ERADICATING THE RABBIT PEST.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3925, 2 April 1929, Page 3

ERADICATING THE RABBIT PEST.

Everyone in Foxton and district is familiar ■with the conditions which obtained a fe.v years ago in regard to the rabbit nuisance along this coast." The higher, sandy country throughout the DISTRICT TEEMED WITH RABBITS to the consequent detriment of the grass lands and the ridges were either eaten or poisoned bare. Today quite different conditions obtain. What Avas formerly bare ridge country is now covered with grass and, speaking generally, of feed there is an abundance. This, of eourse, cannot be attributed solely to the eradication of the rabbit as top dressing has played an‘important part in farm Avork on the sandy country around Boston of late years, but nevertheless great credit is due to the Manawatu Rabbit Board for the wonderful improvement it has effected in clearing the country of rabbits. BOARD CONSTITUTED. The Board was constituted’ by Act of parliament in 1923, the Gazette notice to the, effect being issued on the, 7th November of that year. It Avas not until May 14th of the following year that the Board first met when Mr. B. 0. GoWer Avas elected Chairman by Trustees W. E. Barber, J. F. McJvelyie, F. C. Raikes, J. Gloyn, R. Boswell, T. Grantmer, and A. Flemming (Government, representative), the first members to be elected to the Byard, and whom, Avi'th the exception of Mr. Flemming, h'ave represented the Board ever since. Mr. A. Cook has hoav replaced Mr. Flemming on the Board, the latter gentleman having' retired from the Department. Mr. Roore Rangiheuea was appointed secretary to the Board at that meeting and Mr. D. R. Barron Inspector. The Board’s district comprises '85,900 roods 0.2 perches with 711 rateable properties and 723 ratepayer’s. The rating is on the acreage basis and the total capital value of the area is £1,188,831. The first ra/te struck was 2d per acre but this ajmouiit has been steadily reduced until this year it stands at per acre. TOUR OF INSPECTION. Last week our representative was ■privileged to make a tour of inspection of the Board's district in company of the Inspector (Mr. D. R. Barron) and was able to interview a number of the settlers. After leaving the borough of Foxton an inspection was made of properties within half a mile of the (own, which in years gone by had been well-known shooting areas for local sportsmen and tire home of

hundreds of rabbits. Not a rabbit was to be seen in this locality nor '' were there any signs that the pest were in habitation there. Burrows long since occupied are now grown over and of young grass there is an abundance. The Inspector said that these properties had not had a rabbit on them for the last two years but some indication of the number that were formerly there may be gauged from the fact that 487 rabbits were taken off 60 acres in one poisoning in this locality When the • Board was first constituted. Continuing along the Himatangi road the Inspector reported the Native property at Motuiti and the properties on the Round Bush side of the road “all clear.” On the Himatangi estate quite recently a Government Inspector spent two days going over the property accompanied by a terrior dog and during that time be failed to ' put u!p a single ralbbit. Following the road around to Bainesse an inspection was made of various properties which, some years ago, were notorious for the number of rabbits they .carried aud shooting parties from Palmerston North and elsewhere frequently caimped on these properties for week ends and went home with large bags of rabbits. A certain NATIVE PROPERTY in this part of the district was one of the Worst the Inspector bad to contend with and kept two trappers going for many years prior to the Board coming into existence and was used merely as, a winter grazing area. To-day it is canning a dairy herd all the year round. It ■was hei*e that our representative •met Mr. Whyte, Who was busy attending to some stock. Mr. Whyte had no fear of the Inspector, in fact he was glad to see him because he was worried over a rabbit that had made its appearance on his property and which was proving to lie somewhat elusive! He had located its burrow, however, and it was agreed that the Inspector should diop a spoonful of cyanide in the burrow one day when passing. “No, you Won’t find many rabbits about here,” said Mr. Whyte, “in fact the Natives complain that they pAN’f get ONE FOR A PIE

ngw!” Mr. Whyte 'had been in possession of a particularly bad piece of land When the Board was constituted, but he had realised the ’benefits that would 'accrue from rabbit extermination and took the matter up in the right spirit and thoroughly poisoned his farm, and when he found he had some poison fiver

v —* ■ ki — if) * 7 WIHAT THE MANAWATU BOARD HAS ACCOMPLISHED a . TOUR OF TH E DISTRICT. WHAT THE SETTLERS SAY. Quite frequently we h ear quoted the saying that the man who makes two bl ades of grass grow where only one grew previously is a public benefactor. The old adage is certainly true and based on this fact alone the Manawatu Rabbit Board has proved itself, to be a local body which h'as more than justified its constitution.

