FOOD SUPPLY i PUBLISHED BY IF aaa ‘Gos hath ‘ fy Hey JOO IOI IO II IOI IIS IIIS II SIDI IIIS ISI IIS III ISISISSA 4b A book for the education of Economists— A book of downright ad- vice to householders— A business prospectus for ~ Americans 0.0.0.8 0 0. 0.0.0.4 Capyright, 191 ‘ by Edw. H. Stahl | ©. 0.0.0.9.0,.0.0 0.4 ) PRICE, 50 CENTS ye Se MARCH, 1918 HII III III III IIIS ISIS SS IIS SIS III IAI IIIS III III II IAAI ISIS ISS SSS ISS ISIIIAIAAIA A AIS MADD DLL L LLL LC SLL SS SSS SCC CCC S ESSE SEL SSS SC CCCUCCTTETECCCCCCCCUCT TTT *« AAO OOOO OOOO OOO. OOO LCL 4 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING COPYRIGHT BEEGIAN COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING p) CONTENTS Page Mensa cGUIO Me ene ft mast ese as ee eee. ee Ym eee 6 What Is a Commercial Rabbit? oh ar acon NRE ete SE CU Se atc aee ss Fa a a Buistony and Origin... os)... hh a Ni el AN I Na ae Nae os a 14 iemP MMOLE “HOO sss hvde ene Sooo ei OG Sy 18 The Commercial Rabbit for Meat. Bg ROR Be Yrs BE Gu ec ROE aL ae 23 tonne oolves the. Hood) Problemy. 4s 6. oo ok ot he ne es 29 HereigreiiMceatl SHU PTS NG SY) le Mere te me Ae ue eh RT i BV itmemiieesaluie von Weahi. siete tad antler cutee & bes cena ae a2 Hitemeomimc cial Rabbit Business: 2055 ...0) 025. e ee elke ee 34 lou ih JEG Gri eee ig Ae Rane ie TA Ai I eG A OP 35 ALOWSES inal. TANGNES Gee elena cs Sires ene mane Pana & ae one ae 38 Feeding Jha a Ol chige scene SP aN ea Biches br tt chad cice, ey accel Rs Ae eh ee 43 POC MAG Bums SeMSre ia eats ante s)he) ae ge a eg 45 Cane Orne Young. .:... SON Goll AMIE Se Ra at ee ae SAE ae 47 aie Gialityc Se el eee etal iy a 3S ae REO ee ee a 50 DSSS SS LE Sa ea a anes an ft Be ae Pee NOR AN A ee a 51 Bue SUCCORC Ss aia an ee nee SURGES (co Se Se a Pe 9) Me emenabRe hee PS Pe ac Ta SARS NO Se ie at 55 [PSPOISUAIC) Cie Ae ae ge ae ene igs BMP TS Sie Ue eo ae P56 PVG DUDS, (SUR Gl AN ANGE ee enue Ao eee Ae ec i ae ae ee ees bby. ame 58 ieneGitye <3)... Bhs yo leeks QaSiaaet eae es MEMS IA oI 2 gr a TEE Useful Rabbit Notes. cf eee AE LAM BNE RS SOG RVR a LSE LF 0 LG eee Ae As an ee 62 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Beletan aare Buck... .. Sasi Gatien stey Getty REO te eae Melt 2G IRE Ya tec 46 iyelgisid Isleire IDG e Bike eee ae Bra een aoe 8 Elemush Giant Doe..... 1 Oss ia alr er Uae acted hk Re Ge a eG Weearotelilemmsht Gidmis. 2) ua) oe ee ie oe RS Black Flemish Giant Buck..... 1A iee Seen ga Nera A ul ic No eon ea i =) ES) Reanim envi ea lmao.) 0 ean. CSL bs ee OY, Sieel. Gareiyy JELUeimehisl a. X Gren alice ey bel aaah Wen in MOMMA ene Suu cnet a ane ra 5U Heide site ra tal: tel UCI Siar cece aos Med Gi ey Nab re ee ve aoe els 39, 40, 41, 42 A Bunch of Fine Steel Gray Flemish Guanes eee Oa ESN a ae 48 WT nie: GH IBGE, 3c 2 eines bom Salsas os an tae Ca Alaa ie ee at On ne sore ye een aie Ln RU: 57 Pei shed Oita, lnulCkes ss % 6). 4 sos oie ts ye TIERS aN, 8 ORRIN Ut oN 44 remaGealand. Bichon ilk cic) oies i OIA ie AME Rega Ae Oe ee a 24 : PMetnean ww imeckered Giant Woe. ss 20. boa isk He A ai 6 36 6 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING jo Je) fel fel fel Jel jel fel fel Jel jel lel Jel fel jel Jel fel Jel jel Jel fel fel Jol Jey Jel Jel Jel Jel Jel Jel Jel Jel fel Jel Jel Je Jel Jel Jel Jel fel } @080808000008080600080808080808080808080 800080808080 00808080800080808080e0e0e08080 3@0@08080e bo@ece@ecjecjeo INTRODUCTION @0808080 ° ret fot tot Tot tot 14 e0e Oe0e0 “COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING” was gotten out with the meat end of the industry in view. The three breeds of hares best adapted for com- mercial purposes are the Belgian Hare Rabbit, the Flemish Giant Rabbit, and the New Zealand Rabbit. Hf -feh lol Jel Jo} te] fel lef let tet Jol Yel Jol tol Jol te} Jol tel tel tet tel eh te! 1@080808000808080808080808080808080808080e08080e Oe0e0e0e The illustrations in this edition are of stock that were raised for size and hardiness more than for the fancy points. The exhibition type of hare finds little space in this book, as you must realize that hares must be raised to be used for meat. In this way this industry will in time be one of the largest and will take its place with the other great outdoor industries. CPO®0B080 8080 808080808080 8080808080800080808080008080808080808080808080 The contents of “COMMERCIAL BA3Eigs FARMING” may not meet with the approval of the fanciers who raise hares for a hobby and the sport of winning at the shows; however, as this book is boosting rabbits for meat, and is written from actual experience, we leave the fancy end of the industry to those who are more experienced in that type of stock. D@000008080808000000000800080808080800 ee eee 8 eee eee eee eee eee eee ee to teo ml THE AUTHOR: ©chaA515000 @0000e080e080e0e080808080 io) Jel je) jel jel je) jel je) je) je) fe) jel } 1©08080808080008080808080808080808080808080808080 st Tot Tot tot tot tol Set to 0e0808080e0 C gegeoeje see ceoscsceoscsjejelsjejele5 85 ejel85ejelej 8780 ‘\ O@8080808080808080808080808080808 PYowerendeh doh Joh Jel Je) Jel Jel Jel Jel Jel Jel Jel Jel Jel Jel tel fol fel fel fel fel fel lel Tel jel Tel Jet Jol fel fel fel fel fel | | Je) je} jel je) jel je) tel Je) je) je; jel jel fel Jel | i io} Jel je) jel jel jel je) fe) je) je) te) jel Je) ter Ta oe t Ie) oe @0 @0 oe , Jal oe @0 oe @0 oe O80C080808080808080 ec3e@ececjcejejejejeEejej$§e oe COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 7 CHAPTER ! WHAT IS A COMMERCIAL RABBIT? There are three kinds of rabbits—Commercial Rabbits, Game Rabbits and Pet Rabbits. Commercial rabbits are of several types, chief amongst which are, the Rufus Red Bel- gian Hare, the New Zealand Rabbit, the Flemish Giant Rab- bit. We will consider these different types in the ensuing paragraphs. GAME RABBITS - Game rabbits are wild rabbits. The common wild rabbit, the jack rabbit and the hare come under this heading. It is well-nigh impossible to raise any of these types in captivity, as they seem to pine away and die. Even if it were possible to domesticate them, it would not be practicable to raise them for commercial purposes, as in most states there are game laws which prohibit the sale of game stock during certain momsdsior seasons.. Dhus, it is:.well to bear in mind that commercial rabpits are not game rabbits and are not, there- fore, subject to the game laws. Passing over this question of whether it would be practicable to attempt to domesticate wild rabbits, the fact remains that wild rabbits are so small that it is not worth while. PET RABBITS Pet rabbits may be classed roughly as those of fancy @clers, such as ithe Wuten Rabbit, the Angora Rabbit. the Himalayan Rabbit, the Polish Giant Rabbit, etc. In this class also may be included the numerous types of vari-colored stock raised by boys everywhere. The smaller types of pet ‘rabbits are not worth raising for food because of their insig nificant weight, but the main argument against all of them, from a commercial point of view, is that their color somehow makes people reluctant to kill and eat them. It is said by many breeders that a white rabbit is just as good to eat as a commercial or game rabbit, while others claim that the meat of the pet rabbit is too sweet to be palatable. On this point 1 venture no opinion. I would not like to eat a white rabbit myself. Certain it is that very few, women will prepare a pet rabbit for the table. The very idea seems to be revolting to them. COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING HOG Hur Nv 1D ee LHUAAPOD COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING Set eo COMMERCIAL RABBITS As before explained, commercial rabbits are of several types—mostly long-framed and heavy. The smallest type of pet. rabbit will eat as much as a giant commercial rabbit, so it is well to bear in mind that,.from a business standpoint, it is folly to raise anything but commercial rabbits for food. THE RUFUS RED BELGIAN HARE Wie Geleian Hare is pernaps the most popular of all commercial rabbits. It is said to be the hardiest and most prolific. Belgian Hares are of two kinds—the common Gray Belgian and the Rufus Red. Both yield a fine-grained white venison that is highly nutritious and very palatable. No breeder disputes the fact that Belgian Hare venison is far superior to any other meat for food. It is tender, juicy and nutritious and may be cooked in a hundred different ways. It yields a higher percentage of net nutriment than chicken, beef, mutton or pork and is recommended by doctors as the ideal food for invalids. At maturity the Rufus Red Belgian Mweiens irom seven to mime jpounds, depending jupon the Mmemodwan breedimen Wier kinds Red Beloians are bred for fancy or show purposes, weight is subordinate to shape and color, and the show standard calls for a weight of eight pounds. Utility Rufus Reds, however, may weigh all the way up to eleven pounds at maturity. It may not be amiss to insist here that an eleven-pound rabbit is quite a rabbit, especially when you consider that the -wild rabbit dresses to only about two pounds or less. The Rufus Red Belgian Idare is very prolific. Hour to six litters a-year may be bred from this type, and anywhere from six to twelve young may iemexpeered im cacim litter lt is commonly reported that a Rufus Red Belgian Hare will have from five to thirteen young in each litter, but it rarely happens that she will have less than six, and rarely that she will have more than eleven. THE FLEMISH GIANT RABBITS The Flemish Giant Rabbit is nearly twice as big as the Rumus Kked, and quite as prolific, litters of cieht to eleven frequently occur. The Flemish Giant matures much more slowly than the