ACCLIMATISATION MATTERS.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 2, 3 July 1894, Page 2

ACCLIMATISATION MATTERS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAR. . Sib, — Your correspondent ".Rod and Gnn " is evidently not a fanner, or if so a very inexperienced one, o> ; he would never propose to destroy the \'l farmer's friend and protect his enemies . ' in the way that he has done, gawks " are valuable birds as destroyers of mice and rats, and may be seen almost ~ K " any day sitting on straw and corn \ stacks and pouncing oh vermin whin ever they appear. Weku are invaluable as devourers of grabs and slugs, >/ and whoever wantonly kills them is '■"'*'• his country's enemy ; and let him who comes shooting our tabby cats look out for himself. On the other liand ■■"* * : hares are already causing us a yeifiV :; ' loss of at least 10s per hundred acres^ and are mischievous in many other ' ways besides. Pheasant* are so troublesome that I find it Useless to sow 4 burnt patches of land if the seed is not raked in, and even then they take off all the large seeds. Your corres-^;' pondent'a letter confirms " me in .jny :*> opinion . that Acclimatising Societies '" , have no right to exist as they do at -, present, but should be placed under direct Government control. Ido not ' mean to say that they intentionally do ~ us harm, but they do it all the same by their indiscriminate importations, .:.-% and should be checked. 1 It is notorious -V that farmers are generally poorly ~ represented in those Societies, if by-^- ; " men of standing " * meant " sporty .\_ men pure and simple then I'knpw "'^ something of the good and evil that "" they do, and would say to New 2Jea-:,: bnders, "If you wish posterity to - enjoy their natural rights keep game and lords away.'* There are other ways in which game are destroyed ~ than that supposed by your corns- ',-, pondent, &ares_«re often* I believe :^ affected by lungwornfalldHabjsreulosis, .'. and pheasants are frequently liocoi ; out in clearing off rubbish. I am, etc, . ■■--.•.••' Fabjieb.