The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-23
BIG JACK RABBIT DRIVES.
THE LITTLE ANIMALS KILLED M
Wholesale IN CALIFORNIA.
This Il the Season or Drives Necessity of
Estermina tina Them-Thousands Siaush-
tered IN Each Drive-w Women Take Part.

TULANE. tAlss DeC. lu.-l0h y tnb bthbOu u
tbs Jack rabbit drives In California. There have
been two such drives in the San Joaquin Valley
this month. the last having taken place last
week, when more than o 1000 OF the liveliest and
fattost jack rabbits that ever hoped and raced
over n plain were Killed. Four more rabbit
. drlvcs are act down to take place In this region
IN the next month. and II Is believed that before
the winter ~ over there will be o 1000 or 10000
fewer jack rabbits TO worry the fruit growers
and farmers Of California. In the last seven
years not less than a quarter OF a million of rab-
bits have been driven IN and slaughtered in the
valleys of southern and central California. The
eject Of these drives Is apparent, and through
out tho san joaquin and San Gabriel valleys
the number Of rabbits IL vastly smaller. In
some localities, where hundreds of the rabbits
lived In the brush and chapparal Of the foothills,
there are few left now.
Tho first Jack rabbit drive in California
was that at Tulare in 1883, when more
than 400 men and boys turned out, and in eight
hours covered about eight square miles and drove
about l2, 900 OF the pests TO the slaughter pen.
To some people 1t may seem wanton, barbarous
cruelty to destroy such an army Of apparently
harmless creatures. Butthe wholesale slaughter
Is imperative. Either the rabbits must go or
the orchards and vineyards that have made Cal
ifornia prosperous must be torn up. The San
Joa1uin Valley has an areu of over $4,000 square
miles. or this territory about one-third is in
vineyards and orchards that reach in some To-
calities from mountain to mountain across the
valley. When winter comes and the vines
lose their foliage and the fruit trees
their leaves. when the rain falls and
the fresh green grass comes UP, taking
tho place Of the eunburnt sod which a
long dry summer has made. Jack rabbits appear
in large numbers, and begin to nibble on the
bark OF the young fruit trees and the vine. IT'S
q common thing for n Jack rabbit to eat the bark
of NIL around the base of n young tree. In size
they are three times larger than tho cottontall.
They sccrcte themselves very cleverly in the
grass, and. being SO near the color Of the ground.
they are hard 10 detect. They lie close, with
turbed, and ono can almost walk over them be.
fore, they, will move, They do not run over i3o
again. Who's orchards are destroyed by them.
When The vines c2mmsncs to shoot forth their
i rrssn , tnSsi !. are yisi RieOi Is c at: Shd Gys ySn VS weEs to
walk through n large vineyard you might not
ace one rabbit, although hundreds might be
The great drive in Merced county las. week:
theTef3r.: was t not held i for spSS5T; ;, alone; At
people from visalia and MERGED began to move
ioutbwestward, About 400 men and boys were
each dressed for a long walk through stubble,
across irrigation bitches, and ~ploughed fields.
Valleys BY hundreds and redppthtg ronscd the roads nd
jacent TO the fields where the rabbit drivers were
began. Aline OF several hundred men with clubs
in hand, was stretched. after the manner OF
broad. level prairie. A small cannon was fred
as the signal to ndyancS, and the serpentinc
horsemen at the middle and each side Of the
line OF men, while hundreds, Of vehicles laden
with men, women. and children moved along
the neishboring roads at the same pace as the
rabbit drivers. After four hours the long line
and nearer The wings OF the line drew together,
9pproaching,a c~entre-the pen where the rab-
Then the rabbits appeared. In the beginning
only q few were 70 be- seen here and there, run
ming in front Of the riders and walkers, jumping
over the bitches and swimming through them,
for u jack rabbit is an excellent swimmer. some
turn and make a break to PSieree the line Of
moving humanity. Usually they were success
f fp1i T @5io s't %srs to Sar h~2T at h fEcn to 1 TSaS f sas
under the vehicles. under the horses hoofs, and.
though, some OF them got smashed, the majority
escaped many Of them, IL is true, with broken
legs and bodies.
The excitement increases, and the din of hu.
one.' and "Oh. look at that big fellow" are
heard from the CARRIAGES laden with women aud
have left their buggies. and whip, or stick In
hand have rushed out into the field TO Join the
rabbits. The escitement OF a. rabbit drive can
not he realized by those who have not partici-
@P rsbSi,. IN the onS; Nv dhO p swin SiSs'H CUBS sy tRs
shouting OF men and boys, tho shrieking OF the
thing vehicles. ali these make a matches scene.
Everything and every body Is ON the run; The
from the leader is the signal to move in as fast
us legs and horses can carry the rabbit hunters
10 the common centre. so as To drive the terri
fled jacks into the open pen awaiting them.
The number OF rabbits to be seen on tho broad
acres Is among the thousands. The prairie In
spots seems to be alive with thCm.
Just before tho rabbit pen, was reached q
without any apparent reason the rabbits began
20 run in a circle or rather In a series OF con-
thousands OF them moving with extraordinary
rapidity, II can easily be Imagined how curious
and this occurrence, together with the swift cir
cular motion OF the maddened animals, pro.
arising. So natural was the Appearance Of It
that many present grasped their mats to prevent
anS ih Se sesn s"T was cS SwSE; one Cha m,eI'o E Hs,Sf
of the concentric circles became dissolved,
TTsaSed i.sSdif ! int g. the opening Tbsg OF ne p ,Snrd ana IA
What happened inside dehes description. Men.
women. boys. and girls pushed in, shouting,
yelling, swinging clubs and sticks, maddened,
wild; Above In the skies, the eagles. %yultures, and
20 be left for them. The cry of the dubbed rab-
bits had something almost human in rs inten-
sity. II was like n cry of little children, no
natural and so pItiful that many women present
put their fingers in their ears SO as not hear this
IN twenty minutes the slaughter inside the en-
closure was over; The rabbits huddled near the
We're easily Killed. some Of them tried TO force
their heads under the meshes OF the wire fence,
dreds of others rushed against the wire screen,
apparently to commit suicide. They were soon
was 50 easy 10 club them. yet the slaughter was
not accomplished without some wanton cruelty.
Instead OF killing a rabbit, some persons-the
tOuEhs and cowboy element-would capture II,
cut on its ears or break of its leg. aud let the
rabbit run.
After the slaughter was over and the atmOs-
phere was clear OF flying fur the work OF count
ing the victims was begun. A dozen men be-
longing to the MERGED Rabbit Drivers Associa-
ton appeared on the scene armed with long
shears 10 cut the ears of the rabbits. AS the
county pays a bounty OF lS cents for each pair
OF ears, the association can make some money
at least enough TO cover expenses. Besides,
some OF the jack rabbits are sent TO San Fran
cisco, where they find a ready market among
the Latin population OF that city. The cotton-
tails are divided among the hunters and poor
families OF the neighborhOOd.