Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-11-08

Britain with landlordism, and America
with trusts-while some great social or
| political cancer is eating its way iEto the
vitals of all the nations of the earth, Aus
tral1e Is making desperate fight for ex-
| istence against millions of rabbits. The
problem of how to exterminate rabbits
/ is the greatest question that confronts
the people of Australia today, as their
| entire prosperity depends upon It. 1t is
in the hope that Yankee ingenuity may
be able to solve this important problem
| that Mr.. James Watson Of Victoria, an
| extensive ranch owner, Is now on a visit
| to America. A reward of 100000 is Of
fered by the government for the best plan
| for their determination. Pasteur made
| a dismal failure, and none of the meth
DDS which have been employed have met
with any success. One plan is to scatter
poisoned fruit on the ground; another 30
| set ordinary rat traps, but tn csc methods
are entirely too expensive. A law has
recently been passed that compels the
owners of LANDS to keep the rabbits down.
If be should fail 10 do this he is fined $50
for the first offense, and 500 for the Sec
ond, and upon the third offense the gov
eminent employs men to attend TO the
rabbits at the expense of the land owner.
In many instances owners are compelled
to give up their land, as the expense is
so great. The owner of 10000 acres is
obliged to employ 100 men for killing
rabbits alone, and as a result land that
few years ago was worth $50 an acre is
now only worth 81. For instance, it cost
the government of Victoria 1926, 900
year to keep the RABBITS down on the crown
(government) lands. The government
pays ten cents pair for all the rabbits
killed on their lands. A good man can
make $40 a week killing rabbits. These
men use traps and one man can work 100
traps.
The RABBITS have not yet made their ap-
pearance in Queensland, and the Aus
tralian government is now building
fence of wire netting, which when COM
pleted, will be 5000 miles long, and which
will divide New South Wales and Queens
land.
Rabbits were introduced into Australia
about twenty years ago from England
for sporting purposes. pair will usual
ly produce four does and two bncks. The
does breed when two months old and they
have on an average four filters year,
The calculation that pair of rabbits will
produce 1000, 900 in two years is not pre-
posteroEs as it at first appears.
Mr.. Watson says he has found a way by
which he can keep the rabbits down and
make money by it, but of course every
rarchman cannot do this. He has start
ed rabbit canning factory. He cans
the rabbits much the same way that beef
is canned here, and his principal market
is in England. At present he is canning
100000 rabbits a year, all of which are
killed off his ranch. and still this number
does not keep the pest down as the
government requires, Re puts rabbit
and half in 8 can and at pr esent makes
81 cents profit on a dozen cans. They
are retailed in England at II cents per
pound, and considering the high price of
beef 1t would be supposed rabbits would
| become favorite dish with the poor of
England, yet the rabbits are now only
purchased by the higher ella sses, who
consider them great dainty. But, as
Mr.. Watson says, every ranohman cannot
conduct a canning factory and some
other means must be employed.