THE RABBIT AS A FARM AND ORCHARD PEST. . 339 



Rabbits may be poisoned in winter by baiting with twigs cut from 

 apple trees and dipped in a solution of strychnine and sugar. These 

 baits are scattered along rabbit paths and in cold weather are very 

 effective. This method has the merit of being without danger to 

 birds or other animals except rabbits or field mice. 



The carcasses of poisoned rabbits, when found, should be buried, 

 and every precaution should be taken to prevent the accidental poi- 

 soning of other animals or human beings. 



PROTECTION OF CROPS FROM IJABBITS. 



Complete extermination of rabbits in an}^ part of the United States 

 is not desirable, even were it possible. They should be reduced in 

 numbers far enough to secure safety to crops; and before active 

 wholesale destruction of the animals is attempted, the possibility of 

 crop protection should be carefully considered. In many cases pro- 

 tection would probably be the more economical method. All known 

 methods of destroying rabbits are expensive. This was well illus- 

 trated by the experience of the Australian colonies in dealing with 

 the rabbit problem. Thus in New^ South Wales, when some 2,000 

 men were constantly employed in the work of destruction, the 

 number of rabbits killed per month was upward of 600,000, but the 

 cost was enormous. When the total of rabbits killed amounted to 

 7,853,787, the sum paid out for the w^ork was about $1,757,000, or 

 more than 22 cents for each rabbit.^ Unless the cost can be reduced 

 much lower than this, protection of crops is far cheaper. 



RABBIT-PROOF FENCES. 



When rabbits are abundant and the area to be protected is not 

 too great, a rabbit-proof fence may be profitably employed. Woven 

 wire nettings are generally used for this purpose. In^the Australian 

 colonies such fences are erected by the Government to confine rabbits 

 to certain districts, as well as by private owners to protect crops. As 

 the Australian pest is a burrowing species — the European rabbit 

 {Lepus cimicuhis) — the requirements for a rabbit-proof fence dif- 

 fer from those necessary in this country. Even with our species 

 there is some danger of their digging under fences, and this may 

 be prevented either by the use of a barbed wire in contact with the 

 ground or by plowing a furrow against the lower edge of the wire 

 netting. A netting of galvanized wire with IJ-inch mesh and 

 from 2 to 3 feet high is a sufficient barrier against rabbits. Many 

 market gardeners and nurserymen use the 2-foot width; others pre- 

 fer a netting 2J feet wide, and, turning the lower edge outward 



o Sydney Morning Herald, quoted in Cultivator and Country Gentleman, 52, 

 p. 628, 1887. 