Belgian Hare, reaching maturity at from twelve to fourteen months old. The weights of Flemish Giants run from ten to twenty pounds at maturity, although 10 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING TOG ENV TO eas INGA Vere Teles COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 11 a twenty-pound Giant is rare. The average at maturity is about twelve to fourteen pounds. The meat of the Flemish is just as tender and delicious as that of the Belgian, and the Skins are Oiten made up imto imitation iurs. Because of its great weight, the Flemish is likely to become more and more popular as time goes on. For some unaccountable reason, piemotcel Gray Plemisi is more im demand than any other color, and yet it is hardly possible to breed a straight steel gray animal. ‘Two steel gray parents may produce offspring in which several different shades appear, light and dark steel erays, and black. THE NEW ZEALAND RED RABBIT The New Zealand Red Rabbit is heavier than the Belgian Pate pit wot quite so heavy as the Plemish. It is a-.com- paratively Heceni Heed aid iamclaimied to be very hardy, and as prolific as either the Flemish or Belgian. If well cared for, it produces a heavy carcass on very little Weegk Ie is said to eat less than either Flemish or Belgian. Its meat is just as delicious and nutritious as that of the Belgian and the Flemish. COLOR Midtercolor onjtite ities, ied Seletan ilare is. a rich; ruddy Rufus red—a brownish, golden red. The best speci- mens have four red feet and a creamy belly. The Belgian breeds true to color. ee Le Mist GIANT deesiiop breed) trie to color. It generally comes in three shades—light gray, dark gray and jet black. Parents of one color nearly always produce Ouspmiite (oly several colors ~Uhe heht gray types nearly - always become slightly heavier than the others. It would seem that weight has been sacrificed in a great many in- Woumcce i Order to breed a truer steel. oray. Vhis is due t:. pieniniitence of the fanciers. Ii the wtility of Commercial Rabbits is to be fully developed, an effort must be made ta restrict the fanciers to their own field and prevent them from foisting their fancies on the Commercial side of the rabbit ‘industry. The fanciers raise rabbits only to kill time, while the utility men are exerting every effort to increase the food value of the stock. TES NE A ic NIOWiN ED) RABBIT. breeds trite to COOmay lhe perccy specimens are of an orange-red: ealor. 12 FINE SPECIMEN NEW ZEANEAND DCE COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 13 more lustrous than yellow, and yet not so gaudy as red. The New Zealand combines beauty with usefulness, and it has made great progress on the Pacific Coast, where it is raised for food in immense numbers. FANCY FIRMLY ESTABLISHED The question of color is bound up with the aims of the fanciers, to whom it is all-important. It is certain that com- mercial rabbits which come up to the standards of weight, shape and color set down by the various clubs, or by the parent body of all rabbit clubs—the National Breeders and | Fanciers’ Association—bring prices which are very tempting to the beginner, even if misleading. Thus, while the New Zealand Red Rabbit was produced by skillful breeders for the purpose of supplying the maximum amount of meat for the minimum feed cost, it is a fact beyond dispute that the fanciers have almost wholly captured the field, and by means of high prices offered for well-shaped and well-colored ani- mals, forced the great majority of beginners into the “fancy” side of the industry. The same is true of the Belgian and Pleniisn A heavy Steel Gray Flemish Giant at maturity, if it conforms to the standard promulgated by the fanciers, will bring anywhere from twenty-five to one hundred dollars, while if it were sold for meat, it would not bring more than three or four dollars. Again, a Rufus Red Belgian Hare that conforms to the fancy standard for weight, shape and color, will bring from eight to twenty dollars, while if it were sold for meat, it would not bring more than two or three dollars. The best method, therefore, is to breed for weight, and yet select and mate those specimens which will be likely to Beeditce tie best colors. “Uaus, a fair percentage of, fancy stock can be raised by a commercial breeder and sold at high prices. The fancy animals should pay the entire expenses of the plant, leaving the returns on the utility stock clear profit. This, in fact, is the method of the world’s biggest breeder of New Zealand Reds. Peicalitivwand) enthusiastic interest im the “fancy 1s bound to produce a keen spirit of co-operation and steady progress in the industry. In Flemish, weight is everything, and so the utility man has a good chance to convert his best stock into big money at any time. 14 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING CHAPTER II HISTORY AND ORIGIN The origin of commercial rabbits is shrouded in mystery —chiefly because the breeders of intermediate types were peasants of Central, Northern and Western Europe, who were unable to record their work. Even today, most breeders of commercial rabbits‘are men of no education, who, when they do write to the trade magazines, flounder in a morass of silly personalities, petty vanity and pointless gossip—and when you finish reading their memorabilia, you experience a dizzy sensation, as though, in a dream, you had been listening to the address of a cock magpie relating his adventure while gathering petty silverware and shining trinkets to deposit amongst the eggs in his lady’s nest. The history of the Rufus Red Belgian Hare is more readily available than that of other types of commercial rab- bits. The Rufus Red was perfected by English breeders dur- ing a period of nearly one hundred years, and most of the books printed on the subject that give any real information are published in England. It would probably be necessary to obtain a copy of some prominent English journal devoted to commercial rabbits in order to obtain the names of pub- lishers or sellers of these invaluable books. Very few are published in America that really satisfies the beginner’s crav- ing for real information. It does not follow that such infor- mation is not to be had in America, but it would require the work of a trained journalist to interview the successful fanciers and utility men of this country and to study the current pet stock and commercial rabbit magazines in order to gather that information into one volume that would present the sub- ject in readable and comprehensible form. The main weakness in most books published and sold by prominent breeders and fanciers is that they present the sub- ject from the “fancy” angle only. As a matter of fact, the average beginner is not entering the industry for glory, but for profits. He does not care two whoops in Hades for the niceties of color, shape and ticking,. fine bones, carriage and grooming—what he is out after is. MEAT—and MONEY. ‘The meat and money is in commer- cial rabbits. Thé standard for Rufus Red Belgian Hares 1s eign pounds at maturity. A Belgian that weighs over that is very COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING —_——_— —_— PIO sywuO|W 9 3 Spunod && SINVID HSINS ITH DNONOA HO aaLLit Vv 15 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING likely to be disqualified in the show room. ‘This proves the fallacy of the present Association methods. If the commer-— cial rabbit—and especially the Belgian Hare—is to have any firm foundation as a meat animal, the standard must not put a damper on the aims of the utility. Suppose, for instance, that hogs were disqualified at county fairs because of weight and preference given to lean, shapely animals. Manifestly, this would make of live stock raising a profession for the idle rich—a mere time-killing enterprise that would stifle the am- bition of farmers. The same principle holds good in com- mercial rabbits. : The ambition of fanciers to breed fine-boned animals is eood—we don’t want bones in our meat animals—we want flesh. 3 | The foregoing paragraphs may seem to be a digression. but the questions discussed are intimately bound up with the history and origin of Belgian Hares. The English fanciers, being for the most part hobby-riders, have consistently striven to produce an animal of racy appearance, fine bones and girace- ful carriage. The breeders have not made any great amount of money in their little enterprises, because they have pur- sued the silly fetich of beauty, rather than the sound ambition of usefulness. Most of the English fanciers are slaving at arduous tasks to make a living and spending their real genius in producing an animal that is good for nothing else but show purposes, whereas, if they had been actuated by the right idea, they could have built up an industry that would have given them riches without heavy labor. The laughable part of it is that, while the English breeders are bending their energies in the direction of the “fancy,” they are eating heavy rabbits that are produced in Flanders and shipper across the channel to the meat shops of London. Thus,-while the Eng- lish breeders have been decorating their parlor walls with blue ribbons, the Flemish breeders across the channel have been massing bank accounts. Off-hand, one would harbor the impression that the Flemish breeders of Belgium, Holland and adjacent parts, had. taken the results of the labors of the English breeders and turned:them into cash, but such is not the case. The breed- COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 17 ers of the Netherlands gave to England the original types out of which were produced the Rufus Red Belgian Hare, and while the English were muddling away with shapely animals, the continental breeders had continued their work and pro- duced a better meat animal. When I write of the “Flemish” breeders, I do not mean the breeders of the Flemish Giants, but the breeders of all types of commercial rabbits in Fland- ers. There is an old book published a good many years ago by a prominent poultry journal publishing company and still sold in considerable volume that contains about all that was known about commercial rabbits up to ten years ago in this — country, but it is rather out of date now. Most of the books sold by different one-horse breeders are clumsy rehashes of this book, masquerading as original research. The book is called) “Whe Beloian Hare Guide.’ It will be noticed that the Belgian Hare is described as that branch of the commercial rabbit family which was se- ieeued ior taney, and the Plemish) Giant that which was Pelec@rea, TOT imeat of utility.) Pais is no longer true. The Flemish Giant itself has fallen under restrictive influence of the fanciers in late years, and weight has been sacrificed in the attempt to breed a pure steel gray strain. The foregoing material on historv and origin has been quoted because of its first-hand information. It may be added that, as in the poultry industry, a good many breeders have experimented on their own account dur- ing recent years, and have produced various types of Com- mercial Rabbits, which they have given distinctive names. Thus, we see offered now and again the “Belgian’”—a cross between Flemish and Belgian; the Belgian Giant, which is nothing but a heavy type of Utility Belgian. The New Zealand Red Rabbit is said to be a cross be- tween the Russian White Giant and the Rufus Red Belgian Hare, but persistent line breeding is necessary to breed out the white bars or stripes which occurred in the original specimens. 18 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING CHAPTER III THE ABORTIVE BOOM When the Commercial Rabbit Business is mentioned nowadays in the presence of older people, they often pooh- pooh the idea of the Belgian Hare or other rabbits becoming a real industry. Of course, their scorn is at once swept away by the fact. The Belgian Hare, Flemish Giant and New Zealand Red Rabbit is now used for food in immense volume all over the country, and nearly all breeders eat their surplus bucks. However, the reason for the old folks’ skepticism is that, about twenty years ago, just after the introduction of the Belgian Hare into this country, a great boom occurred, during which a good many breeders made big fortunes. This boom gradually subsided, although thousands of enthusiastic breed- ers kept right on producing fancy animals and selling them dedaneye paces: But the main reason for the failure of the old boom, in my mind, was that advertising was not an exact science in those days, and so the independent breeders had no means of keeping the public interest alive. Today, there are columns and columns of classified ads in the newspapers and magazines devoted to the interesting selling plans of producers and assemblers of Commercial Rab- bits, and the public, upon answering these ads, is bombarded with a drum fire of attractive printed matter, presenting the subject to them in all its fascinating ways. Needless to say. a good many present-day breeders and assemblers are amass- ing big fortunes by selling Commercial Rabbits by mail, while thousands of others are earning comfortable incomes or adding materially to their regular incomes. In order to illustrate the progress made in building up a permanent Commercial Rabbit Industry, perhaps no better method could be shown than that of reproducing the adver- tisements which appear in newspapers and periodicals. A selection of such advertising is here reproduced: BELGIAN HARES—Flemish, Reds, Checkered Giants. Corre- spondence solicited. Prices attractive. ‘FOR SALE—My entire stock of Belgians, Flemish Giants and New Zealand Pedigreed stock. Write for prices. RABBITRY FOR SALE—New Zealand, Giants, Belgians. “eared $1,400 last year; 10 acres, house, barn, windmill, etc. eta ce 19 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING SOE. SEIN WS) BES UNCer abel STO Tel LEH YATOD 20 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING RABBITS FOR SALE —Belgian Hares, Flemish Giants, Angoras, New Zealands, etc. Price right, stock right. LOOK—We have some good Flemish Giants in black, white and steel gray. Also New Zealand Reds. All stock pedigreed. For reasonable prices write. PEDIGREED BELGIAN HARES—Also ear tags, punches, stock and breeding record cards, pedigree cards for variety rabbits. crate cards, etc. Price list free. Full set of samples 10 cents. CHECKERED GIANTS CHECKERED GIANT RABBITRY—Breeders of thorougnh- bred and pedigreed Checkered Giants. ‘Snow white, jet black, steel gray Flemish Giants. FLEMISH GIANTS FLEMISH GIANTS—Winner of first prizes in the largest show in the state. Five to thirteen pounds. Two to ten dollars each. Also New Zealand Reds. ~FOR SALE—A limited number of Commercial Giant rabbits, bred from the largest stock obtainable. Prices reasonable. State in first letter just what is wanted. FLEMISH GIANTS EXCLUSIVELY-—High class pedigreed stock from imported and domestic strains. Prices reasonable; in- quires promptly answered. FOR SALE—Flemish Giants, light gray, steel Llacks. Bucks and does. Pedigreed. See my winnings at St. Louis, November, 1917; Chicago, December. FOR SALE—A few choice Steel Gray Flemish Giants. From pedigreed and registered stock: Heavy variety. Weigh from 15 to 17 pounds. Stamp for reply. HEAVY WEIGHT FLEMISH GIANTS and Checkered Giants; registered and pedigreed stock; youngsters and breeders at reasonable prices; perfect health. Stamp for reply. FLEMISH GIANT and Rufus Red Belgian Hares—Pedigreed prize winning stock that have size, weight and color. Satisfaction. HARES WANTED! Belgian Hares, Flemish Giants, New Zealands We want to buy all the Hares and Rabbits you can produce, four months of age and up. We want only first-class pedigreed stock, free from disease with smooth coats. For several years we have bought from the largest breeders at Colorado Springs and Denver, and as our business increases we must continually have more. If your Hares prove satisfactory, we will — contract to handle all you can produce. ~Remember, we are not on our way to the biggest rabbit business in this country, but have arrived. Give full description of your stock in first letter, correct age, weight and lowest price. Come on, let’s’ boom the Hare business. Get busy and raise some. Address. COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 21 AMERICA’S BEST STRAINS English and Dutch At the seven largest Eastern shows this season, I won 75 firsts, four times best Rabbit in show. ; Judge Gibson says in his report of the Syracuse, N. Y., show: “The best lot of Dutch I ever judged in one show in my life. Some of them almost perfect.” In such competition, with six entries, I won five firsts and one second. Any of my stock for sale. SPLENDID BREEDING STOCK FOR SALE Can make immediate delivery of Registered Belgians and Flem- ish. All registered in the N. P. S. Association. Stock of unusual quality, all ages. The foregoing ads were clipped from a recent issue of “Outdoor Enterprises,’ the leading commercial rabbit maga- zine of America, which is published at Kansas City, Mo., and they are fairly representative of the activity going one in the rabbit industry at present. Frankly, there is no intention of giving free advertising space to the advertisers shown, there- fore, the addresses are not given. The ads which follow were clipped from a recent issue of the American Poultry Advocate, and will serve to illus- trate the interest in Commercial Rabbits which has been awakened amongst the unfortunate breeders of poultry, who have been operating mostly at a loss since the high prices of grain have prevailed: | HARES—RABBITS—PET STOCK Belgian Hares TEN FINEST Belgian bucks, eight months. Conover pedigreed stock, $3.50 each. Ten six months, $2.50 each. PEDIGREED Belgian Hares, ear tags, dogs, poultry; illustrated * catalogue and hare book, five stamps. RUFUS RED BELGIAN HARES—Breeders, $3.75 pair. Does or bucks, $2 each. Young stock, 4 to 6 months old, $1.25 each. RATSE BELGIAN HARES FOR ME—I furnish magnificent young thoroughbred Rufus Red stock at $3.00 each and buy all you raise at 30 to 60 cents per lb., live weight. Send ten cents for com- plete Breeder’s Instruction Booklet. 