The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 1881.

Temuka Leader, Issue 3610, 5 April 1881, Page 2

The Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 1881.

That our farmers have a just cause of complaint against the small birds that were introduced into the Colony some few yeers ago, and have since multiplied to an alarming extent, no one conversant with the habits of these lively and yet destructive little creatures can deny. To Isuch an extent have the farmers, in this and surrounding districts suffered that a meeting was held last week in the Crown Hotel Assembly Rooms, for the purpose of considering the ad - visability of taking steps to abate the small birds pest. A Club was formed and a number of the farmers in the Temuka Road Board district were to be invited to become members. After some other business bad been transacted the meeting adjourned till the 14th instant. Since the meeting took place we have come across a remedy whereby the birds can be successfully exterminated without much trouble. It appears that a gentleman residing in Otago has been for a series of years greatly tormented by clouds of the birds descending upon his newly-sown fields, uprooting the young plants, and when the corn was ripening, thousands descended and attached the ears, leaving the stalk as if threshed by the wind. By means of the following remedy the party in question has reduced, flocks of thousands to a few straggling birds ; —Dissolve a lady’s thimbleful of strychnine in a small portion of spirits of salts, mix with lOlbs of wheat and- oats and sprinkle over the fields. We commend the remedy to those farmers who have suffered by those pests, as we are infprmed that the experiment will prove,thoroughly effectual. At all events it will be worth the trial, and. we trust that the newly fprmed club will take the.matter in hand as speedily as possible.