Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1888-11-15
MILLIONS or RABBITS.


Anstrnifa O6ers . Reward OF 100000
for Their determination
"A pair Of rabbits will poduce
2.ooO. coo rabbits in two years IL Aus
tralia." IL q statement that ut first
seems increiulous. and when Jaues
Watson, Of Victoria. made 1t the otter
day TO a party OF gentlemen thy
thought he was iesting. Yet IL Is u
true as gospel. Mr.. Watson Is one OF
the largest ranch owners in Victoria.
Australia. having under fence alone
$1,000 acres. The problem of how TO
exterminate rabbits is the greatest
question that confronts the people OF
Australia to-day. as their entire pros
perity depends upon IT, II Is In hope
tha; Yankee ingenuity might be able
to solve this important problem that
Mr.. Watson now visits America
"You can imagine what u terrible
plague the rabbits are" said Mr.. Wat
son. when the Australian Government
Is now building fence OF wire netting
which. when completed. will be 500
miles long. and which will divide New
South Wales and Queensland. The
rabbits have not yet made their APP
pearance in Queensland. and the fence
Is 10 prevent them from getting over
there.
We have tried hundreds Of ways 20
get rid OF the rabbits. but 30 far moth
ing has been successful We are only
able to check the increase. About The
best means OF doing this IL to scatter
fruit with arsenic over the ground. but
this Is very expensive In this way
have killed COO rabbits with ten
bushels of sliced apples. Then we
with this is that the phosphate soon
loses its effect. think the best method
in Use is the ordinary rat-trsp. but all
these methods are very expensive.
For instance, IL costs the govern
ment of Victoria sl25.o0o u year to
keep the rabbits down on the Crown
(govcrument) lands. The govern
ment pays ten cents pair for all the
rabbits killed ON their lands. A good
man can make $40 dollars a week kill
ing rabbits. These men use traps and
one man can work 100 traps.
A law has recently been passed that
compels the owner OF lands TO keep
the rabbits down n he should fail Ia
do this he is fined go for the first Of
fenss. flO0 for the second and upon the
third ofrense the government employs
men to attend TO the rabbits at the ex-
pense of the land owner. In many in
stances owners are compelled 10 give
up their land. IA the expense Is 80
great The owner OF 10000 acres IL
Obliged to employ 100 men for killing
rabbits alone. aud as n result land that
a few years ago was worth $50 an acre
Is nos only worth a.
II have found a way by which can
keep the rabbits down and make money
by it. but. OF course. every ranch man
can not do this have started rab-
bit canning factory. We can the rab-
bits much the same way that beef Is
canned here. and our principal market
Is in England At present I am can
ming 500. 600 rabbits a year. all of which
oAC 1eAAA N&AAr
number does not keep the pest down rs
the Government requires Iput rab-
bit and half In can. and at present
make thirty-seven cents profit on
dozen cans. They are retailed In En-
gland at twelve cents a pound. and
considering the high price Of beef it
would be supposed rabbits would be-
come a favorite dish with the poor of
England. yet the rabbits are now only
purchased by the higher class, who
consider them n great dainty.
How long have we been bothered
with the rabbit About ten years. Rab-
bits -ere brought to Australia about
twenty yc-~s ago from England for
sporting purposes. A pair will usually
produce four does and two bucks The
does breed when two months old. and
they have on an average four litters
year You can calculate from this.
and you will find that the statemeD
that a pair of rabbits will produce two
million in two years Is not so prepos-
ferrous as it at first appears brought
q man over from South America Just
before I left. and he firmly believes
that the South American skunk would
get rid of the rabbits. Anyway the
Australian Government offers a reward
Of 800. 900 for the best plan for their
determination. Harry Walker, ia
Philadelphia Press.
s
Accidentally Discharged.