22 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING LISTEN! RABBIT.BREEDERS! OUR handsome new supply catalog is just off the press; it prices and describes over 50 rabbit necessities that are essential to rabbit success. All you do is to write and ask for it and enclose a 1-cent stamp. F LOTS OF BELGIAN HARES—Bucks, Ten Flemish bucks. ready for service. Checkered Giants, German Greys, Lopears and Angoras. Exchanges made; no reply without stamp. RAISE BELGIAN HARES—New Zealand Reds, [Flemish Giants. ‘Wonderfully intereting magazine, tells where to sell for $2.00 to $15.00 each. Also covers all other outdoor industries, 10 cents a copy (50 cents a year.) Similar ads appear in Sunday newspapers throughout the country, and in the big rural magazines and weekly news- papers, as well as in prominent standard magazines, such as Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, the Country Gentleman, and in the magazines devoted to outdoor sports such as Na- tional Sportsman, Field and Stream, etc. They are an index to the far-reaching effects of advertising—advertising which has rendered the commercial rabbit industry permanent through the dissemination of information. COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 23 CHAPTER [ THT COMMERCIAL RABBIT FOR MEAT _ Asa meat producer, the Commercial Rabbit has no equal. The meat is described as venison, and is white, fine-grained, palatable and far more nutritious than any other meat. ibe may be cooked in a variety of different ways, and so offers a decided relief to the housewife who despairs of ever finding something new under the sun to set before her men folks. A clergyman, himself a breeder of Belgian Hares, con- tributes a very interesting article to a widely read publica- tion. An-excerpt from his article follows: A word concerning the meat side of the industry. The East is just beginning to taste the delicious food. The man who has a con- tract to supply a certain Buffalo hotel once a week, finds it a hard es to get enough without paying exceedingly high prices for the ares. h Rabbit meat is simply delicious and when it is to be found in the markets and people have had a taste, the demand will be so great that every farmer will have to turn to the industry to supply it, and in supplying it he will make money, for the Belgian is raised to good eating size for 25 cents. What other meat can be produced so cheaply? REV. CHARLES E. RHODES. Of course, there is a right and a wrong way of cooking commercial rabbits. The venison is in itself very delicious, as anyone will bear witness who has picked a leg out of a cold pie on a hot summer day, but there are so many delightful dishes that can be quickly and simply prepared that it may be interesting to smack one’s lips over the following instruc- BIOS : PREPARING HARES FOR THE TABLE A hare at the weight of about four to five pounds is about the right thing for a splendid dinner. In killing, grasp the hare firmly by the hind legs, hanging his head downward, striking the animal a sharp, quick blow on the back of the head. The throat should be cut immediately and the hare thorough- ly bled. Hang up by the gamble joints, just as you would hang up a sheep or hog. An opening should be made in the abdomen between the hind legs, and two or three times the carcass should be filled with water. To remove the hide, cut around the hind legs, cut across near the tail from one joint “to the other and then turn the skin wrong side out, drawing toward the head carefully until the rabbit is skinned. Then COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 24 SA MEL (GUNT WIIN AGI, INN ELIE COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 25 taking out the insides, saving the kidneys, cut off the feet at the first joint, wash carefully and then thoroughly dry with picloth. Ihe heart and liver may be saved, and the head; 11 you wish. Cut up the carcass and let stand in salt water for atleast one hour. Aiter it has been dressed, the hare may be kept two or three days. A few recipes for cooking the hare follow: TO ERY Old hares should never be fried, only the young. After cutting up, the pieces should be rolled in a mixture of pepper, salt and flour. Fry in hot lard. It takes about thirty-five to fifty minutes to cook thoroughly, according to the age and Size. A GOOD ROAST Fill with dressing, made to suit the taste, well moistened with hot water. Sew up the carcass, sprinkle well with salt; put in your roasting pan some strips of pork laid over the carcass, or if you haven’t the pork a few bits of butter. Bake in a medium oven from two and a half to four hours. PRESSED RABBIT Boil until well done. Take all meat from bones. Grind in meat grinder, season with salt and pepper to taste. Then pour over it the broth it was boiled in and press the same as chicken. HARE SPANISH One onion sliced, one chili pepper, three or four medium tomatoes.. Put these into a stewpan with a small amount of water and let come to the boil. Aiter cutting the hare in pieces, put into this as soon as it comes to a boil. Then add about a teaspoonful of salt and just enough hot water to cover. Just before it is done, thicken with flour and butter. AN ONION ROAST Take a small roasting pan, place a layer of onions in the Horton Nand) Cathie the meat into pieces, put a layer of onions on this and alternate until you have filled your pan. In making an onion roast, a double roasting pan should be used. Do not use water, as the onions will furnish enough moisture to finish the roast. 26 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING RABBIT CURRIE Cut into joints, putting in the stewpan a couple of table- spoonfuls of butter and a few slices of onion to taste. After it is well browned, add a good cupful of soup stock, then a tablespoonful flour and currie mixed smooth with a little water. Place this in the pan with pepper and salt to taste. If desired, a heaping teaspoonful of mushroom powder may be used. Let simmer gently for an hour or two; add about a tablespoonful lemon Ailes with a little parsley. ‘Serve with boiled rice. TO BROIL They should be boiled in salted water about five minutes, then dried and put on the broiler as soon as possible. Season to taste. RABBIT RECIPES Rabbit—the meat of the epicure. —Vesta S. Heath. “Now good digestion wait on appetite And health on both!” —Shakespeare. The housewife who must pay 20 or 22% cents in the open market for Flemish, Belgian, or New-Zealand Rabbits will find fried rabbit a satisfactory dish. But the one who raises them in her own back yard will find a variety of ways of cooking and using this excellent meat a necessity, that rabbit may be served several times a week without over-doing. Though some might doubt that this could be over-done. Money talks and so does rabbit raising when the grocery bills are lessened by raising your own meat at home. POT ROAST RABBIT Cut the rabbit, roll in flour, brown in hot fat, cover with boiling water, add salt, pepper, one carrot and one onion. Cover the kettle tightly, so that all the flavor will be retained. Simmer until tender. If an old rabbit, it will take two or three hours. Drop in dumplings fifteen minutes before serv- ing. This recipe is suitable for the fireless cooker. A BREAKFAST DISH When preparing corn meal mush for frying, stir in one- half cup of chopped, cooked rabbit meat (well seasoned): just before turning mush into the pan to mould; a square, shallow COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 27 pan is best. Let cool over night. Cut in half-inch slices, roll in flour. and fry. JELLIED RABBIT _ One rabbit, one slice of onion, one bay leaf, six pepper- corns, three stalks of celery, one envelope gelatine, one-half cup water. Cook rabbit in boiling water ‘nal tender, or until the meat slips from the bones. Remove from the kettle. Add vegetables and spices to the broth with salt to taste. Cook until reduced to one quart. Strain, add gelatine softened in one-half cup of water. Place rabbit meat in a square mold and pour broth over it. Set aside in a cold place. Garnish with celery leaves and stars cut from pimentos. Serve in thin slices. , SOME “PET” BELGIAN HARE RECIPES By, C4@rosss, Doctrine. ‘Colo: Roast Rabbit—Place the rabbit or hare, carefully dressed, but whole, into a kettle. Add a quart of water and a pinch of soda and stew until slightly tender, then take from the broth and stuff with well seasoned bread crumbs, which have been moistened with the broth. Wrap the carcass with twine and lay in a pan, spread with butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake to a rich brown. Serve with a brown gravy made from the broth, season by adding a little browned onion or garlic. Roast Rabbit No. 2—Have the rabbit dry, truss it, and Sheds tollows: Beef suet, chopped fine; a iew bread Commis: a little thyme, marjorm, and savory; add a little Semiensecel: pepper and salt, mixed together with an egg; put tais into the carcass and sew it up. Suspend it before a good fire, but do not put it too close at first; baste it well with butter or veal drippings, and dredge it well with flour two or three times. When it is sufficiently roasted, place the rabbit in a hot dish; put a little water in a sauce pan, a lump of butter rolled in flour, and pour the gravy in, from the dripping pan; boil and pour over the rabbit and serve. Stewed Rabpoit—Wash the rabbits well; cut them in pieces, and put them in to scald for a few minutes. Melt a piece of butter in which fry or brown the rabbits for a short time. When slightly browned, dust in some flour; then add 28 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING as much gravy or hot water as will make sufficient soup. Put in onions or garlic, catsup, pepper and salt, according to taste. Stew for an hour slowly. Fried Rabbit—Let the rabbit soak for several hours, or over night, in salt water. Roll in flour, salt and pepper, then fry until brown. Ii the wild taste of game is objectionable, this may be removed by first parboiling in water in which a little salt and a slice or two of onion has been added, then fry as above. Rabbit Fricasse—After dressing, let stand about two hours in water with two teaspoonfuls of salt and one of soda. Rinse well and skin off all the second thin skin. Then cook until well done, in as little water as possible, in which a little salt has been added. Remove the rabbit and roll in seasoned flour, then fry in hot lard until nicely browned. In the mean- time, add two cups of milk to a little of the broth, return the rabbit, let cook fifteen minutes, add a little thickening made of flour and water and bring to boiling point. Barbecued Rabbit—Take a nice, plump, young rabbit be- fore it is cut up, wipe dry and make eight or ten gashes across the backbone with