FERRETS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1140, 1 August 1882, Page 2

FERRETS.

j r 1 (From Hansard). J Mr Dodson, with the permission of the House, would make a short statement. In the part of the country from which he came, including the Districts of Kaikoura and Awatere, this question was one with which they hud long had to deal, About pine years ago ferrets were introduced into those' districts in considerable numbers, and at the present time there were running in that country not " some thousauds as the Colonial Treasurer said, but a groat many tTiofi'rtan'diii' l 5 The effect has been to practically clear the ' rabiiits out of the country altogether; and | ' su great a friend as had the ferret become ' in that part of the country that nothing 1 would induce the runholders, who were breeding them rapidly and continuously, 1 to sell them. He was informed that the 1 ferrets which had been sold in that part ; of the country had not been sold by the ' runholders, but by persons who haa ' poached and tapped thein... of. : £l.. each for ferrets had -frequontly been 11 re-' ! fused by thfl jhf '. ferrets bred in that district averayotj 'from' 1 two hundred upwards • f. nearly all the runholders We're now breed- 1 ; ing them. Mr Bullen was the .first Jfho ■ began to introduce them," whfdtf/hraid' nine years ago, and he had praotioally cleared his land of rabbits. They had now%d nine years' experience of the ferret in that part of New Zealand, These auinals were overrunning a very considerable portion of the country, and tiothing' had occurred to cause any fear'that they would become a nuisance in the future. Up to the present-time the people there had not discovered nhat they interfered with lambs or done any injury whatever, They simply killed rabbits, rats, mice, and other vermin. The runholders, in their endeavors to keep down the: rabbits, , had: tried poison, trapping, and all-, the other measurernsuallj adopted; b.uUhe.onJy' remedy tflay fo ufid to'boeiili rely anctfeflsf ut 1 j was the ferret, and nothing wuuld r induce them to part with 1 thai'-remedy, ' TW •ferretlhtttrwasloand'ttfbrthS'pW'as^ful was that known as,, the ".brown *W? r $ generally having about sirof sevenyuQ&g o^ffi'A^heie.VwhWi^d^wWiiiJned out on execution amongst rabbits, The ferret in that part of the coantry was by no ' looked' upon'as. fWious animal but on the contrary, one that was exoeeding useJtws commMi enough there tc^ee; ' . v , •. ni jlomj j

that a Rabbit Nuisance commilt- e sat last year, at which Mr Bullen, who was p>actically the most experienced man in the colony on this matter, gave a variety of evidence which he |,atl collected, About nln ® y ear ' a R° he and other neighboring ruuiioldera sent home £I,OOO to got out, the bret lot of ferrets, and had been breeding them ever since. Mr Bullen wrote a letter to the Rabbit Nuisance, Committee, an extract from which he lead, as it iCqutaiiiednseful information on a subject: .abont. which' the' people' of the colony ,pugh.t»toJcnow«more4han.. at ?fM?i« wrote as follows ! ferrets have done andiare etill'doiiift'a great work for us in checking the rabbits; and Ido believe the ferrets will he the salvation of tho 'Countrfj-for'tfaljr'thQ rahbitß-will'ruin fWiCQurtryHit least,! theiihMptaifliersif they are not kept down. My fjrm belief is, the rabbit-oat oheis harm than good J they kill everythit, \tkilh <» oat a( A/oodlien are both very destructive to 1 the enemy, (ehcuuMe.d End'tinned °i! iu oaf Bwe*Mn -} th<j fbrf a" the wondhens, We turned out fefreta • 'ht '^yeani"' and' We' been tulbibg oiit more or less every year, the 2' j 0 ? r fbree years noingjii to breed a - yeap ' wniou we Bhall cuiitmue as long as we see ■a»y rabbi!a The dark ferrets are ■*the best. Thii oountry extends, you may i "tb'-thfl' ® way. . 's.fcl go"whW''iliv.^n^ se It is 1 flottßiderubiy over 100,51)0 ncroa, and I • behgjre that, thereare. many h)iudreds of . jetWtß.on it}wejsiVii'eji(i'r,ply to them 'he work, keeping one man to breed and aot as keeper over the ferrets. ; lie, carrjea a guDj and kills a rabbit when- . ever he gets the chance; but, unfortu. ww to,caich mrabbits, on their country, These mou catohlhe ferrets, and they pnv them bettbf/J ConsequefttlyJonr being , exported, to all parts of the country. • Thie/Siri'l'floitsider is very cruel (after spending tHbusands to try and master the i Tmv'?»latest enemies) to find any ' loafer oan go on Government land ad- : :i, oln 'w pajchieveryffen'et, and send them out'of the uiatriot, ; and advor- . as your Eyery.-.sheepfarmer' in the district' had followed the example so well set by Mr : jßallenfand result, There , 7® 1 ® and thousands of ferrets iti that Ipart" bf 1 t \Vi4 .country, and tho > PBQPjs tlipre,re»arded ihem as a means _ ofjjlojt effrfc,t&ally t jfttiJjllie robbits, and of eveutually saving the country jfroa a very-great evil.

l&ads of families, Jon t foi'iiet youf'littlo ones! • Boys'- and Youths'- Clothiug &to be .ad.cheap at the Surplus,. Stock >"ale -at Te rfl B W"^ , O \t' : « "men of the Wairarapa should not Torgeb thatthey will have an opportunity- of purchasing all articles of clothing at a very Wge Reduction from usual rates, and (Jiould therefore not fail to be among t'ufl epiliesli visitors at the Surplus Stock Sale at 'ft Aro House.-An. ! h

■ 1 B/jl'aHi'eiiilJuk'i tifpTyuii wUbe able to buy you'r lilanket'a, Sheetings, Coun(Quiets, Carpets, Floorcloths, at sale prices If \our consult your own interests, yon will not fail to he of the many !wl[c! will throng'to' the' Surplus Stook Sale at James Wellington,-Ab. '. . 1 .!>'As) we are positively assured that,, this .extraordinary of JStock-Mvill only last replenish ,lheir stores of irappry at xjJrsbulolisly'cheap' riate to'make a very visit ft Jißia Shot's,TejAro House.-Ai,,