lie just went right over it again and gave them a double dose. “Just to make sure,” 'and, despite the fact lhat.it 'Would he impossible to drop a croAA’bar almost anywhere on the property without encountering a rabbit burrow, the property is now clear.” BAINESSE, RANGIOTU AND TAIKOREA. After leaving Mr. Whyte’s property an inspection Avas made of Mr. 11. Bond’s .property betweeu Bainesse 'and Rangiotu, which is now carrying from ten to fifteen more co'av's than it did prior to the Board being set up. Frojm Bainesso the Inspector took our representative through to Taikorca via Pikes Line. The going was somewhat bumpy for a mile of tha distance over an unformed road. Pikes Line was once famous for its rabbits but is hoav all clear. At Taikorea an inspection was made of a ridge off which, in the spring of 1924 2,600 rabbits were taken. It is a commanding ridge running through low lying ,property from Cooper’s Line to connect up with the Taikorea Road near the dram. Even after this large number of rabbits had been taken off the property they were almost as (hick as they had been before, hut with systematic bi-sulphide and cyanide poisonings the rabbits have almost been exterminated. The ridge, once bare, has now plenty of Iced on it, while there Avas not a trace of rabbits in a turnip paddock adjoining the ridge. It was in this locality that the Inspector carried out tAVo demonstration poisonings for the benefit of settlers during the early part of the Board’s existence. The demonstrations were highly successful, -and had the effect of convincing the farmers of the effectiveness of poisoning by l methods approved by the Board as a ,means of rabbit extermination.

The Board’s boundary folloAVd Cooper’s Line to Glen Oroua, and .thence doAvn Glen Oroua to the cross roads, which is a continuation of KelloAv’s Line to the Rongotea Road, and on to the tram line. Ait Rongotea Siding rabbits were ■also very numerous a feAv years ago, and 350 were taken off a small ridge near here at one of the initial poisonings. • The boundary Connects up Avith the Rangitikei river from Rongotea, Siding, and an inspection of the northern end of the distinct wasmade via iCampion’s Line. Mt. Victoria, at the cross roads of Campion’s Line's, is the outstanding' piece of country around here. Mt. Victoria proved to: be a tough proposition for the Inspector. It is a very higih sand hill, and aves literally HONEYCOMBED WITH BURROfWjS, and the home of thousands of rabbits. At first it Avas thought that the Avhole hill Avonld have to be wire netted before any good would result from any operations carried out on i't. Systematic poisonings, hoAvever, had the desired effect, and to-day the hill is in very fail* condition, although its face is marked and scarred Avith hundreds of old burrows, over which the grass has almost gro'wn, grnng it a targetlike appearance. MORE COWS TO THE ACRE.

Mr ,J. Powell’s property lies just to the east of Mjt. Victoria, and the owner was busy discing his lucerne paddock when the Inspector dropped in. He was not too busy for a chat, however, and informed our representative that the Board was doing good work, “But this is the man,” he said, with a jerk of his thumb ip the direction of the Inspector; “wo Want his guidance.” Prior to the Board’s constitution, said Mr Powell, it had been impossible to carry any more than 22 cows on his property. Now he was able to carry 32. Top dressing, of course, claimed the greater number of those, and he estimated that five were due to top dressing and two to rabbit eradication. A great benefit to be derived from lidding a property of rabbits, continued Mr Powell, is that the early spring feed is saved. When my property was infested with rabbits I was never able to get any feed off that ridge, he said, indicating a low ridge running through his property; but now, as you can see, there’s feed to 'burn there. The expenditure incurred in eradicating the pest has been well worth it, but it is essential that all the farmers should work together in the m'atter. Mr Powell said that two young men had taken 378 rabbits off 85 acres of his property just before the B'oard was started in one poisoning, and then they did not get anywhere near all the rabbits. Mr Rowell is a champion of bi-sulphide poisoning, and- considers the “dust” far the best method of “settling” a warren. One burrow he “dusted” successfully was fully 25ft. long. Another warren of 20 holes which he had treated had never been opened, every rabbit having been caught aud killed by the deadly fumes. Mr Powell admitted that he often went home of an evening after fumigating burrows on a windy day with a splitting headache, but he thought ii, .was worth that to get rid of the rabbits.