a sharp knife. Now brush with olive oil and broil before a clear fire, turning often so as to cook evenly on all sides. Lay on a hot dish, season with salt and pepper and add plenty of butter, then set in the oven long enough for the butter to thoroughly soak in. Heat in a granite cup or small pan two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and one of ordi- nary mustard. Bring this to the boiling point. and quickly brush this over the rabbit. Garnish with parsley or water- cress and serve with current or other tart jelly. COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING Aes CHAPTERS HOW IT SOLVES THE MEAT PROBLEM The foregoing chapter on dressing and cooking, while relating to the Belgian Hare, is equally applicable to the other types of Commercial Rabbits. As meat, they all taste the same, and all yield the same percentage of nutrition. But the mere fact that the Commercial Rabbit is good for food does not signify anything important—the big question is—can it be produced cheaply? Farmers nowadays prefer to sell their corn at high prices, rather than feed it to perishable live stock and wait another Year ot So for rettiims that are only sure if the stock lives, and the price of meat does not fall lower than that of grain. Me imaiver Ok tacw If te cheaper co sellthe orain, or Tather more profitable. Miteveattle supply hasbeen falling off for ten. years, it is reported from many reliable sources, and it is said that twenty years will be required to catch up with the normal demand for meat. at reasonable prices. This is plausible enough when you consider that a cow has only one calf a year, and that calf does not become of breeding age until two years later. Thus it takes three years before you begin to see any results worth speaking of in the cattle business. In sheep and hogs, the progress is swifter, but the returns are not striking in any sense. Poultry raising is being looked upon with distrust by ex- pemenced breeders; since the high prices of grain have pre: meiled) lt is said by many that, on a small plant, it costs about $2.00 per dozen to produce one’s own eggs, and about "S100 fo raise a 50 cent chicken. Manifestly, conditions ot this sort will not attract much capital or energy to these in- dustries. Pitter Ws) Consider tae Commercial Rabbit. lt 1s raised in a hutch only a few feet square. You build upward instead of outward—that is, a fairly big rabbitry can be erected on a few square feet of ground space by building it in tenement form. The Commercial Rabbit breeds all the year around, and there is very little guess-work about it. You can never tell how many eggs a hen will lay—or even whether she will lay any—and you can’t tell whether the eggs will be fertile when COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 30 SOO TIS vests) aelewaS COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 31 laid. On the other hand, it is possible to raise a definite num- ber of litters per year from each rabbit, and possible to figure on an average number of young in each litter. There is no other animal or fowl that multiplies so rapidly as the rabbit. Scrub rabbits and game rabbits’ produce as many as eight litters a year, while carefully handled Commer- Gal ixapbits produce about five, or at least four.” In each ittereal averave of seven may be conservatively expected, | so that about thirty rabbits can be raised from one doe in a year. If killed for meat when they weigh five pounds apiece, one hundred and fifty pounds of meat have been produced | from one doe in a year. But many breeders kill off only the bucks, keeping the does for breeding purposes. The young does may be bred when cight months old—even earlier, so that the possible production from a single doe in one year is lost in a maze of figures. Suffice it to say, it is astoundingly big, and the world’s meat supply can be increased indefinitely in a very short time, if vigorous advertising is employed to educate the people to the possibilities of the industry. yas vo reed COSt, most mreeders report it so negligible that they never figure it in their cost of production. Commer- cial Rabbits will thrive on table scraps, such as stale bread. the peelings of vegetables and fruits, waste cooked vegetables, ordinarily thrown away as garbage, used tea leaves mixed with bread crumbs, grass, lawn clippings, leaves, barks and cerapseimoim tie back yard garden. . They eat- any kind of hay or grain, any kind of meal, or any kind of cattle fodder. It is always best to order the stock before beginning to build the hutches, because the average breeder 1s always run- ning to capacity and will require at least a couple of weeks’ time in which to fill the order. This time can be used in build ing hutches and making ready for the stock. 32 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING ur CHAPTER VI PERTINENT STATISTICS The bulletin on Belgian Hares and Commercial Rabbits issued by the Department of Agriculture of the United States Government gives as the cost of feeding and care, six cents per pound. This figure has, no doubt, been arrived at by comparing the declared costs of different breeders, or from the actual records of that branch of the department devoted to Commercial Rabbit Culture. A good many successful breeders, however, declare that this cost is too high, and that rabbits can be raised more cheaply. The following figures, obtained from a big breeder in Missouri, are interesting: FEBRUARY, 1918 Average stock, 300 Rabbits per day FEED COST 3 bushels oats; 85¢e> per ‘bushel. ow, nae 2 ee ee - $2.55 50 pounds alfalfa meal, 0226" per pound: 9) 2. ieee. ae 1.10 I bale sprattie. Nawy.s .: desde. soe eee ke 0) 3 eerie ae 1.25 Fortthe> monte. 0. cere cer ate tee jaw U0acs sa a $4.90 It is probable that, added to this feed, was a great deal of stale bread and scrap vegetables which were probably ob-. tained for nothing. A report from another breeder, giving the feed cost of sixty rabbits, is of interest because it shows the cost of feeding roots. FEED COST FOR SIXTY RABBITS Month of January, 1918 S lieve PINE ESeT MBL haere en ices eg rh blk aes tao $1.00 OTe ai) t2.% {ek < hele eee dae $7 eee The big breeder will do well to use double kind, placing a number of them in a series under one roof and leaving aisles between them, ends of roof projecting to give attendant shelter in bad weather. See Fig. 14. Also where single rows of hutches (Fig. 12) are used, they may be placed in series under one roof, ends of roof projecting as in Fig. 14. Aisles in this cut are 21%4 feet wide. Ends of roof also extend 2% feet. COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 43 CH Da Rex. FEEDING Rabbits eat anything a sheep or a horse will eat—and a great deal more. Any kind of grain is good, and any kind of hay. If this general statement puzzles the reader, the fol- lowing table of feeding will shed more light on the subject: MOrRNING— EVENING— Oats Alfalfa ‘Stale bread Alfalfa meal iNolied barley.” . Carrots Field corn (on the cob) Bark of trees - (Gress Dry bran Bran and oats mash Rutabago Beets 5 Clover Used tea leaves and meal Vegetable scraps This does not mean that the breeder must give all the dit. macieiecds imdicated above. He may use any of then. It Issa 2ood idea, however, to vary the feed a bit. Most breeders feed twice a day—morning and evening peme breeders, however, feed only once a day. As to the quantity required for each rabbit, this is something that can- Hwot be definitely set down. Ihe thing to remember is that the rabbits should clean up everything given them. If any feed is left over from a previous meal when the next feeding time comes, it is best to cut down the rabbit's allowance by exactly what was left. | The question of whether rabbits should be fed green stuf’ exclusively is one that has been answered both ways by many breeders. The majority of successful breeders, however, re- gard oats or barley as a necessary part of the rabbit’s rations. It is not safe to feed baby rabbits green stuff—it should be fed only very sparingly, and it should never be given wet, as it has a tendency to cause diarrhea in young stock, COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 44 spunog ZZ JO 1YSI9oM snows0uy 94} Yeo Woy, Jo smog yey yL eaeone SPpIO.9Y DALY IMA ‘DOUDISIXA UL S}Iqqey Jo AjolIVA jsosieT oY L WINd NOINOGHLSVN V AG COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 43 Cris aly BRST, BREEDING AND SELECTING Commercial rabbits will breed a maximum of six times a year, but it is probable that the does would not last long if bred that often. Most breeders try to get from four to five litters a year. From five to ten, or even more, young ones occur in each tren, Dut simce the doe has “but eight teats, it 16 rane seme: more than eight can be raised successfully. Ten young ones im a litter, however, have been raised time and again by breeders. It 1s necessary to feed the doe milk-producing foods, in order that she may provide sufficient nourishment for the Moten. Carrots and otter roots and vegetables are best fox this purpose, although plenty of oats and hay should also be fed. Commercial rabbits are bred just like cattle—that is, the buck is always kept by himself and, when used, the doe is Diicea tm. nis huteh +) he service need occupy only a) tew. minutes. If the doe is willing, the buck mounts, and he will momediately ettect the service and roll over on his side or Pall backward. - Until he rolls over in this way, the service has not been effected. If the doe is unwilling, she will either hug the floor or run away, and, after waiting about five or ten minutes, it is best to take her out if the buck has not effected the service. The dce should be tried every day until she takes the buck. Virgin does do not readily breed, and it is necessary to be persistent in placing them with the.buck, trying them each day until they do take him. After a doe has once been bred, however, she rarely gives any trouble on this score. SELECTING Selecting is a process that requires considerable skill, which is acquired only by experience. Selection is simply the method of choosing parents to produce better offspring than themselves. Many factors enter into the problem. Thus, a rabbit cannot be heavier than the capacity of its frame or bony structure. When selecting breeding specimens for pro- ducing a heavy strain, it is necessary to select large-boned animals. Some animals are round and fat as a football but have no length to speak of. When handling specimens ot this kind for breeding, it is wise to mate them with a long- framed, huge-boned animal, in order to combine the de- sirable features of each. 46 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING SLOUOMEL Ghee INAS) lialeat Diino COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 47 CHAPTER: S€11. : CARE OF THE YOUNG ‘The problem of caring for the young may be summed up in the single word “horse-sense’’—that is, common sense should be used. Thus, many breeders complain that they lose young rabbits from a complaint known as “‘slobbers.’”’ When ailing with this, young rabbits slaver at the mouth and their fur becomes wet, while their whole aspect is one of profound dejection and distress. It is caused by indigestion. The little stomachs being used only to a milk diet obtained from the teat of the mother doe, they are not able to at once digest the heavy feed given them immediatelv after weaning. This would seem at first to be a very discouraging matter to grapple with, but such is not the case. 5) If the reader should eat nothing but raw food, he would also get the equivalent of slobbers or terrible indigestion— thats why human beings cook their food. The same thing applies to young animals. If the food of young rabbits is cooked, it will not give them indigestion. Thus, instead of giving oats right out of the feed sack, it is best to put them in a pan or dish and cover them with water. Then place the pan or dish on a fire or gas burner and let the oats cook until the water has steamed away. Now add a little salt to the oats, mix with bran, and feed. ‘The meoult will be a thick mash, andatne rabbits will enjoy it. ’. It is also good for older stock. When weaned, the young ones should be given a hutch. somewhat bigger than the hutch in which they were porn, so that they can romp and grow. It is important to keep tuts lantel warm and clean and dry: he floor should be covered with sawdust, dry leaves, straw or hay, and water should be before the stock at all times. It is a good idea to piace a box of platform imside the hutch for the young ones to jump on for exercise and play. At four months old, the sexes should be separated, as at .this age the bucks will begin to fight, and there is always danger of a young doe being bred too early to a brother. COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 48 SYJUOP, UsAIVS 3e Spunog }Ys19-A}104 BUSHING TLEL AN eat) ALGLGINES; GUNILEE G@) tel NAN \y/ COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 4G It is easy to tell the bucks at this age, as the testicles are plainly visible, slightly forward between the hind legs, while if the organ is pressed upon with thumb and forefinger the sex is otherwise determinable. In the does, an oblique slit will appear under this pressure, and in the bucks a round hole. Brothers and sisters must not be mated. Stale bread is good for rabbits. It is already cooked, so it does not cause any complications. Bread, it will be remem- bered, is made by baking it in an oven. A very little green stuff is good for baby rabbits—just a EMnie or so a day per/rabbit. “It conditions them. But if large quantities of green stuff are heaped into a hutch, the young ones will eat until they get the diarrhea, and they will beein to die, one by one. When the old doe has been bred, she must be kept in a hutch by herself. During a period of from ten days to one hour before she is due to deliver, she will build a nest of straw or hay, which she will line with fur torn from her breast. A nesting box, high and roomy, should be provided inside the hutch, so that she can build her nest out of sight and away from wind and weather. The day after the young ones are born, the mother does should be removed gently from the hutch, and the young ones counted into a hat or basket. They must not be allowed to eet cold. It there happens to be a dead ome in the litter, it should be thrown out, and the rest replaced. After that, the old doe may be put back in the hutch, and the nest should not be bothered again until the young ones begin to toddle out, which will be in about two weeks. At this time, the nest box should be cleaned out thoroughly and fresh straw or hay placed in: it. | | At six weeks old, the young ones may be weaned. It is best to take say two away from the doe each day, until all are weaned. The young ones should now be fed cooked oats and a little green stuff, with plenty of clover and alfalfa hay. 50 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING CHAPTER X1IL. THE UTILITY The utility is known as that end of the industry which is concerned chiefly with the production of heavy animals in- tended to produce meat stock, and while the finest breeding stock of utility types costs good money, it 1s necessary to get fine stock in order to have a good foundation on which to build pra cherd: There is a ready market for the meat at the commission houses everywhere, and direct to the hotels and restaurants. Prices vary from 20 to 35 cents per pound, while assemblers of breeding stock will at present pay up to 30 cents per pound for trios to be used for breeding purposes. The skins can be sold readily. There are several firms in St. Louis which offer good prices for skins. These skins are used in the manufacture of felt hats and are also dyed and specially prepared to sell as imitation furs. Flemish Giant skins are especially valuable for this purpose. When breeding for utility, it is best not to pay much attention to the advice on breeding given by notable fanciers in their books, as they advise raising only small litters, and only one or two litters a year. This advice is manifestly all wrong when you are breeding for volume. The idea is to get the kargest possible litters, and as many litters each year as the doe can safely stand. Experience will teach just how big the litters should be, and how many litters the doe can stand. Ji the doe falls off in weight, itis best to sive Wem rest for some weeks. Each doe is a study in herself, and one doe can stand more than another. It all depends upon the vigor of the stock. COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING ail ‘CHAPHER XPV. DISEASES AND REMEDIES The Commercial Rabbit is singularly immune from sick- ness if kept clean and fed regularly. If, however, the rabbit takes cold from draughts or dampness, a complaint known as snuffles will set in, most likely. The rabbit gets a snotty nose, and its fur becomes rough and disordered. Colds are always accompanied by fever, and so the first thing to do is to check the fever. This can be accomplished by placing a few drops of Aconite in the drinking water. Tincture of Aconite may be bought at any drug store. A dime’s worth will be enough to last for months and months. ‘The dose is about twelve drops to the gallon of water. This should be continued daily for a week or more. Then the secretions of mucous in the nasal passages must be removed, and this can be accomplished by squirting a strong antiseptic up-each nostril twice a day. ‘The best anti- septic for this purpose is one put up in a collapsible tube, because the end of the tube can be applied to the nostril and the stuff squirted up by pressing the tube. It is important to see that the antiseptic is not strong enough to burn the animal. Thus, solutions of carbolic acid or Lysol cannot be used. The best antiseptic for rabbits is called HIKE ANTI- SEPTIC. It is put up in tinfoil collapsible tubes and is sold by most drug stores. It costs from 19 to 25 cents per tube. Wicks) Salve is also recommended by one of our leading Judges. These remedies are not intended for rabbits, but are sold as a general antiseptic to be used by human beings for ~ wounds and skin troubles as well as catarrhal conditions of the nose and throat. The reason it is recommended in this book is because it cannot harm the rabbit and always corrects the condition. Any antiseptic that has like qualities may be used with equal effectiveness. After the fever has been checked, and the secrtions of mucous expelled from the nasal passages, the rabbit wil! rapidly recover. Powdered bluestone sprinkled over oats or alfalfa meal hastens recovery. Snuffles in rabbits 1s practicai- ly the same things as glanders in horses, and any treatment good for glanders is usually good for snuffles in rabbits. a2 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING DIARRHEA Diarrhea is often caused by feeding wet green stuff or too much green stuff, and the remedy is dry feed and milk to © drink. Diarrhea can be detected easily, as the droppings will be soft, and the hutch disagreeably dirty. WORMS Worms are rare in rabbits. Wash blueing is good for worms, or any good worm remedy used for other stock. The ailment causes the animal to become thin and ematiated, and no time should be lost in getting