The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-10-15
KILLING 10000 RABBITS.
Slaughter Which Brought Tears to the
Eyes Of Those Who Saw it.


The County of Fresno, is known as one
of themOst productive in the state for the
cultiyationo of deciduous fruits particularly
vineyards, where thousands of tons OF
raisoins and wine grapes are grown and
prepared for the markets of the world
The San joaquin Valley extends for hun
dreds of miles in length, with a width OF
100 miles, extending north and south. The
whole valleyis cultivated.
When winter comes jack rabbits APP
pear in large numbers. 1t is a common
thing to see jack rabbit eating the bark
of all around the base of young tree.
They perfer newlyplanted tree or a
young vineyard. In size they are three
timeslarger than the "cOtton-tail' rabbit
They secrete themselves very cleverly in
the grass, and being 50 near the color Of
the ground they are hard to detect
Every method has been tried to rid the
country of these pests, but without salts
factory results. The most successful plan,
however, is the rabbit drive" which
takes place every sixty days
A day being appointed and given point
laid out for the start and the finish, it is
advertised in the papers and the whole
valley is apprised Of it. The San joaquin
valley lies very fiat and the extent or
length of the drive about ten TO twelve
miles, the corral being eight or ten miles in
a Decline from the point of starting. A
close fence forming the corral is built
about 500 yards square, with an opening
or entrance to receive the drive at one
end of it, the opening being perhaps fifty
feet wide. This is the finishing point of
the drive, and will hold thousands of
rabbits From this opening diyerge two
fences about five feet high
BY O'Clock in the morning Of such a
day all is hustle and preparation for the
drive. Some men may have heavy sticks
and some heavy clubs, but no pistols or
any kind of firearms are allowed, and no
dogs either. A general is appointed to
give orders, and under him are those who
keep the lines in order. Men on foot in
advance lines are followed by those on
horseback and in vehicles. Every once
in while long-earCd bunny, who had
been crouching unobserved quite near,
will spring up and bound or lope off at a
rapid gait for few hundred yards. Then
he disappears among the long grass or
vines. Here and there one jumps up and
occasionally one more daring than the
rest will try 10 run the gauntlet to the
rear of the lines, and then getting Devil
dered. viii run within reach Of a cudgel
and meet its doom.
After advancing q few miles the com
mencement Of the fence diverging into
the corral can be seen. The climax of the
drive is now at hand The horsemen and
carriages partly hide the view. The
clouds of dust are sitting. Now the
screeching of the rabbits can be heard
above everything and the ground is Gov
cred with dead ra bbits by the dozen. At
the corral entrance the scene is indie
scribably pitiful and distressing Like a
child's cry is the moan of the jack rabbit.
Imagine 20, 600 corraled at one drive and
you will then have a faint idea of the
heart rending noises which are now heard.
The hoarse shouts of the men are drowned.
To slash and beat the poor screaming ami
mails TO death is the work of but short
time, but it brings tears TO many an eye
and makes the heart sore to witness the
finssh of a rabbit drive