The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-25
RABBIT ROUND-UPS.
How the California Vineyerdists
Deal with the Pests.
An Annual Gathering at Which Tho1-
sands of Jack Rabbits Are Cor
rallied and Exter-
minated.

1.-THE people out in Fresno county,
Cal, are getting ready for their annual
roundup and slaughter of jack rab-
bits" said q leading vineyardist OF Fres-
no to New York sun man recently.
If it wasn't for this early spring sys-
tenatic raid upon these destructive
pests we would have scarcely a vine
yard Or an orchard left in southern
California. On one day in March. gen.
orally between the 10th and 18th, the
grape and small-fruit growers collect
together in their respective districts
and beat the country thoroughly to
drive the swarTuing jack rabbits from
their hiding places into immense wire
inclosed corrals, where they are at the
mercy of their pursuers. and are
Knocked in the head with clubs by the
thousand. / have known fifteen thou.
sand jack rabbits 70 be slaughtered in
this way in few hours. More than
that, these rabbits are such prolific
breeders that every one killed in March
or April means that there will be TWEEN.
tv-fve or thirty less than there would
have been If the rabbits knocked in the
head IN the spring had been permitted
70 live until the fall. These round-ups
are the only means we have ever dis
covered by which the jack rabbit pest
has been kept down.
The rabbits are unusually fond of the
young shoots of the grapevines, when
they make their appearance in the
spring, and of the tender bark of prune,
plum ana other fruit trees, when the
acres of vineyard ruined in a single
night by the chopping of the shoots by
these animals, and whole orchards of
valuable bearing trees Killed by the
rabbits girding them. Poison, traps
and guns failed to kill off the rabbits
fast enough. and fruit growing in that
part OF California could necessarily
if a Fresno county genius hadn't
evolved the corralling idea five years
ago. The rabbits are driven into the
great wire-inelosed pound by hundreds
of people-men. women and children
closing in around them and pre-
venting them from going in any
other direction, except the one
that leads them into the corral.
Different districts have different DAYS
for setting out on the roundup, and the
goes on through March and
April. II is safe 10 say that one hum
dred thousand jack rabbits are thus
killed every spring in that part OF the
state. As at that sea son OF the wear
this big rabbits flesh IS in excellent
condition and the animal IS highly es-
teened as food a two-fold benefit Is de-
rived from this great yearly slaughter
The California jack abbit is the big
gest rabbit in existence, one five feet
long being not uncommon. They are as
feet as the wind. but VIII sit still on
their forms. or by the roadside until
you have almost gra bbed them by their
nule-lise ears, but before you have
closed your fingers on them there will
Dr. no rabbit there. but If vou look thir
" or forty yards ahead you viii see
what You think Is another one bumped
np IN a fluffy bunch waiting for you =
the same way. But it wont be another
rabbit. II will be the same one. They !
are swift and sudden as the fieas that /
swarm on them as soon as the summer
comes. These fieas get 50 thick upon I
ne jack rabbit and are 50 ravenous that 1
.hey have actually reduced the long
Jared, four-footed jumper 70 skeleton /
oy the time the fall rains set in II j; I
wasn't for these regular fall rains the +
ieas would be Of great service 70 Us IN I
the rabbit pest, fo- the rab- I
bits could not stand out many days .
onger against the assaults OF the lively .
PARASITES. BIT the fall rains are fata
o the feas. The water Kills them and /.
washes them of the rabbits and the LAT
er pitch in our vineyards and orchards
nd grain with sharpened appetires- "