rid of the parasites. POT BELLY Pot Belly is usually caused by overfeeding, and it occurs most often in young stock about two or three months old. » The ailing rabbits should be starved for a whole day and a little green stuff given until the condition is removed. Exer- cise is necessary, and it is better if the rabbit can be turned loose on a big floor. Pot Belly is easily detected.” Maewselly of the rabbit becomes distended as though the animal had been blown up with a bicycle pump. A good dose of castor oil helps. ROT AND MANGE Rot and Mange are very rare, but the disease is often fatal. The animal becomes covered with scabs and grows thin. Rot and Mange are treated under one heading here because the average breeder is unable to detect whether the tabbit has one or the other. The remedy is a4 miiceupegos sulphur and lard, which should be rubbed over the sores. The breeder who keeps his hutches clean will never be troubled with these ugly complaints. SLOBBERS Slobbers often attacks young rabbits just weaned. It is nothing but acute indigestion. The little rabbit slavers at:the mouth, and its fur becomes wet around its mouth, forelegs and upper breast. The rabbit should be starved for twelve hours and salt rubbed in its mouth and on its forepaws. The food thereafter should be cooked to aid digestion. Slobbers is easy to cure. COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 53 PNEUMONIA Rabbits may catch pneumonia if colds are neglected, or if the rabbits are kept in damp, cold hutches and given im- proper or insufficient food. Pneumonia is lung fever, and the fever must be checked by giving Aconite just as in cases of Snuffles. A good physic should be administered—castor oil or any good cathartic. The sufferer must be kept warm and fed green stuff very sparingly, while grains must be cooked before being fed. Pneumonia can be detected by listening to the breathing of the rabbit. A crepitant rattle will be heard in the lungs. EAR CANKER Ear canker often affects Commercial Rabbits, especially Flemish Giants and New Zealand Reds. A thick, caked substance forms in the ear, and it should be removed with a hair pin or a blunt piece of wood especially shaped for the purpose. After removing the canker, the inside of the ear should be treated with salve or a good antiseptic, such as Hike Matiseptic. Har canker is not dangerous and can be re- moved in a day or so. ABSCESSES © Abscesses or boils occasionally affect both wild and do- Bilestic rabbits. Lhey are caused mostly by bites which be- come infected by germs from the dirt or dung. When the swelling is ripe, slip the fur away and lance the swelling with a sharp knife or old razor kept for the purpose, squeeze out the pus as gently as possible, and apply salve or antiseptic. These are not dangerous. CONSTIPATION Constipation is not a common complaint, but if the absence of droppings is noticed, and the rabbit sits in a corner in evident. distress, give a good dose of castor oil, or try feed- ing nothing but green stuff for a day or two. 54 7 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING ADMINISTERING MEDICINES The beginner is often puzzled as to how to administer | the medicine. Aconite is given in the drinking water. Some other medicines are given mixed with the feed. But if the rabbit refuses to eat, the medicine has to be forced into its mouth. The bunny will not open its teeth, and the strongest man will have great difficulty in forcing them open. How- ever, the rabbit has no teeth on the side, so the lips can be opened and the medicine poured in through a thin necked bot- tle or a thin funnel. The rabbit should be held on its back with a sack wrapped around its feet to prevent it from strug- gling. It should be held on its back until the medicine runs down its throat and the rabbit is seen to swallow. Ten drops of Aconite to a gallon of water twice a week will keep off many disorders and keep your stock in good condition. | There are many good remedies, specially prepared for the above ailments. Any of the leading Pet Stock Publications will supply you with the addresses of Dealers of Remedies. COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 35 co CHAPTER XV BIG SUCCESSES _.A lot is heard about sensational successes lately with Commercial Rabbits. These tales are for the most part quite true. Several young men throughout the country have made comfortable fortunes. The demand appears to be many times greater than the supply. THE FUTURE The future of Commercial Rabbits is pregnant with pos- sibilities. There is nothing to discourage. While many dis- . eases are described in this book, it does not follow that the be- ginner will be troubled with any of them. Clean hutches and regular feeding will prevent diseases. It is more than probable that Commercial Rabbits will be raised much more widely than poultry from now on. Cer- tain it is that no poultry plants have grown so rapidly as have the big rabbitries of the country. 36 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING CHAE TE Revel PROLIFICACY A poulterer in Columbia, Illinois, reports that when he raised New Zealand Reds in California, it was his custom to place the buck with the doe about ten days after each litter was born. He admits that he acted in ignorance of the real principles of Commercial Rabbit breeding, but he still insists that he got as many as eight litters a year from his does, and that his does were always healthy. He fed green stuff ex- clusively. It is a certainty that wild rabbits must become pregnant again immediately after having one litter, because a doe is al- ways red hot at that time and will take the buck in an in- stant. Wild rabbits, however, do not breed during the win- ter months. A breeder of common rabbits in Hartselle, Alabama, re- ports that he lets his stock run loose in ground pens, allow- ing them to burrow in the ground. The bucks run with the does. He says his rabbits multiply so fast that he cannot keep track of them at all, and is of the impression that does bear eight or ten litters a year. A dentist in De Soto, Missouri, a breeder of New Zealand Reds, declares that he breeds his does twelve days after they have a litter, and that he never loses either the young ones or the breeding does. These facts are presented for what they are worth. They are not intended as advice to beginners. Generally speaking, it is a bad policy to breed does more than five times a year. COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING Nano acs hired VaOGd IN Vis) GLI An 58 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING _— (Following articles taken from “OUTDOOR ENTER- PRISES,” a publication devoted to rabbits, cavies, fur-bear- ing animals and other outdoor industries.) RABBITS AND WAR By Ce Gilmore With our country at war and our government officials calling on everyone to produce food there is but one thing that can happen to the rabbit industry of this country and that one thing is something little short of a boom.) Never before in the history of the industry in this country has there been the de- mand for rabbit meat such as there is today and never in the history of the industry has there been such prices paid for said meat. And breeding stock? Why, breeders all over the country report that they can’t begin to fill their orders, the reason being that every one wants to keep a few rabbits and raise their own meat or else they wish enough to raise for marketing. | ! 1 In this article it will be my aim to introduce the cabin and its commercial possibilities rather than to acquaint the reader with successful methods of raising and selling. The people of the United States are just beoinmimessae realize the true value of this little animal as an article of food. The past two years have seen a great development of the rab- bit industry and thousands of families are now raising rabbits to help reduce the high cost of living while thousands of others are profiting from raising them for market or for breeding stock. In taking up the culture of the rabbit as a commercial proposition we are away behind European countries. France, for instance, during the year 1912 sold through its municipal markets some eighty million rabbits, to say nothing of the millions sold otherwise. Before the war London was using over 500,000 a week, mostly imported from Belgium. This lit- tle country was earning over twelve millions of dollars from her rabbits yearly, the most of which were exported to Eng- land. The rabbit business is not a “get-rich-quick” proposition, jsut a good legitimate business which if carried on right will oving good returns. During the Belgian Hare boom many COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 29 men made small fortunes from selling pedigreed animals. But that was a boom such as we hope will never occur again, for the Belgian is but now recovering from it. In the breeding branch one must aim to produce the very best quality, vigor and health being the most important fac- tors. In exhibition stock there is the standard to breed to, and the nearer a rabbit can be bred to its standard the more valtiable it 1s. Some of our college professors have said that on account of the disease prevailing among rabbits they can not be raised profitably. “Twenty years ago these same professors probably said the same thing about chickens, for at that time few peo- -ple knew how to raise chickens right. They had to learn Today very few people know the right way to raise rabbits. They are learning. I do not think it is possible for one to raise any other animal in such large numbers with less mor- tality. Cleanliness, sanitation and’ system are