The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-02-05
TCONTINUED ON SIXTH PAGE.
THE RABBIT IN AUSTRALIA.

THE RABBIT IN AUSTRALIA.
One Of the first things that strikes
the attention of the visitor to Australia
is the absence of the rabbit at agricul-
tural shows. The fancy breeds of rab-
bit have no existence in Australia they
were ruthlessly exterminated several
years ago, and the rabbit hutch, so
common in the United Kingdom, has
become a lost domestic accessory at the
Antipodes, a result of the heavy penal
ties 80 which individuals keeping
live rodents on their premises are
liable, for in Australia the rabbit, COM
paratively harmless in the mother
country, has become one of the great
est plaques that ever devastated a
country. 1t is most remarkable that
many things which in England and
elsewhere are regarded as innocuous,
become veritable pests in the colonies.
The sweetbriar, the fragrant adjunct
Of many a British cottage garden, has
proved as great a nuisance as the
thistle, and is mercilessly destroyed
wherever it makes appearance. If
allowed to gain a foothold ON the farm,
its eradication becomes laborious and
troublesome. A kind of cactus known
as the ''prickly pear" grown with
difficulty at the Kew Horticultural
Gardens, is another agricultural pest.
In the case of the rabbits-Which, like
the hares, have been traced to the i'm
portation Of a few rodents by fanciers,
who had no idea of the terrible amount
of mischief they were preparing-their
fecundity is simply marvellous. Find
ing their way into the great inland
pastoral districts, they r now to be
counted by millions, and the infested
areas have increased rapidly in extent,
where the protection afforded by wire
netting has been neglected. Many
hundreds of miles of netting have been
erected in New South Wales alone, the
netting being sunk several inches into
the ground, to prevent the rodents
from burroWing under the fence. OF
course the erection of these wire fences,
even with the assistance afforded by
the government, is an expensive affair,
and forms a heavy burden on the pas
toral industry. Yet it has, so far, been
found better than poisoning and other
attempted modes of extermination. At
the same time, it is generally admitted
that in the commercial utilization of
the rabbit will be found the real solu-
ton of the difficulty. The rabbit is
much appreciated as an article of food
% Sydney and elsewhere, but the pop,
ulation in New South Wales, as i'm the
other colonies, is limited, while animal
food is cheap and abundant. If a mar
ket for the Australian rabbit can be
found in other countries, that which is
now regarded as a curse, may prove q
blessing. Recent shipments of Aus
tralian rabbits to London seem to indi-
cate the possibility of some such result.
The Australian rabbit is often much
larger than the English rodent, and the
flesh has a finer flavor. They can be
trapped by thousands daily, and, if
they can be expressed at a profit, would
assist largely in increasing the food re-
sources of the United Kingdom. The
skins and fur are of excellent quality
for manufacturing purposes, especially
the fur, which is beautifully soft and
silky. Even at the present time, and
with the imperfect arrangements at
command, the Australian rabbits can
be placed more cheaply on the market
than can the Ostend rabbits, over
which they have the advantage of size
and flavor. The British imports of
rabbits from Belgium represent an an
nual value of many thousand pounds,
a fact which shows the possibilities of
a trade in Australian rabbits if it can
be successfully developed. British i'm
porters OF food produce might do worse
than direct their attention to New
South Wales and the other colonies as
sources of rabbit supply.
Browns BRONCHIAL TRoCHEs are IN
equalled for clearing the voice. Public