The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-13
CORRALLIN THE JACK RABBITS.
Annual Round-Ur 10 Protect Southern Cali.
forHin Fruit Growers Now Due.

"IIl miss the tenth annual jack rabbit round.
up out In Fresno county" said a California fruit
grower now In the East. and Tn sorry, for IA
will be a hummor. 1t is due on March Is. We've
had a jack rabbit roundup every spring since
1883, and as this season has been a first rate one
for jack rabbits, this tenth annual roundup 10
expected to pan out better than any OF its pred.
ecessors. We ran in 10000 in our district
alone last spring. Folks will be disappointed
II they corral less than 20, 1000 this spring.
III IL wasn't for these early spring raids we
m ike on these big long.eared pests we wouldn't
have a vineyard or an orchard worth looking at,
The rabbits are unduly fond OF the young shoots
of the grapevines when they make their appear.
ance in tho spring, and OF the tender bark Of tho
prune, plum. pear. and other fruit trees when
the sap starts. l have known twenty acres Of
vineyard to DO ruined In a single night by the
cropping of tho shoots by these animals, and
whole orchards of valuable bearing trees to be
killed by the rabbits girdling them. Poison,
guns. and traps failed to rid the district Of the
pests and fruit growing in that part Of Califor.
mia would necessarily have been to a great ex.
tent abandoned II q Fresno county genius
hadn't evolved the idea of corralling and
clubbing, ten years ago. Now, on n certain day
In March, usually between tho 10th and 18th,
the Sh grape and l. small fE9it growers come together
try Thoroughly TO drive the, swarming jack rap-
bits from their hiding places into Immense
wire-inclosed yards or corrals, where they are
at the mercy Of their pursucrs, and are knocked
in the head with clubs BY the, thousand. Tho
rabbits are forced to enter the Enclosures by The
encircling crowd Of men, women and children
closing In around them and preventing them
from going in any direction except the one that
leads them into the corral. Different districts
have different days for setting out on the round.
up. and the slaughter goes on through March
100. 600 Jack rabbits nre thus killed every spring
In that part OF the State.
The jack rabbits of southern California are
as the wind, and one will sit still on It's form or
BY, the roadside until You have almost grabbed
it by its mulclike cars, but before you can close
your fingers on 1t there will DO 40 rabbit there,
what you think is another rabbit, bumped up in
q fluffy bunch, waiting for you in the same way.
But 1t won't be another rabbit. 1t will be the
same one. II. having covered all that distance
missed II from where it sat first.
These big rabbits are MS swift and sudden 40
the feas that swarm on them as soon as summer
comes. The rabbits are fat then. but these teas
they actually reduce the long.eared four.footed
TO a skeleton by the time the fall rain
sets in. If it wasn't for those regular fall rains
the feas would DO Of great service to US
IN destroying the rabbit pest, for tho rab.
bits could not withstand the assaults of
their Unsuitable. parasites many days long
er. But the rains arc certain. and they nre
fatal to the f1eas. The water kills the fens. and
the ra bbils pitch in again on our vineyards and
orchards and grain with sharpcned appetitcs.
Notwithstanding The thousands OF jack rabbits
we slaughter IN. the spring, enough escape to
for the slaughter Of other thousands the next
spring, 1t Is simply impossible to exterminato
them. they are such sure and persistent breeders.
round-ups every year MS long as we raise fruit
in Fresno county and parts ad jacent."