ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY: CAMBRIDGE BRANCH.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 924, 25 May 1878, Page 2

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY: CAMBRIDGE BRANCH.

; A mhetins of the above society was held at tho National Hotel, Cambridge, on 'Wednesday at 7 p.m'i. -Present: Major , Glare (m the chair), Captain ."Runoiman (Secretary), Major Hay, Messrs. E. Hides, Geo. E. (.'lark, Robert Kirkwood, William Moon, aud John Mharp. Tho .minute i of the previous meeting wore read and confirmed. . Tho Secretary produced aud read the following- letters : — ,\ " [corY.]P ; : ■ ' ' ' Auckland Acclinia tisation So'nie ty , .vjh. .• „.; Api^l 18, 1878.' :" Dcar,Sir,-r-I haye at length. received a reply from; the, Colonial Secretary relative to the talcing away the protection of the Society from hares, and send the letter herewith for your perusal, and for any remarks our Cambridge members may wish to make thereon. I infer from tho letter, that :soihe of , the Waikato people arc opposed, to any change being made, and should be glad to know ..whether you 'still wish me to proceed' m f ke' matter. Of course, hares can .b 3 shot during the season in' the same way as pheasants. [The remainder of tlwilot'torirelatesibo the appointment of '.rangers.] — Youivj, faithfully , T. E. CHEESEKAX' " To James RuncrmaiiJ'Es'qV'''""'^' ;. ••■■ r[opiyr.] - : - " Auckland, April 2nd, 1878. <: Sir,— l am instructed, by the Hon. Col. Whifcmore, to acknowledge receipt of youv lotted of the 20 fch. February relative to tho injury now being done by hares iv Waikato 'arid .other places, and to ask you whether the Acclimatisation Society of Auckland still wishes -lis Excellency the Governor to be advised to' exercise the prnvers vested m him by Section, t) of 'the ''Protection of Animals Act, 1873,' and to declare 1 that hares -are 1 to coasc to be dee lued game -under that Act. _ " The lion. Col. Whitmore at the sanio time desires ine'to say' that there seems to be considerable division of opinion on tho subject of injury done by hares, and whether they are or are nGt numerous m Waikato. A deputation .of leading settlers; "from • that : district recently informed .the Colonial Secretary that 'neither were th*»se animals numerous, nor did they do auy harm m Waikato. . V Perhaps; : your ? Society would like ; therefore , to ..make- further inquiry upon the subject, so as to ascertain where m | . the .. Provincial District it -may be desirable. to iriakp, exceptions.— l have tho honor to be, sir, your most obedient servant (Signed), J?m>'. '6'Xkxkhh. "X V. Cheeseman, ; Esq., Secretary Acclimatisation Society, Auckland." The meeting then resolved itself into Committee to discuss the letters.' Air Hicks said' the Colonial Secretary ought to have furnished tke names of the gentlemen. ■"• constituting the so-called deputation, as it casta serious imputation on this branch of ; the Society, and on himself m particular, as it Avas chiefly on the strength of ■ his report of the damage done to his trees that the Society, took the action they did. He had heard of no other, meeting .be Lug held at any part of this district for tho discussion of the matter at which a deputation 'could, have been appointed.' "'■',., Major Clare said that' the 'statements I made by the deputation' were a -flat .con-, tradiction of what had been asserted by this bralich of the Society. It seemed to be done by^ a body working behind the cornei-. They could hardly be /a doputatiou unless properly ..appointed at; a public meeting; they 'might be a 'self - constituted body;'''' Mr Clark said' he was not -fit the mooting at avluoL. it. was .'-evolved to ask the present Society, to Avithclraw their protection' from hare's; if he had been he 'would iiiost certainly have 'opposed the resolution, and' lie did not feel- inclined now. to stand by it. He would, like to sco a few more hares about. He had only scon two, on- his. place. Old farmers m Englaud never complained of them. Now rabbits were a drfr'ei-oni; fciiiujr. Ho woidd nearly as soon have' rats on his place as rabbits ; but he would rather contribute -some thing- towards tho protection of Mr Hicks' trens than sanction the wholesale -'slaughtering of hares. They afforded excellent sport both for coursing and shooting. Major -Hay said -that iv Victoria hares bred- like rabbits — instead of breeding . once a year, or twice m two, years, as m England, thoy bred. ah the year round. Whenever, m coursing m Victoria, they caught a doe, she 'was always found- to have. -a full belly; — two and often throe leverets, so that they increase yery rapidly. ; „•> . Mr ; Sharp stated that hares were very ■much -worse iv the colonies .tlian m the old country. They were very bad on roses aud fruit trees, and, even young thorns. Down at Mr iW ason's nursery, near Hamilton, a bed of two thousand young apple trees three or foui? inches from the ground, were eaten off by hares threa years ago. He Was then down at- Mr Mason's, who told him they were very destructive. He had killed nine or ten so long ago as that. Mi- Mason, too, was up at his place on Sunday last, aud, m talking about hares, Mr Mason said thoy were still a great nuisance, and did him much damage ; he killed them whenever he could. Mr Sharp thought that "they did not spread down tho Hamilton road much, because, very likely, they did not like so 'much traiJic. They had only been turned out at three or' four planes, and it was at these places that they did the damage. It wis chieflydeciduous tree.-; that, thoy injured. Tho more grass there was, the -worse they were. . ' . . Mr Hicks said, with regard to the pines,, he had the tops of a great many of Ids eaten oft', and ou looking closely he saw tho footmarks of hares. The trees were completely* ruined, one branch only left. Thoy wei-j of no further use; but ou fruit and deciduous trees they did most damage. He had asked Major Wilson to come out and sc3 ihe damage done. Major Wilson had agreed to do so, and I had been prevented, by other business. He would therefore wish the meeting to appoint two or three members to go out aud examine his trees, aud report at a subsequent meeting to bo held next week. He thought ft was due to him that they 3boulddo this, as 'a very great slur had been Cast'-' upon himself. "The question was not only a district question, but a solonial question. It was not from mere I selfish motives that he had brought ifc | forward,- as he was as well able to afford J rhe lois of trees as; -anyone; but the, niestion at issue was. were,, hure3 detri- j

