THE “FORSYTH RABBIT EXTERMINATOR."

Dunstan Times, Issue 1117, 28 September 1883, Page 2

THE “FORSYTH RABBIT EXTERMINATOR."

A trial of M Forsycu's rub-iit exterminating maJiiue* was m ide on Tuura iay afternoon on ihe Karnsoleugh Uuu, in ,t paddock adjoining the woolahe.i, winch is a perfect network of burrows, Some fo ty eentlemen, mc i.diug the uost of the surrounding siafo'u managers and a good sprinkling of farmers, weie present and watched with eager interest the operations, Mr Forsyth was p esent, who besides working the inachii.es, three of which be had on the ground, explained the principle, which is the injecting by me ms t1 a force air pump into the rabbit burrows of the fumes of cyanide of potassium and sulphu , which, mingling -with the oxygen, forma j. deadly gas. The machine i,. itself is of tiie possible simplest construction, bdng a air pump very similar to the force pumps uaedfor irrigating small flower beds, a vulcan. ised indiarubber tube, being attached to lead the air, in the middle of which is a small iron box or retort,in which the fumes of the potassium and sulphur are generated. About a dozen burrows were operated upon and afterwards every opening well covered up, the intention being in the course of to-morrow to dig out the burrows to see the effect, but that the effect ;is everything Mr Forsyth said was proved beyond doubt, a* one lot of burrows operated upon were within a quarter of an hour opened and bunny was found as dead as his bitterest enemy could wish him. Mr Forsyth explained that according to the extent of "the burrows and from various other causes the length of time, tj.e poisonous gas takes to operate varies from ten minutes to as many hours ; accordingly, what was seen yesterday may be ormsirWad most satisfactory.