CLAY PIT CORNER,

RANGITIKEI RIVER BED CAUSES TROUBLE. An inspection Avas made of the Rangitikei River ibed .after leaving .Mr. Powell’s property, and this area is at present causing the Inspector a good deal of Worry. It Arias here ‘that our representative suav his first and only rabbit during the tour. The river bed lands comprise some 5,000 acres of the most difficult country to handle. Peculiarly enough, it was here .that the rabbits Avere first introduced into this district. Originally black, they were placed on an island in the river for sporting purposes, but with the vagaries of the Rangitikei, its islands are not ,always islands, ami tc put it in the Avords of one of the best knoAvn settlers in the Carnarvon district, “we Avoke up one (morning and found the country sAvarming with rabbits.” A pollard poisoning is at present being carried out in the Rangitikei river bed, and the Inspector intends to .concentrate on this area until jsome cheek can be made on the pest. TANGIMOALNA AND CARNARVON From' the Rangitikei River an inspection Avas made of Tangimoana Road and the Carnarvon. Many tales have been told of the great numbers of rabbits that have teemed over this country, but it is authentic that after trappers had talceif 6,000 rabbits off one property in ihis locality the rabbits were just one,crawling mass alt the end of the year. Since the poisoning started bSO rabbits were taken off 700 acres on Tangimoana Road in one morning and noiw the whole countryside is practically clear. A call Avas made at .Mr. S. VV. Curran’s .prapei-ty on tire Tram line. Mr. Curran is a “hard slogger” and takes a keen interest in his farm. “No, he had no grouse against the Board” he told our representative. “Some people were grousing, though, because there were no rabbits to shoot. Personally he had not been altogether in favour of the Board at the first because he had been of the opinion that work was being carried out to eradicate the pest by trappers and others but he had found that it was not until the professional trappers had been got rid of that any benefit accrued. The ManaAvaltu Rabbit Board was certainly doing good AVork, and rabbit eradication Was a good thing. There was no question about it, many of the ridges throughout the properties had been poisoned by the rabbits but uoav they were covered with feed. By ridding a property of rabbits more Cows could be parried iand the property improved as a .result.

Proceeding down the Tram line in the direction of Foxton the next most interesting locality is that known as Clay Pit Corner, at the corner of the Tram line and Taikorea Road. The property bounding the 'Taikorea Road kept tAVO men busy rabbiting all the year round a feAv years ago. Now, after strychnine and pollard poisonings, it is clear country. Eight hundred acres off Taikorea Road produced 2700 rabbits in one poisoning.

SETTLER’S STRIKING TRIBUTE. Mr. H. Stratford, who now has the old Hamfmond homestead at Oroua Downs, and who spent a useful life on various farms throughout the Wellington, Manawatu and Taranaki districts, knows something about farming aud is able to express a considered opinion in regard to ralbbit eradication. The formation of the Manawatu Ralbbit Board was one of the best things that ever happened to this district to his mind. He had been in possession of a four hundred acre property in the Himatangi-Bainesse block a few years ago which used to he alive with rabbits. A (poisoning carried out under instructions from the Board had resulted in 800 rabbits being taken out of one little valley in the property. Rabbits were of no use to any farm although in days gone by many a farmer had made his freehold out of them. 'They were often responsible for the starting of sand drifts and lie had known of many an animal sustaining a broken leg by stumbling in a burrow. A rabbit is now becoming a. rarity, said Mr. Stratford. The other dayl saw one near Rangiotu! —aud Mr. Stratford lias to pass through what was one of the worst infected areas to reach Rangiotu. Mr. Stratford said that some of tlie farmers ,w ere somewhat antagonistic to the inspector ait the beginning. They could not see why they should employ a man to “shake thelm up’’ about their rabbits. They had overcome that feeling now and were of the opinion that the inspector iwas only doing his duty and endeavouring to help them. The Board had been responsible for the excellent state of the district at present and was doing good work. It was little short, of marvellous the way they had cleared the cover country around Oroua Downs. When he first went to the Downs he had been greatly concerned over the number of rabbits there but he no longer entertained any fears 'about them.

The Inspector’s district is a large one and takes a full day to get round .by car. Mr. Barron is kept busy keeping a watchful eye on the various : “clean” properties, because tlie farmer'cap not afford to let Ins property go back. The poison is delivered to the farmer by the inspector at half cost price viz., 4/- per tin and last year Mr. Barron delivered 350 tins. Mr. Barton stated that taking the Board’s district as a whole, it was particularly clean at the .present time but the greatest caution had to be exercised ito keep it in that condition. Rabbits travelled great distances and their fecundity was somewhat

startling. Tavo rabbits would multiply into over one million in two years, provided .there were no mortalities and averaging the litters at six with six breedings a year. On the .class of country around Foxton six rabbits ate as much as one sheep and this was a very serious economic loss. It Avas the sandy soil that was showing the great bei;efit. from the .destruction of the pest. In conclusion Mr. Barron said that all that avas wanted now was the consistent and concerted effort of all farmers in keeping the pest in check and there need be no fear of the future.