THE RABBIT INCREASE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 758, 5 March 1910, Page 8

THE RABBIT INCREASE.

DEY SPUING RESPONSIBLE. ' There appears, to be no doubt that there is a pronounced'rabbit increase in various portions of the North Island. . Some authorities state that the ; reason was .the . dry .spring, by .which the .young rabbits -*ere enabled to live. I'or. several years previous to 1909, there have'been torrential downpours, which, in thousands of .cases, flooded out tho burrows, and drowned the rodents, young and old. The mortality was naturally greatest among smaller ~frjv- It is contended by ECyeral;:well-informed farmers that more poisoning will liave to - be gone into as a setoff to • the spring weather > conditions, ■which have; enabled : bunny to steal a .march' on; the. enemy. If something is liofc done in tlie way of- more : vigorous methods of rabbit-extermination, and another : dry spring follows, '.the consequences are likely to be serious to the farmer. Discussing the foregoing with a Wairarapa farmer, a .Dominion representative was informed that it was also noticeable that this summer the rabbits were not taking the poison very well; The new succulent grass was responsible, lie thought, for this State of things.. When grass was dry and short-cropped by ■ the'sheep, the rabbits'would eat 'the joison with avidity. This farmer also ■considered' that too little poison was being laid. / Discussing . 'tho. question of poison-layms,' lie said a man should lie go pv^r.forty' acres a (lav. As , to* other preventives, he was much in favour of rabbit-proof wire fences, pro•vided they could be afforded by the farmer.