyes were opened
For instance, in South Canterbury,
Messrs. Cargill and Anderson killed
100000 rabbits by poison year ago,
but in the following spring their sheep
run was just as densely peopled by
them as though not one had persisted.
Mr.. Kitchen states that he kept nearly
a hundred men working as rabbit-kill-
ers for four months, and succeeded in
clearing his land. Now they are worse
than ever. Mr.. Rees says that he kill
ed $50, 900 last year, and his employer,
r. Campbell, expended $4,000 in one
year, in attempting to keep down this
pest on his runs of 168, 900 acres. Still
the plague spreads, and the whole land,
from Waitaki to Foveaux Strait is
more or less infested with rabbits. 1t
is reported that many districts are
vast barren, on which it is impossible
to keep sheep at all. Mr.. r. Campbell
alone has been compelled to abandon
100000 acres. Chiefly in Southland
and Wallace counties, and on the North
Maria Lake and Greensboro Valley,
several other sheep farmers have also
been forced to abandon runs of from
$4,000 to 10000 acres. Many estates,
though less seriously injured than these,
have still suffered SO greatly that their
value is immensely deteriorated. Eight
runs which formerly brought in rent
al of 81, 900 per annum, now let for
G170. The Burwood run is instanced
as one which used to carry $4,000
sheep, but now barely provides food for
$4,000. In 1878 the total number of
sheep in the colony was upwards of
100000; in 1879 it was reduced to
11,500,000, and this decrease, though
now considerably checked, has con-
tinued. The loss on the exports of
wool and tallow is estimated at 100000 |
per aunum. On the other hand, in the
year 1879 there we're exported from
New Zealand upwards of 100000 rab-
bit skins-valued at e46, 759-and in |
the following year upward of 100000 |
rabbit skins sold for e66,976.
Reasons for Not Advertising.
Rufe Shoemaker, of the Grass Valley, |