CORRESPONDENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1701, 3 June 1884, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

F E E R B'.Ti.B.';

To the Editor, Sir,—ln your issoe of the 21st, I notice that Mr James Galbraith, of the Lower Valley, cornea forward as champjon to the ferret party, and.- comments, at. some length rf my loiter of the Mh'iiist Mr Galbraith wants to prove that ferrets will kill more rabbits than they require for food. .Wall, let us look for a moment to what we see ferrets' do with our open eyes, Say there ib.b .burrow." containing, perhaps, twenty rabbits, and I am sure any practical man will admit if he puis a couple of ferreia into this burrow that the rabbits will immediately bolt and disappear somewhere else, unless kept by gun or dom. This shows.that the rabbits were none the worse for.-their.'visitors, though they did not like their company. I have had trained ferrets kill 'a single rabbit in holes, but then they would stop thare until their dust was mincled with the rabbit's, I can assure Mr Galbraith that the argument he brings forward about the ferrets killing ten of:tbo old woman's duoks in the Valley is not going to change my views on the ferret question I consider the ferret a very lazy hunter; but, however, it is an aoim.il that is not thriving in its wild state in New Zealand,—if it w«b it would have been a yreater nuisance by this time than the rabbits Mr G ilbraitH- seems to take some pride in relating tho executions performed by the tame ferrot among tho the ducks. Surely this is'no great recommendation for importing and breeding ferrets in thousands, when we bear of ferrets destroying fowls all over the Valley, and lambs as well At all eveuta Mr Galbraith and hia ferrets will not have tho blessing ot the hen wives in tho district. But as long as ferrets will keep to ducks and lambs, it is not.so bad as trying to out the throats'of infants in their oradles, as they were known to do in the part of the wotid Icame from; but is to be hoped that nothing of this kind will ever occur in the Wairarapa, though mothers should be careful and not leave. their infants unprotected whero ferrets are at' liberty. Mr Galbraith seems to give, .credit to the .few ferrets in the district''.for the decrease in rabbits. This shows some weakness in a praotical man.' Any "4 decrease there is in the rabbits is owing < to the pains settlers have taken in poisoning, combined with whet, skillful labor there is employed in this 'distriot, and the attention.paid to the rabbit pest by the Rabbit Inspectors.''" Yet Mr Galbraith seems to think' he has'done all tho work, because he has been breeding a few ferrets since he came to'the district, I don't think my friend "ever, had much experience of rabbiting on "mountainous country in Scotland,he was too tar south ■ to have an opportunity; and since coming to Ihia district Mr Galbraith has taken good care to keep as near civilisation as-possible, and give the-.benefit of his servioea to gentlemen-that had from '12,000 to. 6000 acres of clean country, where rabbits were easily kept down, I should adviße Mr Galbraith to visit one of the large, rou«h stations in Marlborough, and lam sure he willlbse all'confidence in ferrets in this district.. Thousands of .ferrets have been liberated 1 for the last twelve years without any good .result. It was publicly announced" in 'the New Zealand Mail the other day that the rabbits were actually burrowing and turning up the graves in the cemeteries in the.-distriot. So the rabbit nuisance is hot over in Marlborough yetynor in the Wairarapa either. '.:.-.[

Mr Galbraith says, that I finished my letter by striking a blowjat rabbiters, but I find by the time be finished his letter he somewhat changed his mind, and approves of this of what I said .about rabbiters/ I only condemned .unskillful 'labor,';:W -men that were cheating ■ . I.am,et6 M • A, MoDoimj,