The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-06-21
RABBITS AND THISTLE.
Immense Damage Caused by Two
Pests Taken to Australia,
From the AfiL11oalkee Sentinel

Immense Damage Caused by Two
Pests Taken to Australia,
From the Millooatkee Sentinel
A friend writes me from Australia that
the rabbit pest is in no way diminished, not
withstanding the efforts of governments
and individuals in the way of wholesale
slaughter of Dummies wherever they abound.
"a few weeks ago. writes my friend, 81
went up country, and several times when /
looked out of windows Of the railway train
the ground was so covered with rabbits
that for miles away it looked like
| great field Of grain waving in the
wind. The offer of e45, 600 1925, 900 Of the
New South Wales government for process
of wholesale determination that shall not
| endanger human beings or domestic ami
mails and fowls is still open, and the success
full man can count upon public subscrip p
| ton to an equal amount, and also upon q
reward from each of the other A australian
governments" Many millions of rabbits
are killed In Australia every year, but the
immense slaughter does not keep down the
numbers Rabbit skins are an article of
commerce, and in most OF the cities there
are rabbit skin exchanges, lust
as we have cotton or corn ex-
changes in American cities In
single city, Dunedin, New Zealand, Is 600
900 rabbit skins are sold at the exchange
every year, and in some years the dealings
have reached 10000, 900. MThe Dummies in
the Australian colonies are all descended
from seven rabbits that were taken there
from England in 1851. An entorprising
Australian on q visit to the mother country
thought that it would be fine thing to have
some rabbits at the antipodes, SO that they
could be "coursed" with dogs and when he
returned he took a cage full of the harmless
L. -. Ill ~. L
bred were distributed through the colonies,
as everybody wanted them; his name is not
held in aHectienate remembrance, aud he
is not looked upon as a benefactor of his
race. In England, as in America, the in
crease of the rabbits is kept within bounds
by the foxes, wolves and other noxious ami
mails that prey upon them; there was no
such restraint in Australia, aud hence the
terrible result. Thousands and thousands
Of square miles of land suitable for sheep
pasturing have been devastated by rabbits.
and hundreds and hundreds of farmers and
sheep owners have been ruined financially.
"A Scotchman living in Australia and
visiting bis native land carried back
thistle. the emblem of Scotland, as the
reader is doubtless aware. A grand banquet
was held in Melbourne by 200 Scotchmen,
aud the thistle, in huge vase, occupied the
the place OF honor in the centre of the table
1t was toasted and cheered, and the next
day it was planted with a great deal OF re-
joicing. The thistle grew and thrived and
in due time its down was scattered by the
winds; other thistles sprang from the seed,
and their down was scattered, and in few
years thistle had made itself thoroughly at
home in all parts Of Australia 1t has
rooted out the native grasses on Thousands
Il could almost say miilions-ef acres of
pasture land, destroyed sheep runs by the
hundred, and caused general exeoration Of
the Scotchman who took so much pains TO
import the original In a similar manner
the watercress, the English sparrow, the
common sweetbrier and other exotics have
proved very troublesome and caused i'm
mense losses. The watercress has choked
rivers, caused great floods and impeded
navigation; the sweetbrier has become a
strong and tenacious bush which spreads
with great raridity, destroying the grasses;
and the innocent daisy has been nearly as
injurious as the thistle Fifty English spar
rows were taken to Australia in 1860, and
now : here are countless millions of them la
all the colonies. They refuse to eat insects
like their ancestors, but devote themselves
to fruit, grain, pease. and other vegetable
things, TO the ruin of hundreds of farmers
and gardeners. Moral-Beware Of exotics
in new country"