Mohave County miner., 1888-08-11
TIE LONG t:ARsp pesra
Attempts 70 Exteyuiinass Rabbits In shs
Austraiias, CSsonies.

Attempts 70 Esteyuainass Rabbits IN sh1
Australian CsseaisA
II Is morally certain that Australia end
New Zealand, those rabbit ridden coun
tries. win be quick 10 adops the drive
idea, and probably the farmers of those
distant islands viii end the method more
effective In tho matter OF sllaying the
rxbbIt nuisance tharl all the theories ci
!. .inoculation
reporter met gentleman recently
who had been largely identified with
pastoral interests both In Australia and
New Zealand. and from him some inter.
esting facts were ascertained In connec.
tion with the efforts Of antipodean agri.
cculturists to combaa the plague Of the
long cared pests
''rhe drive idea, said the gentleman.
is not entirely h,sw to Australians.
They have for years employed . some
What similar method Of Kidding pastoral
lands Of this destructive kangaroo"
From kangarooa tho conversation
drifted back TO thu rabbit question, and
the gentleman from tbs sntipodss related
his experience In the matter. together
with the efforts Of colonial governments
10 subdue the pests.
First Of all. | suppose you have heard
that valuable pastoral holdings. both In
New Zealand and Australia. have had TO
be abandoned through the depredations
Of rabbits and assure you that the
losses these harmless looking creatures
have entaIled have been very much under
estimated The rabbits In the colonies
aae burrowers. and this makes them harder
TO get at A few years ago q system Of
fencing with wire netting was introduced
there, but II only proved effective on uni
forraly level land Rabbits do not. a. q
rule barrow on fat places, but where the
fence ran over the slightest knoll or hill
bunny would get bis deadly work In by
riddling the mound with holes and open
Ing up an avenue &c the Inner pastures.
''On small holdings the owners obvi
ated the difficulty by sinking narrow
trenches and inserting the wire netting
below ground. but the cost this system
would entail In making large run rabbit
proof would constitute total abandonment
Of the place a profitable alternative It
Ii only on these large ruas that the dep
relations are felt severely. as around
farms and tillage lands the constant pres
ence OF plowmen and other laborers scares
away the colonial rabbit, which Is ss shy
as II Is destructive, have often read OF
grasshopper plaques 10 this and other
countries. but dent think there can be
more desoiate sight than that of run
which has been abandoned to rabbits !
believe that out that way the furry dc
stroyers breed four or Eve times a year
The methods experimental with In
order TO exterminate them have been a.
varied az they were effective Poisoned
grain was tried, tut short experience
illustrated the fact that valuable sheep
and cattle dogs were killed through eat
ing poisoned rabbits, while sheep were
OCCASIONALLY poisoned by eating the grain.
fhen an enterprising German came along
and announced TO the long suffering co
tonial stockmen that be had an infallible
remedy for the curse His plan v,as to
inject some poisonous acids into tbs bur.
rows, but as far a, appeared on the sur
face this rabbits dsvoured his patent medi.
cine and asked for more Then we began
70 introduce ferrets and kindred small but
vindictiye auimals. which 1t was expected
would glide noiselsssly into the burrows.
and In time wipe the rabbits Of our sec.
ton OF the globe. The ferrets, however,
after while tired Of an exclusive rabbit
diet and turned their attention to poultry.
They have also been known TO attack
there being one case In particular
where q, child at Damara, New Zealand,
mad Its eyes nearly eaten out before as
sistance arrived ] have not heard any
thing anent the ferret question lately,
but should not wonder II the colcnists
are not. In pursuance of the chain of dc
,truction they have organized, koking
around for some arltidote to ferrets. The
aily method that has been Ia any manner
effective In keeping the rabbits down In
he colonies has been the employment of
men known as rabbiters They are. as q
~ule. clever with the fowling piece, and the
-un holders supply them with ammunition
md tucker Angaice. provisionsl They
gage o steady and merciless war en- the
tests. and al rabbit skins properly cured
ind ready sale. rabbiting Ii q fairly
lucrative calling The introduction OF
bis method Of mesting the difficulty on
he New Zealand side has been brought
bout by the establishment of rabbit dc
Iartment, the maintenance of which costs
he government 100000 a year.-San
francisco Examiner.