The DeLamar nugget. [volume] (DeLamar, Idaho) 1891-1900, 1892-10-08
AUSTRALIAN RABBITS.
The Posts Being Turned to Ac-
count in Various Ways.
a Huge Scheme to Exterminate the
troublesome Rodents in New South
Wales - Their Use IN Hat
Making.

'sThere are ten companies in Australia
and four in New Zealand engaged in
the rabbit-sl1in business, says an Aus
tralian to San Francisco Chronicle re-
porter. Of these one-half added the
meat canning to their business. You
will understand, therefore, that there
is big monopoly, which is not at all
anxious tosee the Dbits externlinated.
Interested with it is a very large num-
Der of the population, who find rabbit
killing more renuneratiye and less hard
work than farming.
''Pasteur endeavored to exterminate
the rabbits by incubation with chicken
cholera. 1t is well known to those be-
hind the scenes that he did not get q fair
trial, and, in fact, was so hindcred and
hanpered that he withdrew his agents
from further experiment.
''The question has come up before the
government again, and a bill is now be-
fore the Sydney legislature asking for a
vote to build brick wall entirely
around the agricultural boundary Of the
colony Of New South Wales. Rabbits
will not burrow lower than two and
one-half feet, and it is proposed to sink
the wall to that limit of depth. The
other colonies viii watch the expert
ment with great interest, and # it sue
ceeds viii probably all follow suit
Such q course would confine the rabbits
to the great Australian bush, in whose
sandy deserts they would soon die out.
what use is made Of all these rabbit
skins? Why, the hat on your head is
made of them. The hair is plUczed OH
the pelt by hand A fortune awaits The
man who can invent a machine to dc II.
A fine blue fur IS then LETT on the pelt.
The skin is then pared away from the
fur by delicate machinery-n
so fire chat when the last pairing
is cut off the fur sometimes hangs ia
one filmy section. This is worked up
into felt Ordinary hats are made
from rabbit skin. A better class is made
from bare's skin. The best are made
from the nutria, kind Of water rat
trapped II Buenos Ayres, and then
come beaver and musGuash, obtained
in the United States and Canada. The
cowboy wants the best hat in the
world, and as he pays for 1t he gets it.
The nutria felt stands wet and remains
-brimnaed after soaking, because it
is made from the fur Of water ami
NAL The American jack rabbit is no
use at all to the trade. The English
rabbit supplies the best f1rlize silk,
but OF course not water proof Then
comes the New Zealand rabbit, fol-
lowed by the Australian.
''Ne used to export hats in quantity
from England TO America, but now
the Americans can dress skis IS well
as the English, and they make all
their own hats, importing their fur
from us, of course. do not under
stand why The United States does not
import rabbit skins direct from Aus
traIa, seeing the enormous quantity
which it buys from England. At p
rough guess I should calculate tie
United States manufactures sizty-tive
thousand hats every day, while ing
land manufactures about forty thou
sand The largest hat manufactory in
the world is the Brussels, which turns
out ten thousand hats day.
''Why am interested in the exter-
mination of rabbits in Australia?
Well, I an interested in one Of the
chief fur companies in London, and we
want to see orr English rabbit protect
ed against The marvelously multiplying
Australian competitors.