Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-12-09
A Rabbit Calamity.


Australia offered a reward OF $lOO,OOO
for the determination Of rabbits in that do
main. 1t is the great question of the day
there, the safety of the agricultural inter
est aud the prosperity of tie country de-
pend upo1 the examination of these
nests. Mr.. James Watson, one of the
LARGEST ranch owners 10 Vict1ris, recently
came 10 this country with the view Of en-
gagipg Yankee ingenuity upon the prob
lem. In an interview WITH q newspaper
reporter he said: -, ,
lyon can imsgine what q terrible plague
the rabbits are when the Australian Gov
eminent il now building a fence OF wire
netting which, when completed, will be
s 600 miles lo1g, and which will divide
New South Wales and Queensland. The
r.bbits have not yet made their appear
rnce IN Queensland, and TIE fence ls 10
prevent them from getting over there
We nave tried hundreds Of ways to
get rid of the rabbits, but so far T 9th
ING has been successful, We are only
able TO check the increase. About the
b st means o. doing this is to scatter fruit
with arsenic over the ground, bat it's very
EXPENSIVE. In this way / have killed 500
rabbits with 10 bushels Of sliced apples,
Toep we use phosphate of oats, but the
t.o1tle with this is that the phosphate soon
loses its effect. think the best method IN
uss is tie ordinary rat trap; but all these
methods are very expensive, Tor instance
il eosks the government of Victoria Sl21,-
GOO a year 70 keep the rabbits down on
the crown (so7e-nment) lands. The CIV
eminent pays 10 2nts pair for all the
rabbits killed on their lands. A good man
can make $40 per week killing RADIUS.
These men use traps, and one man can
work 100 traps.
"a law has recently been passed that
ronpsIs TIE owner OF lands to KEEP the
rehhits down. If Re should fail 10 10 this
bs ia fined $50 for the first offence, SlOO Tor
the secoud, and uIon the third offence the
government employs men to attend to the
Tabbits at the expense of the land owner,
In MANY instances Iners are compelled
to g.ys up their lsrd, as the ex-
pense is 50 great. The owner OF III, oOO
acres IS obliged to employ 100 men for Kill
leo rabbits alone, and as result land tnit
a few wears ago was worth $50 an acre Is
roY cnly worth 81. I lave found way
by which I can keep the rabbits down
and make money By it. bat, CT course,
eve-v ranch man Caunot Go this. l have
stsrfed n rabbit cannia: factory We
can rabbits in the sane way that besi
ia canned here, ard our principal
market is in England. At pEe,ent !
am canning 100000 rabbits a year, Gil
Of which are killed offmy ranco, and still
this number does Tot keep the past down
"a the government rtq aires. put q rao-
bit and a Falf in a can. and at present l
can make 81 cents profit on DOZEN caus
They are retsiled in England at II cents
pound, and considering the high price OF
beefit would be supposed rabbits Wouia
become favorita dish with the poor o!
Eoglsnd. We. the rabbits are now only
purchased by the higher class, VINO con-
slider them a great dainty. -,
'Hcw long have we been bothered with
the rabbit? About ten years. Rabbits
were brought to Australia about twenty
wears 500 from Eugland for sporting pur-
noses. A pair will usually produce four
dee, and two bucks. The does breed when
two months cd and they have on an aver
age tour litters year. You can calculate
from this and you will find that the
statement that pair of rabbits will pro-
duce ?, OOO, OCO in two years is not SO pre-
posterous as it first appears. I brought
man over from South America just before
left and he firmly believes that the South
American skunk would get rid of the rab-
bits. Anyway the Australian government
offers reward of 500. 1000 for the bsst
plsn for their exterminatiOn."