HINTS ON RABBITTING.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3717, 14 June 1883, Page 3

HINTS ON RABBITTING.

[To the Editor of the Daily Telegraph.] Sir,—Your article in last evening's paper respecting the rabbits has caused me to trouble you with a few facts that may not be generally known. I have had a lot to do with the destruction of those pests within the last three or four years, and therefore consider I have a right to an opinion. As the intrusion of rabbits into this district appears to be a new thing, perhaps my few hints may be of some service to those who are about to hold a meeting respecting them on Tuesday next. To begin with, the entrance of a pair of rabbits into anew tract of country is quite sufficient to set folks thinking what shall be done with them, for in a very short time these two will rapidly increase into two hundred. Now, Sir, I consider that the only way of really keeping them out of any place is to constantly mint them with dogs. I know from experience that, where a piece of ground is constantly hunted over, the rabbits will not stop, especially in any new part where they have not yet obtained a strong-hold ; thoy are naturally timid animals, and of courso have a great fear of dogs. lam not acquainted with the country in question in your article ; but, if it is bush or thick scrub, then my advice is, cut it down and clear it, for that is tho favorite haunt and breeding ground of the rabbit; they don't like clear country; there is no shelter for them there, either from thoir destroyers or from tho wet weather, to which they have a particular objection. My advice, therefore, is, clear the country and put on good rabbitters and dogs, and keep them constantly at it, and I firmly believe tho rabbits will soon disappear. Now, with regard to the rabbitters, get men who are used to the work, and who like it; pay them fair wages and so much per skin, large and small, no matter whether you lose by tho skins or not. The object shoidd be to get rid of the rabbits at any price. Go into it with that determination, and I believe that you will soon see the benefit of it. I have known instances, not a hundred miles from here, only down the coast, where rabbitters were getting so much per week and thoir own skins ; that pays tho rabbiters very well where tho pests are thick, but it does not pay the runholders, and I'll toll you why—there is no sale for small skins, therefore it is not to be expected the rabbitters will spend several hours a day digging out young ones when he gets nothing for his trouble ; he would naturally, enough prefer walking about aud killing tho full-grown ones that pay him. But I take it that, if all the young rabbits are destroyed, the big ones cannot increase, therefore I consider that the runholdor should pay more per head for the youngsters than for the others, or, if he chooses, v/here they are at all thick, give the rabbitters the large skins, and pay him so much per head for every small one, no matter how small, 'as long a« ho gets them. Now, with regard to coutract rabbittiug; it does not pay either runholders or rabbitters, unless the pests are very numerous. I will give you an instance of a system adopted on a certain station that I consider a very foolish one. Certain rabbitters took a contract to kill six thousand rabbits in three months at so much por head. Now, the rabbits thero were very thick, and tho men could easily have killed that quantity in six weeks, but they had three months to do it in, and consequently did not work half thoir time; it paid them well enough, but it did not lessen the rabbits, because tho rabbitters were not constantly at it, and I don't know what the Inspoctor could havo been about not to have soon it in that light. While lam on tho subject of Inspectors let me add, in conclusion, that in some instances those gontlemen shew a great deal too much favor among the runholders, which certainly should not be (mind, I am speaking of another district). I think a Rabbit luspec- j tor should be an old hand at rabbittiug, one who thoroughly knows his work, and who should be out when tho rabbits are, i.e., at daylight aud dusk, not in the middle of a hot summer's day, when they aro not to bo seen, and also that the Inspector should bo a stranger to the district to which ho is appointed, so that there should bo uo flesh ot' one and fowl of another business Apologising for taking up so much of your space, —I am, Sec, Coney. Napier, Jiuie 13th, 1883.