The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-03

The most exciting and successful rabbit
drive ever held came of on March 10, 1892,
near Fresno. IL was the last day of the
encampment Of the Grand Army Of the Re-
! public, which was being held in that city
A crowd of people numbering 900, includ-
ing war veterans and visitors TO the encamp-
ment, encIrcled a vast territory. IL was q
disastrous day for rabbits. ana also for a
good many Of the drivers, who, after the
fun was over, had a picturesque assortment
OF bumps and bruises TO exhibit as a result
OF reckless use of the clubs.
An immense corral was built, and after a
few hours of enthusiastic labor it was liter
ally alive with rabbits. Twenty thousand
Is the estimate Of the number OF animals
killed on that occasion. The ground within
the wire fence was heaped with the car
cases OF the dead creatures
The months of March and April are the
ones in which the farmers are the most
anxious to exrerminate the rabbits. for in
May and June, and, in fact, all through the
summer months, they propagate and multi
ply at an alarming rate. The farmer
Teckons that every rabbit that he kills in
March and April prevents the birth of fifty
of its kind
In the vineyards and orchards the ran
bits are especially destructive. In the
former, the animal watches for the burst
ing forth OF the grsr,H shoot that, If al
lowed to grow, would, in July and August,
bend under the weight Of luscious fruit.
OF those tender and juicy sprouts the jack
rabbit is very fond and he nibbles them off
with great relish. In instances where vine
yards have just been planted, the young
vines are eaten or close to the ground. The
fact that these rabbits will go through a
vineyard of twenty acres in a single night
and strip it of every vesuige of foliage,
shows how great pest these animals are.
When the sap begins to run in the fruit
trees the orchards are in danger. The rab-
bit in the early spring rolls the bark of the
prune tree under his tongue as a delicious
morsel. Sitting on his launches, he delib-
erately gnaws the bark off the trees all the
way round, then standing on his rear legs,
he gnaws his way back TO the starting
point. When tree has been girdled up in
| this fashion IL might as we'll oe cut down
and cast into the fire. To protect their
trees, the farmers we're compelled TO wrap
the trunks from the ground up to a hight of
feet with several thicknesses of gunny
sack, and those who can afford it follow
this plan of protection to-day.
The jack rabbit of California. like the
trees and the fruit Of that state, are much
| larger than the jack rabbit Of the prairies
| east or the Rocky mountains, and a person
who is unacquainted with the nature of the
animal at first sight Of him gets the impress
sion that he is a very tame creature.
liz WAAA oAb 4AAotAy D1 bn6 EOhuelQB WDlke 3
team passes, and II the team should stop
and an occupant OF the wagon get out with
the idea of picking up the mild-looking
creature, the rabbit will probably remain
sitting with ears erect until the person
reaches out to grasp him. Then there is a
flash and the asUonished man sees a dim line
| stretching away from him until fifteen or
twenty yards away it resolves itself into the
| same jack rabbit that a moment before was
quietly sitting almost beneath his hand.
Hunting these rabbits with greyhounds ia
a favorite pastime with sportsmen. A race
| across country between fieet-footed grey
| hound and jack rabbit is an exciting thing
to look at, but thoroughly to enjoy il from
start TO finish person must have a long
| range field glass that can be focused in
stantly. The greyhound usually wins the
race, but he is busy creature for awhile.
A jack rabbit in California that measures
five feet from the tip OF his toes on his hind
legs to the tip of his ears is a common sight.
| During the winter end early spring his flesh
is very palatable, and he is baked Into very
nice pies at that season Of the year. Later
on he is assailed by fieas that swarm over
him in myriads and keep him as poor as a
railroad spike until they are drowned out
| by the fall rains