the factors of success. Rabbits cannot be raised with the disregard of sanitation often shown to a hog, and it is useless to try it; they are naturally very dainty and cleanly and if confined to a filthy hutch will respond accordingly. Rabbits cannot be raised on the ground unless the runs are changed every three or four weeks. The Coccida germ, which is the domestic rabbits’ greatest enemy, breeds very rapidly in the ground, which becomes poisoned by the con- tinual urinating of the rabbit. As to the cost of raising rabbits for market, will say that it depends altogether on how you feed, how much ot the feed - you raise and where you are located. We can raise market stock for 11 cents dressed (this is feed cost), and they will ecll torso cents dressed. As an example of feed cost m the Dict will quote from Mr. C. 1, Hunt’s letter of the 14th as to what it costs him in New York: “In a recent test to de- termine the exact cost of raising rabbits for meat purposes we took twenty-two and placed them in a run by themselves, keeping a strict account of all feed used. The result is shown herein. The twenty-two weighed 118 pounds when sold and brought $20.31. Expenses: feed, $7.08; express and commis- Siom, 54.43 total cost, Sl1.51; leaving a net profit of $8.80, or 40 cents each, Had they been sold at home they would 60 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING have brought a net profit of $13.23, or 60 cents each. The feed cost to produce live weight was 6 cents a pound.” The fur end of this industry is growing better in this coun- try. This year the National Breeders and Fanciers Associa- tion will work hard on the fur proposition, with the view of getting one of the large fur companies to make a specialty of rabbit furs, the members of this association, which, by the way, is over 4,000, to send all their furs to this one house. In France raising rabbits for their furs is a very impor- tant industry (or was before the war), these furs being sold under various names, such as Ermine, Chinchilla, Sablesand Otter ; Whether you intend to raise rabbits for home consump- tion or market breeding, start with good healthv stock. Be very careful in buying, for a bad start is no doubt discour- aging. : In concluding this article I wish to say to those con- templating life on a little land, to go in with the object of making a specialty of some one thing. There are so many things of which one can make a specialty, such as ducks, geese, turkeys, chickens, goats, rabbits, pigeons, pet stock, bees, certain kinds of vegetables or flower berries, etc., then in connection with your specialty raise everything that you con- sume yourself. A tradesman was talking to me the other day about tak- ing up life on a little land, but stated that he was somewhat dubious on account of seeing some of his fellow workmen re- turn to their trades after trying the little land for some time. “Why is it?” he asked. “Is it because they can’t sell what they producer” “No,” I replied, “but from what 1! cantsectaiase because they do not make a specialty of any one thing for income, but dabble in a little of everything.” aS oe a i ¥*: COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING HEREDITY ley (Cle Jelibian: The 480 descendants of a certain drunken man and a feeble-minded woman included only 46 normal persons. Of the rest 311 were distinctly immoral, criminal, feeble-minded, epileptic or alcoholic, and the others defective in some way. The 496 descendants of the same man, reformed, and a normal woman included absolutely no criminals, only two insane per- sons and only two drunkards. Nearly all the descendants of this couple were sound in mind and body, many of them prom- inent citizens. It is unnecessary to point out the lesson in these facts. The above is taken from one of our agricultural papers. It shows as plainly as words and figures can to breeders of live stock the necessity of getting the right stock for the foundation. What is true in the human family is also true in the animal kingdom. A few dollars extra put into the foun- dation stock will return many fold in future generations. 62 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING USEFUL RABBIT NOTES Do not feed peach tree branches. Never disturb your Doe when kindling. Keep away. Does should not be handled or shipped after they are two weeks pregnant. Several Does may be kept together in one compartment until they are bred. if your Buck is a good one, do not allow him to serve more than three Does a week. In humans, “cleanliness is next to Godliness.” In rab- bits, it is next to success. Those who start the business first in a ee are the ones that will make the most money. Does suckle their young very early in the morning and late at night; very seldom at any other time. Always handle your stock gently and you will have pets. They appreciate gentleness and kindness. It is not advisable to use Bucks for breeding until they are eight months old, although many use them much younger. Always, in summer, provide a nice shady place for your youngsters. This will prevent lop ears and give good health. Dry feed should be given once a day even if green food is procurable. Never breed a Doe immediately after kindling, but wait until young are weaned. It is most profitable to sell young stock when they become of breeding age, instead of disposing of them earlier, as you can get better prices. If a Doe commences pulling her hair and building her nest two weks after being bred, it is a sure indication that she is not with young and that she desires to mate. Breed her and thus save two weeks time in obtaining a litter. In breeding always take the Doe to the Buck’s hutch, as there will be less liability of their fighting if not in season. Leave them together only a few minutes; then if necessary try them again some other day. or until they are bred. COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING 63 _ Give nursing Does bread, milk and rolled oats if possible. This makes excellent feed for her for nourishing her young. Kid gloves from rabbit skins are in demand, as they are said to be softer, more pliable and wear better than those made from other skins. Rabbits are very dainty about their eating; they will eat nothing but the cleanest of food. They should be fed espe- cially for firmness and sweetness of flesh. In 1912 over 80,000,000 rabbits were sold in the muni- cipal markets of France. the model country; the model coun- try of the world in point of thrift. ; Many of the best physicians recommend rabbit meat for aged and run-down people, on account of its great nutritive value and the fact that it is so easily digested. Robert F. Buetel, of Dennison, Iowa, says that one of his New Zealana does is raising eleven young, and another one fim ile says he is assisting nature by feeding the babies bread and milk and rolled oats. Rabbits do not require as much space as chickens, so another point is added in their favor, and the cost of raising has been proven much Henne a number of times, Say rabbit owners. It is predicted by the best fanciers that this occupation which is now in its infancy will be the largest of any known industry, in point of numbers engaged in it, and that within a very few years. itiethe United States we have ae after family, mil- lions of them, in fact. complaining of hard times and yet buy- ing high- priced meat, and nine chances out of ten, their back yard is grown high with nutritious weeds which could be turned into delicious rabbit fries with a little initial cost and trouble. 64 COMMERCIAL RABBIT FARMING A FAT PURSE AND A CONTENTED MIND Deep down in the spring of your being, there is a quality. which is called SYMPATHY. Because of it you marry, and you have children, and you © go out, day by day, to fight the forces that aim to starve you and those who depend upon the strength of your right hand. And because of it you place your hand upon a dog’s head, and in a whisper, half to yourself, say: “GOOD FELLOW— MY DOG! And the dog will say “yes,” with the tail of him, and his unsteady, cold nose will seek the palm of your hand—SYM- PAWN: old man—sYMPATHY. And—primarily, this is the reason why Commercial Rab- bit farmers raise beautiful Belgian Hares and great Flemish Giants and New Zealand Red rabbits—this is why they place eggs in an incubator or under the breast of a fat fowl and wait all eagerly for the mystery of BIRTH to COME POs] We do not understand it, and that’s why we love it—pet stock—bringing into the world which did not exist. We play with CREATION, watching the miracle with our own eyes, and touching the MIRACLE with our own hands. We mar- vel inwardly, but we do not understand—not yet—the reason. As the great wild places of Nature fall down before the eleaming Ax of Civilization and the haunts of the animals dis- appear, we shall be taxed to produce the MEAT for our Car- nivorous bodies that long centuries of instinct and appetite has made necessary to healthy emiSueimee: Wherefore, AN UNSEEN POWER that les behind the spheres that swing through space—above and beyond the Milky Way, and below the hindmost star that is in the Firma- ment—an UNSEEN POWER that we cannot feel and that we cannot KNOW—that Unseen Power—seeing to our hungry future, puts the instruments of CREATION into our hands, and we ACT, but lo! we marvel. Just so long as this UNSEEN POWER remains behind the necessity for breeding and rearing fur-bearing and meat producing animals for the “inside and the outside of our bodies, so long shall we be guided by a blind SYMPATHY to make our animals create as we shall dictate, in respect of weight and quality of coat and color. i