MANAWATU RABBIT BOARD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3672, 30 July 1927, Page 4

MANAWATU RABBIT BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING

The monthly meeting of the Manawatu Rabbit Board was held in the Board’s office on Thursday, presided over by Tr. B. G. flower (chairman). Also present were: Trs. R. Boswell, D. Fleming, F. C. Raikes, T. A. Grammar, and J. F. McKclvie. Mr. D. R. Barron (Inspector) was also in attendance. Apologies for absence were received from Trs. W. E. Barber and J. Gloyn. Accounts amounting to £f>B 12s 2d, were passed for payment. It was decided that the procuring of cyanide be left in the hands of the Inspector. INSPECTOR’S REPORT.

The inspector reported as follows :

During the past month I have been engaged in following up with personal inspection the nptices and circulars sent out regarding the winter poisoning and cyanide fumigation. I have inspected the greater part of the Board area during the month, and in the majority of cases, the work advised has been, or is at present, being carried out. Fumigation by means of granular cyanide is taking place on most of the properties, and only on places where “cover” to a fair extent exists, has poisoning taken place. Some b 7 farmers are using granular cyanide, and so far, results have been satisfactory in every case, and considerable! time and expense have been saved by its use. On a few odd places trapping at burrows and filling in have been carried out, but now that granular cyanide is so cheap and so effective, the trapping method is right out of the question. The highest tally recorded this year as a result of strychnine poisoning over a large area is exactly one tenth of that taken .off the same area two years ago, a fact which tends to show that now the “cover” country is becoming so much freer from rabbits, there should be no trouble for the future in keeping the number of rabbits on the clear country down to an irreducible minimum. A small percentage of landowners at present ar ; e under the impression that their properties are really clearer from the pest than they actually are, and consequently are not exerting the efforts that they should, but I would point out to them that they are resting in a sense of false security, and should exert every effort to have no traces of the pest left on their land. The main breeding season will soon be starting, and if even a few odd ones are left to breed, it is only the matter of a few months, when their properties will require infinite more time and expense expended upon them, in order to be free from the pest. Taken all over the district is in very fair order at present, and now remains for the farmer to keep it at least in its present condition by exerting all the influence he can in naying strict and regular attention to the area under his control. Adopted.