The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-22
SEVEN RABBITS AND A THISTLE.

The Cause of Two of the Greatest Plaques
in Australia.
A friend writes me from Australia that
the rabbit pest is in no way diminished
Notwithstanding the efforts of governments
and individuals in the way Of wholesale
slaughter of Dummies wherever they abound
says the Milwaukee Sentinel. "A few weeks
ago. writes my friend, 81 went up country,
and several times when l looked out of the
windows of the railway train the ground
was so covered with rabbits that for miles
away it looked like a great field of grain
waving in the wind. The offer of ;e45,O0O
1925, OOO) of the New South Wales govern
ment for a process Of wholesale extermina-
ton that shall not endanger human beings
or domestic animals and fowls is still open,
and the successful man can count upon 4
public subscription to an equal amount,
and also upon a reward from each of the
other Australian governments" Many
millions of rabbits are killed in Australia
every year. but the imrnense slaughter does
not keep down the numbers; rabbit skins
are an article of commerce.. and in NJ ost of
| the cities there are rabbit skin exchanges
just as we have cotton or corn exchanges i'll
| American cities. In a single city, Dunedin,
New Zealand, 100000 O of rabbit skins are
sold at the exchange every year, and in
some years the dealings have reached 20,-
/ UOU,OOV. LIN ouAAlAV "a bAo -
colonies are all descended from seven rab-
bits that were taken there from England in
1851; an e%nterprising Australian on a visit
to the mother country thought it
would be q fine thing to have SOM
rabbits at the Antlpodes SO that
thew could be 'coursed' with dogs, and
when he returned he took a cage full of the
harmless little animals. For a year or so
all that he bred we're distributed through
tho colonies, as everybody wanted them;
his name is not held in af%fectionate remem-
brance, and he is not looked upon as a ben
efactor of his race. In England, as in
America. the increase of the rabbits is
kept within pounds by the foxes, wolves
and other noxious animals that prey upon
them; there was no such restraint in Aus
tria, and hence the terrible result. Thou
sands upon thousands of square miles of
land suitable for sheep pastutlng have been
devastated by rabbits, and hundreds of
farmers and sheep owners have been
ruined financially. -.
A Scotchman living in Australia and
visiting his native land carried back a
thistle, the emblem of Scotland, as the
reader is doubtless aware. 4 AZ grand banquet
and the thistle. in a huge vase, occupied
the place of honor in the center of the
table. 1t was toasted and cheered. and the
next day it WAS planted with a great deal of
rejoicing. The thistle grew and thrived,
and In due time us down was ScatLereu pV
by the winds; other thistles sprang from
the seed, and their down vas scattered, and
in a few years the thistle had made itself
thoroughly at home in all parts of Australia
1t has rooted out the native grasses on
thousands, | could almost say millions. OF
acres of pasture land, destroyed sheep
runs by the hundred, and caused
general execration of the Scotchnan
, who took 30 much pains to import the orig
= inal. In q similar manner the watercress,
the English sparrow, the common sweet
t brier and other exotics have proved very
Troublesome and caused immense losses.
The watercress has choked rivers, causet
t great floods and impeded navigation; the
sweetbrier has become q strong and tena-
cious bush which spreads with great rapid
Q ity, destroying the grasses: and the limo,
q cent daisy has been nearly as injurious al
the thistle. Fifty English sparrows wer'
D taken to Australia in 1860, and now Their
8 are countless millions of them il
. all the colonies: they refuse to eat insect
. like their ancestors, but devote themselve
to fruit, grain, peas and other vegetabl
things, to the rain of hundreds of farmer
and gardeners. Moral-Beware of exotic
in "a nau pountry