The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-09
SCOURGED WITH RABBITS.
California Is Suffering From an Invasion
That Threatens Great Results.
From the New York SIM

{ alifornia Is Suffering From an Invasion
That Threatens Great Results.
From the New York Sun.
CALIFORNIA; rabbit nuisance Is as
Stunning proportions and making prog
ress which most unpleasantly suggest
comparisons with the actual plague of
rabbits that affiicts Australia afflicts
1t in a hopeless degree, according to
the latest reports or the various
colonial governments. California has
lately adopted some Australian meth
DDS of thinning out the rabbits and APP
parently with about the same limited
measure of success. In Australia the
attempt to exterminate them has been
given up and every effort is now d.
rected to combining the rabbits to GER
tain areas, or rather to keeping them
out of certain cultivated regions. Even
this entails enormous expense on the
governments and landowners.
1t is stated that in one county alone
in California, the loss TO farmers from
rabbits and hares amonted last year
to 100000. Many experiments with
poison have been made but the farm
ers have about concluded that the only
thing to do is occasionally to thin out
the rabbits by holding big roundup
hunts or drives. The story of several
of these drives recently. undertaken
has been told in the Sun. 1t is esti-
mated that as a result of 40 drives in
all held in California 356,400 rabbits
have been killed. But the latest reports
say there is no appreciable diminution
in their numbers.
Some years ago the government OF
New South Wales offered a reward of
e25,000 to anyone who suggested
really efficient method of getting rid
of the rabbits This offer stood open
for several years, and more than 1000
schemes were offered, coming from all
parts of the world. Many were tried,
but none was found to be wholly salts
factory. and finally the offer was with
drawn. and the Australians tried to
make up their minds to the inevitable
permanence of the pest. Ferrets. stoats
and weasels were imported and bred
in thousands, and they have all done
good work. Poisons Of all sOits were
tried with but little success. Cats Were
introduced, and also did good service.
But the rabbits multiply at such an as
founding rate that they have much
more than held their own, and have
spread into new regions, destroying
large proportion of all crops wherever
they have penetrated.
Directly and indirectly South Aus
tralia looses fully 100000 a year from
rabbits. The government of Victoria
has been working hard since 1880 try
ing to keep down the plague, and has
spent more than e30O.000 in the work.
The arucunt Of money spent by farm
ers and other land owners is incalcula-
BILE. One man, owning n large estate,
has spent e15,000 in the last few years
fighting rabbits. The government esti-
mates that no less than 37,750.000 acres
of land farming and grazing, in The
colony of Victoria is infested by rab-
bits.
Many schemes have been offered for
making use of the rabbits commercial
~. and thus recoup at least a little Of
the loss they cause. Many thousands
are killed and their skins used, and
something of a trade has been built uD
in the shipment of rabbits TO England
and elsewhere for food. either canned
or frozen. But the world can't live on
rabbit meat, and II would need TO in
order to afford to the Australians a
profitable way OF making use of their
rabbits The skins are largely used for
many purposes. One firm in Victoria
uses 374 goo RABBIT skins every year.
and i'm the has. II years 6S,0O0,090 skins
have been exported from Victoria.
There have been intercolonial con-
ferences attended by Representatives
CT the various governments and dele
gates from the agricultural SOCIETIES. at
which every phase OF the question has
been considered. The final decision
seems to be THAT determination is mn
possible, and that the most effectual
way of dealing with the evil Is IN
building long fences of rabbit proof
netting to keep the animals out Of areas
not yet infested. to shut them off from
food supplies. and also to get them to-
gether as much as possible so that they
can be raided by means of drives.
Some of the fences are hundreds Of
miles long. One starts at harrington
On .he Queensland border, follows the
Main Trunk line from Burke. and ends
at Corowa. extending in an unbroken
lire for 407 miles. There is another such
fence along the entire western boun-
dairy of New South Wales. 3a6 miles
long But even this heroic remedy Is
not unfailing. The fences are liable to
break down, especially in times OF
floods. and particularly where they
crocss rivers and creeks. 1t is impossi>
bic to keep the fences under complete
and constant supervision in oTNser that
breaks may be repaired Immediately.
and II does not take long for a few
thousand rabbits TO pour through a
break once they find IL. IL is stated
that in many instances hundreds of
thousands of rabbits have been seen
dead OF dying on the outer side Of the
fence, having eaten up all the avail
able food supplies and making vain
efforts to leap over the closely woven
wire netting.
These fences are expensive to build
and expensive TO maintain. They have
TO be sunk a considerable depth as
we'll as be built up quite high. But
after many years of heavy loss and dis
heartening struggles the Australians
have come to consider this as the only
means Of dealing with the pest.