mental to. tree planting-, and ho was 'decidedly oi" opinion 'that they were. If a small settler were to oooupy sonic land just^jyoudliini, and commenced to make \ g^^^^P^r^hQ would suffer just as ho fa!? more ; he would not be a'biojffo.^flord his time, and money. Hai^^wer*e^is game a source of present ben||p ) buratreo planting Avas of far gi-e4||t inipoMiiucu for the future, aud for the s^ony |||| large, and the detriment thoywpuld^a/'ise to tree juaniing far , outwoi^hj^S^Deuefib to be derived from them fiojpa -sporting point of view. Ho was* q\iife sure the Government would rati] or sue orchards planted than hares numerous. It was chiefly iipou young •" "growth-the-hares 'Were troublesome. It Avas only after the bark got too hard for their teeth that the trees were safe. They ..were feeding now m considerable numbers on his mangolds, but he did not grudge these, if . .his trees were left alone. It was not Very long ago that four hares were turned out upon his place, and one was known 'to 'have been killed; now they .could be' counted by hundreds. <Tkia would "show how fast they were increasing. 'When they wore first introduced ho one welcomed tho hare more than ho did ' Mr Runchnan said, he was one of those who, assisted m bringing the hares to this district, but at-the time lie heard that Mr Rich, of Canterbury, had introduced hares on his estate some years before, and that he had > been obliged to abandon tree planting* on account of the depredations committed by them. He had some misgivhigs at the time, and said to himself, " Whyywe are introducing the very€hing that iscauahig-tfbuble down South." He liked' hares very Avell, but if he found them destructive to trees he would use , every msans m his power to keep them ; down,, Mr !*h'arp said that he had seen trees . three or four years old with the bark „' eaten off as high as the hares could reach. ',' A' coating of tar round the bark was no ' rise ; the trees were only safe when they [ were too hard to allow of the penetration : of hares'' teeth. .'■ j ■ lilr Kirkwood. said ho .was very fond of j the hare ; he could take hare soup every ; day, and he thoroughly, enjoyed the sport they afforded — both iv shooting and ' coursing, but. if they were destructive to orchards and tree plants he woidd advise their being put down. He would suggest that Messrs Clark, Sharp, Runciinan,* Major Wilson, and himself form a committee to visit the localities where bares ; are said to- be numerous, and report en ■ the damage done to trees, etc., at a ! meeting to be held on Tuesday next, the 28fch inst., at 3 p.m. Mr Hicks seconded tho proposition, and it was .carried unanimously. 'A short discussion was then entered ; up^ri as to whether it would bo better to allow 'settlers-' to kill ihares on- their oavii hind. ' Mr Hicks said that would answer his purpose, and it would not give occasion to poachers to pot* game under the pretence of going out shooting- hares. '• It 'was the general opinion of the meeting- that settlers shoidd be allowed to kill hares ou their own property all the year round. However, further discussion of the subject wfis postponed till the meeting arranged for next Tuesday afternoon. .-;"■; The meeting then adjourned.