The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-30
AUsTRALIA's RABBIT PEST.
A Reward of 100000 Offered for
Their determination.

Their determination.
New York Sept. pa pair of rab-
bits will produce 100000 rabbits in two
years in Australia" is a statement that at
first seems incredulous, and when James
Watson of Victoria, made It the other day
to a party Of gentlemen, they thought ne
was jesting. Yet it is as true as gospel.
Mr.. Wasn is one Of the largest ranch
owners in Victoria, Australia, having under
fence alone $1,000 acI es The problem of
how to exterminate rabbits is toe greatest
question that confronts the people OF Aus
tralia to-day, as their entire prosperity de-
ponds upon it. 1t is in hope that Yankee
ingenuity might be able TO solve this I'M
portaht problem that Mr.. Watson now
visits America.
''You can imagine what terrible plague
the rabbits are" said Mr. Watson, when
the Australian 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. The rabbits have not vet made their
appearance in Queensland and the fence is
to prevent tsem from getting over there.
1--WE have tried hundreds of ways to get
rid of the rabbits, but SO far nothing has
been successful. We are only able TO check
the increase About the best means of do
ing this is to scatter fruit with arsenic over
the ground, but this is very expensive
method. In this way | have killed 600 rab
bits with ten bushels Of sliced apples. Then
we used phosphate of oats, but the trouble
with this is that the phosp ate soon loses
its effect. l think the best method in use Is
the ordinary rat trap, but all these methods
are very extensive For instance, it costs
the government of Victoria S125, QUO year
to Keep the rabbits down on the crown
government lands The government pays
III cents pair for all the rabbits killed on
their lands. A good man can make $40 per
week killing rabbits These men use traps
and one man can work 100 traps
"a law has recently been passed that
coinpels the owner of lands to keep the rab
bits down. IL he should fail TO do this he
is fined $50 for his first offense, 500 for the
second, and upon the third oifense the gov
erment employs men to attend to the rab-.
bits 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 10, 600 acres Is obliged to EN-
ploy 100 men for killing rabbits alone. To
give you still better idea of the damage
these pests are doing let me tell you that
land That few years ago was worth $50 PSF
acre is now only worth 81.
II have found way by which can keep
the rabbits down and make money by 1t,
but Of course every ranch man cannot do
this. l have started a rabbit canning fac
tory. We can the rabbits mucn the same
way that beef is canned here, and our
principal market is in England. At present
am canning 5Q0,0 900 rabbits year, all of
which are killed OFT my ranch, and still
this number does not keep the pest down as
the government requires. l put a rabbit
and half in a can, and at present make
81 cents profit on q dozen cans. They are
retailed In England at IL cents a pound, and
considering the high price of beef, it would
be Supposed rabbits would become favor
lite dish with the poor of England, yet the
rabbits are now only purchased by the
higher class who consider the rabbit great
dainty.
chow long have we been bothered with
the rabbit About ten years. Rabbits
were brought to Australia about twenty
years ago from England for sporting pur-
poses"
"Tell ma how fast the rabbits breedP'
"a pair of rabbits 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 cal
culate from this and you will fiud that the
statement thpt a pair of rabbits will pro-
duce 2.000, 900 in two years is not 50 pre-
posterous as it at first appears.
81 brought a man over from South
America just before left and he firmly
believes that the South American skunk
would get rid Of tse raobits. ANY way, the
Australialian government offers a reward
of S1O0,016 for the best plan for their exter-
minatioa" HARRY WALKER.