THE RABBIT PEST. PROFESSOR THOMAS'S ENPERI MENTS.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 256, 18 April 1888, Page 4

THE RABBIT PEST. PROFESSOR THOMAS'S ENPERI MENTS.

I'KoiFwm Thom\s, whoiecrntl} leiurned from the Wairarapa district, whither he proceeded to investigate a contagious dis ea-c that had appeared amongst the wibbiis theie, is still conducting expeiimcnts on rabbits, cats and fcireU, with the view of a^cet tatninrr the possibility of transferring the disease to the South Inland, where the labbit pot lw& got beyond control. Professor Thomas found that there \va» in the Waitarapa not onl) the"bladdei fluke,"' but also thiec other contagious diseases, and one of the mewt fatal of these is not the "bladder llukc.'' a.iullici is one oi the piopo.scd lemedie- for eradicating the rabbi ta in Au.-»tralia. Professor Tliomas al-o found that the chicken cholera e\i.-t.-> in the airarapa distn'ct. It wais no tloubt impoited from America, and timt ajipeared in the M.istei ton du-tiict, where the rabbits ha\e been thinned out. In anothei in-tance, ho\\e\er, where the chicken choleia attacked tlie fowls vii one man'- faim, so fai a-couldbeseenthcrabbit^did notsutiei tioui it. I'iof. Thomas does not think that the chicken choleia would exterminate all the i.ibbit^ in New Zealand, and his expennieutsaie being made with (he view o! iopoiting to the (!o\ eminent on the most complete method of distiibuting any oi all of the contagious di-d.-es discoveied at Wairarapa.