CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1170, 5 September 1882, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

'' • ■ —— n; old rubbish: I 3 To the Editor., ',., \ Sib,—l notice by Thursday last'B Even- , ing Post, in a report that paper of the Opaki , theft case, has these remarks: "Singularly enough, the parents of the lads were so in--3 different to the arrest that''they did not 1 deem it worth" while to •come-to'town to watch the case on behalf of their offspring, They were, they said, too busy." Also—r " Sergeant Price pointed out the inhumanity ) of the parents in not protecting the interests j of their children." '.',!.., I, with others, feel much annoyed at., these tinfair remarks, as the fault does not lie with the parents, but with the'arresting . j constable, who told.ono of* the "inhuman • j parents," through me, that the parents 3 would not be required to lose a day to ' attend the Court, as he (the constable) only • intended to'taketho children to the look-up t. for the night to punish them. t If the constable had not led me to believe I that the parents were not required, one at 3 least (Mr, % Kilminster) would have been i at Court to protect his offspring—l am,- &c, 3 James Toohath, I Opaki Sawmills, Ist Sept. -i j■' ■■■' "'.:';,',; jaM b FERRETS AT THE KAIKODRAS,Mg| B To the Fditor. Sm,*—ln your issne of the 15th Augast a B letter appears, signed "Justice," If the e of that letter' had alopted the , mm de planus of "Fiotion"-I'Bhould not r have ventured to trespass' oil your columns, . Although Ido not think the statements of ' a nameless writer will influence any practical man it is the duty of any man, ''■■ when writing on any eubjeot whioh vitally affects, the well-being, and prosperity of " .the!colony, to publish : bis name, as a guarantee of his good faith), nevertheless,. :, while knowing that the, statements con- . 3 tained in the letter of'" Justioa" are unb worthy of credence or criticism, lam of the .1 I opinion that it is due to Mr Dodson,. " J M.H.R,, to inform your; what I ' ■ 1 know about the rabbit the ' fl - membep for Wairau iiVa codLrrecVa neit ' ■ \ fiehefit'on the'producers'of the colony ' ! through .bringing prominently before the " ' Legisla'fote : the great service that Mr Bullenhaa rendered New Zealand in prac- ' tically solving the rabbit question. I have been a sheepfarmer in the Kaikouradistrict' a for twenty-two years, and witnessed the in--8 troduotion of rabbits by Captain Keene, 'of ' Syncombe. A few; years afterwards, the . r rabbits increased to:such an extent that -. Syncombe became a' complete desert, No • , : green thing could be, seen -even: the ttyiI sooks.were eaten down ia tie earth, and ' j looked like an army of, worn-out paint ; a brashes. Then bunny commenced' to emi- ! grate, and'many thousands/found homes on ]' . Mr Bullen'smn, which' adjoined theSyn- i ;. combe run. Mr Bullen at'once commenced II to item- the tideiof invasion by the employ. 5; menjj/Qf large numbers t of .rabbiters,but v ,after, 4 Bame .'years' |rial of' trapping "and ■■'■, 1 ehoofing, Mr. 'Bullen' learnt that tbjg :>

method of destroying the rabbits was com- "" fcletely useless, as'tlie rabbits increased and spread all '. his efforts. Mr Bullen then perceived thai ' •nothing.but a%tural-bhefoy wduhKeradicate the.pest, and he therefore sontVman to EnglanMo'btiig bntJ a'.largo number ol ferrets and as many weasels as be could iia procure, i • iThiSj venture, iiiow.ev.er, ; ;ps,;riol a success, for only two weasols and two ferrets were,landed at Kaikoura, at a cost of over £BOO. A portion of this sum was ■••^contributedby, Mr Bullon's-neighbo.i'S. Mr i ; . .Bullen waß'!not>discouraged by Jus.failure, ie forlie at once procure I aSiinanyi ferrets as i' 'he could purchase in Now Zealand.an.d.the Australian colonies, and commenced to breed, on a large scale, Mr Joseph Ward, a neighbor of Mr Bullen's, about thisitimo ~; informed tym that, fctrab, m old Spanish .miter, had, stated in.on^of that .', a, distribti n'Spaiii and rendered ~,. a desert "and."th'at 'through i',. thie introduction ilf the African ferret, the \ ; rabbit's had been exterminated, possibly this may have lncfqced Mr' Bfl|!en to' persevefo . in,his efforts to introduce .ferrets in .large : JLouniberß.,, Whilst engaged, ,'in,,"warfare •with.the rabbits Mr Bulled aCcideutajly. dis- . ; co> ered. through . .reading an , American , ; ,newspaper a receipt for pbwoninjj.ijabbits by means of phqspkorised wheat witli, rhodium audaluve sugar 'added';'and %now, sir, take the opportunity, through the medium ,of your columns, to inform the ( public .that r to Mr Bullen belongs, the, credit; of having been the first in New Zealand or the Austra- . Han Colonies to introduce this very success- " ■ 'ful ruefhod ofpoisoning, which'has been the means of enabling ruuholdera to dispenso with the services of rabb.ters who could not keep the rabbits from increasing, aud who and destroyed the miserable floclu, ployed. The only rabbiters to bo found in his dietriotro -living -hi the agricultural of the settlenent, l and evert there, could.-soon be at an end if the trapping and exportation of ferrets could • : be-'prevented, After ten years'breeding of "■ferrets Mr Bullen has shown the people of the Colony how to ex'eiminate a pest that •■ ■ wouldhave in time ruined-all the producers of New Zealand; for this .great work he deserves the the thank" of tte 'Jolony, But, ' 'sir, even now ha has his reward,''for on bis 1 > • large run, which is considerably over 100,000 -acrrrin r:. tent, there are very few rabbits to . be si!.-, ,-und tliev areon a fair way to extermination, for Mr Bullen still breeds and , .turns out. 300 ferrets annually,, and ;will , continue to do so uatil the rabbits are exter- . minated,.. I..hoid,about..loo,ooo acres J of; rugged country adjoining Mr .Bullen's 'run/ and through the ferrets travelling from. Mr , Bullen's run on to tl.is country the„rabbits are now very scarce in localities where once they.werevery-numerous, . In. the AwAtere district of the Province of Marlborougl) for somo yearsi.past.ithe runholders there have been expanding large snmji of ' 'money ' in,"their", endeavors' 'to keep the rabbits from', taking possession of their runs! but' they have leamt that;it is an endless task.' In every year the Bame ex"'pensehas to'b'e'incurred,' Now on every " 'Btalion of any'exte'ii't'a breeding'establish- * meiit is maintained at a' very considerable expense to the owners of these'runs, ;wko are practical men and have wisely resolved ' 'to benefit by Mr Bullen's experience, j For :, Tfiany years I bad grave doubts of the tilth mate success of Mr Bullen's exoerimenbwith the ferrets. ' Now law convinced that'they . i are the only efficient remedy • tor the rabbit pest, and if thj exportation of ferrets'frora this district could be prevented, the rabbits in a few years would be very near exterininai-: tioa. The Btatement:oLa nameless writer, ' ■ like " Justice," should, I think, be received .'l''/...with, caution ;>'fop,>«ii» youfi..comments in your leading article of the 18th August on the letter of "Justice" might mislead aome »f your readers who bave.the misfortune to be afflicted with rabb.ts, and thereby induce : ■•;' ■ themto'employ therathertournerousstarved . - outrabbiters who have left, this district, to •their great loss. .No-rabbiters areemployed •-■ 'on the runs here. On Mr. Bullen's niu the '■' ferrets are exterminating, on other runs in '.bis district poisoned wheat is laid in localities where many rabbits are seen in order to enable the ferrets tq keep the rabbits down, but as nearly all the ruw •••■;; .holders are.-either breeding, or. purchasing •-': : ferrets, this will soon become..unnecessary. I must apologise for trespassing at so great ■'■"•!- a length, but.the iiui stance ot the subject to the .people..of the.. Wairarapa and the • ; . colony must, lie my. excuse... ' ..-:.. Lam, io.,- , . ,- - . . . Walter Gibson, ..-■ Kaikoura, August2Bth, 1882. ..; j