Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-10-24
rwE RABBIT PEST N AUSTRALIA.

Mr.. C. r. Gordon Cumming, in the
September number of casseirs ha9azs'e.
gives the following account of rabbits
in Australia:
behold how great matter little
fire kindlethr'
Who could have foreseen, when about
a quarter of a century ago the first rab-
bits were imported TO South Australia,
"A delicacies for the table, that today
their determination would form one OF
the most serious problems for the Legs
lature?
New Zealand did not receive this gift
until some years later, when II unfor-
tunately occurred TO colonist In tue
southern isle TO turn adrlft some rap
bits on the bleak sandhiiis along the
coast at Invercargili. Accordingly ne
imported little family Of seven from
the old country, and very soon he and
his friends were able TO indulge In
some pleasant shooting, and found
change from constant mutton very sat
isfactory.
But thew soon found that their sport
could not keep pace with the increase
of the rabbits. Soon every BLADE OF
grass was CONSUMED, and then the hun
gry creatures nibbled the roots which
bound the light sandhills and prevent
ed them from blowing over the arabic
land.
The farmers began shooting and trap
ping with all their might, but the rad
bits had now been introduced 20 Otago,
whence they spread in every direction,
defying all the efforts OF the widely
scattered settlers, who for the most
mart live eight or ten miles apart. half
a dozen men sufficing TO herd fiocks
which range perhaps over afty Thousand
acres.
AS il was obvious that these could in
no wise check the ever-increasing evil.
il became necessary TO hire men TO trap,
shoot and ferret professionally. These
trappers required the aid Of large packs
of dogs. and il was soon found that the
disturbance thus caused amongst the
hocke resulted in greater mischief tuan
even the ravages Of the rabbits. More
over, the trappsrs were paid at the rate
Of twopence skin, but the market De,
came 80 overstocked that the skins sold
for less than they cost. -.
When you consider that the rabbit
begins to breed at the early age OF SIX
months, and thenceforth has about SIX
litters year Of from Six to eight young,
it is evident that the increase OF the
species must necessarily be excessive.
Il has been recksned that one ancestral
couple, having attained to the age OF
four and half years, may very well
SEQ around them a prosperous clan OF
descendants Numbering upwards OF one
million two hundred and seventy thou
sand. =
Among the many efforts made TO sub
due the rabbit pest, none has more sig.
nally failed than the introduction Of
cats, which, from the days Of the Mar.
auis of Carrabas down to the present
time, have proved such successful rab-
biters when working on their own 40
count. In New Zealand, however, 4 where
20 many things go by contrariesl they
seem to object to sport, and to prefer q
purely domestic life. -.
In Victoria it was at first hoped that
the native cat, which is kind OF weasel
would have proved useful ally; but
strange to say, 1t at once fraternized
with the rabbits; and now these SIN.
gular friends are said to share the same
burrows.
All manner Of remedies have beer
tried and SUCCESSFULLY given up as use
less in the face of so widespread an evil
The extent of the ravages could scarcely
be credited were II not for the cleai
statistics of the Rabbit Nuisance Com
mittee.
Thus, in South Canterbury, New Yea
land, Messrs. Cargill and Anderson state
that in the previous year they had killed
five hundred thousand rabbits by poison
and in the following spring their sheep
run was Just as denscly peopled by them
AZ ever.
Mr.. Kitchen says that he kept nearly
hundred men working as rabbit killers
for four months, and actually CLEARED
his land. Very soon, however, new com
ers arrived and entered into possession
Of this vacant tract, and now they are
worse than ever.
Still the plague spreads, and the whole
land is more or less infested with the
pest, and many districts are reduced e
mere warrens, on which 1t Is impossible
TO feed sheep at all. Many sheep farm.
ers have been forced TO abandon runs Of
from fifteen to sixteen thousand acres
Mr.. Il. Campbell has been compelled ID
abandon two hundred and fifty thou.
sand acres. In one year he expended
5000 in the endeavor to clear about
half of this land. Mr.. Rees reports
having killed one hundred and eighty
thousand rabbits within twelve months
In 1873 the total number of sheep In
New Zealand was upwards of thirteen
million, but SO terribls have been the
rasages Of this feeble people" that the
official returns for 1880 and 1881 show a
elimination Of two million in the number
Of sheep, and the last quarter of 1881
shows falling of of ten per cent. in
the export of wool compared with the
previous year.
AZ q slight compensation, bat one not
approaching TO the loss, il Is found that
the value Of rabbit skins exported In the
same period shows an increase Of f36 900,
the number Of skins exported averaging
ten million year, while one hundred
thousand rabbits were exported to Eng
land by the New Zealand Meat PIT scrv-
ing Company which has found the exper-
iment % popular that il now announces
its readiness to receive ten thousand rab-
bits day to be preserved for the reign
market.
Whether this last expedient for utiliz-
hard TO tell. confess that, for nv
VWa R0kes uuVut0 oVKtOQS1y OUloCt "
eating New Zealand rabbits, consider
ing that the cure now in vogue Ii whole
sale poisoning by means Of grain satu-
rated with phosphorus. perhaps phos-
phorus in this form may prove bcnefi-
cial 10 human beings, but one would
like some certain Information on this
point
How the sheep can be prevented from
eating the poisoned grain Is to me a
mystery. Il seems. however, to be
practicable, and the sheep-owners are
now beginning 10 take heart again.
How one mans poison may DO an
other mans meat has been abundantly
shown in Australia, where several enter
prising colonists have established rabbit
preserving factories on 50 large scale
that they may we'll be described IA rab-
bit exterminators. In western Victoria
there are two such factories, one as Co
lao and another at Camperdown. The
returns of the for one week were eighteen
thousand pairs Of rabbits, while in the
Same time the latter received ten thou
sand. Thus nearly sixty thousand rab-
bits we're dispoeed Of in one week by
these two establishments, and one oar
Ter alone received from the Colac factory
cheque for fl28 les. Sd. for six days'
work. This establishment employs about
three hundred hands In outdoor work
and about ninety indoors. CAmperdovn
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