Correspondence.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 85, 4 October 1894, Page 2

Correspondence.

STOATS AND WEASLES. TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAB. Sir, — Farmers in this locality are now having about four of five per cent of their lambs either shockingly mutilated or worried to death by stoats and weasles. Farmers may not all be aware of this, but if they watch, examine, and count their dead and chewed lambs they will find this state* ment about correct. To my knowledge this evil has been increasing for the past four years, and, if not grappled with, will, I believe, become in a few years time a very serious loss to farmers, and a menace to sheep raining on this country side. Cats, hawks (and probably owls), can and do kill some of these vermin, but our ".jolly sportsmen " in ignorance of their value to us wish to destroy these saviours of our wealth. How are we to cope with this growing pest 1 Ido not know for certain that the law allows us to kill those vicious animals, or if their importation to this colony has been stopped by law, but if not, and they are still imported and protected, surely it is high time that such mischievous folly was vetoed by the "Strong Hand." Getting rid of the foible of our own importance as a people in the earth, one can only wish, for the good of our planet, that Mr Eugene's predioted tidal wave may take place and sweep these islands until the whole of the imported pests, winged and four-footed, are drowned, and that the purified isles may be handed over to a wiser race of people than we, a people who are not idolatrous worshippers of Old World pests. I am, etc., Fabmbr. Feilding, October 3rd, 1894.