The Hawaiian gazette., 1899-12-12
A Pest it is Proposed TO
Import.
This Animal - Good Fatipg But II
Produces Sis Bis Littevs
Annually.


experiment in these Islands. The ques-
tions whas is the Belgian hare, how
does Il differ from other hares. how
fecund Is II and what are its good and
bad points? deserve the answer they
have SO far failed to get.
This new idea in hares is the product
Of cros3- breeding between the English
wild hare and the red hare OF Belgium,
with divers subsidiary breedings for
points. The result Is the best that can
be expected from the genus lepus. In
Los Angeles everybody who has a
back yard is raising the Belgian cross.
A writer of that city tells about it as
follows:
Being a new thing the hare Of course
attracts attention. But besides the
novelty Ii Is also beautiful animal,
sleek, compact, ninble, fleet, with
movements like a race horse, and OF a
rich rufous red color. 1t Is .docile. af-
fec. .onate. and makes the most pleas
ing Of pets. IL Is a clearly beast, re-
qLres less space to herd than any
other animal Of its size. and will eat
any vegetation consumed by the grant,
vora. Potato parings. carrot tops and
cabbage leaves from the kitchen. which
even poultry will not peck. are vora-
ciously nibbled by the Dummies and
they thrive on such provender.
But the quality surprising all others
which has lifted the Belgian hare into
a vast popularity in Los Angeles Is its
excellence as a table delicacy. As
flesh for food this variety OF hare takes
its place beside The coveted bullfrOg
a Ia Franchise, and Is as far in advance
of spring chicken as Is celery-eating
canvasback duck beyond a gray goose.
The fiesf, Is white grained, juicy, tender
anu OF a most savory flavor. 1t has
none of the rankness or toughness so
characteristic of the prairie rabbit and
especially accumulated in the Jack rab-
bit. A roas. stuffed and basted Belgian
surpasses either roast pig or roast tur-
key and Is essentially an epicurean
dish.
For long time after their intro
duction into Los Angeles they were not
offered for consumption at any price,
the demand for them for breeding pur-
poses being 60 great as to call for all
thai any one having them was willing
to dispose Of. Some table connOisseurs
procured the flesh at 81 per pound. a
price which brought the average hare
up to %. and for six months. perhaps.
the ruling price of dressed animal in
Los Angeles was 81 per pound. a price
in excess OF any other flesh food ex-
cepting real sweetbreads.
Now, however. since ;he animal has
become more common, and he has be-
gun to appear on the stalls and stands
Of butchers and green grocers, the
price has fallen to 20 and Is cents per
pocnd, at which there are tons of them
sold daily In the city and the supply by
no means equals the demand.
IMMENSE FECUNDITY.
But besides e,he flesh qualities. the
beauty and character Of the animal, the
ease with which it Is raised In small
space, its entire freedom from vermin
and its remarkable indisposition to dis
ease, stands its marvellous fecundlty.
In this respect IL parallels the guinea
pig. The doe breeds at the age Of eight
tIDnths. gestates in thirty days, and
bginga forth from six to fourteen young
which gain pound O month from birth
until their eighth month. The doe
snckles the young thirty days. after
which che again breeds. and so pro-
dlces SIX litters a year. which at an
average of eight to the litter would he
rty-eight hares per year, yielding 38i
pounds Of meat.
A Los Angeles newspaper published
a statement that one hare which came
under its notice ''last year produced $50
ponnds OF meat" and declares this feat
to be not extraordinary. The same
paper, INDUCING in a little geometrical
extravaganza. perhaps. remarks upon
the possibilities of single pair of
hares as follows: allowing to one
paar Of hares only six littens year
and but eight to the litter. such would
In i've years aggregate the enormous
total OF 1906. 1S1 .6S2 shares. Allowing
each hare only two square yards of
space. there would be required to ac-
cOmmOdate the above number 27S
square miles of land. Allowing an
equal amount of land for the purpose
OF raising alfalfa to feed the hares, we
have total of $50 square miles. an
area almost equal to that of Orange
county. At only 81 each the owner OF
these hares could buy all of Orange
county, including all improvements.
and could then build the Nicaragua
canal, pay off che public debt OF the
United States. build 100 first-class bat
tle-ships. give S25 to each man, woman
and child In the United States, and still
have left fortune of 81 900 600, 600"
VALUABLE FOR FUR.
Aside from their qualities as flesh
producers. the Belgian hare 10 valuable
for w fur The beautiful soft and
glossy red coat can be turned 70 a
thousand uses for which the fur of ami
mails Is available. They make attrac-
tive ladies' b0as and have been even
manufactured into fur listers but the
greatest use for the Belgian hide IL
the manufacture Of hats. especially
those Of the Tile" variety. In which the
skin AZ well as the fur Is used, Form
erly hundreds OF thousands of rabbit
skins came annually 10 san Francisco
from Australia, and were from mere
distributed over the country "a the
various hat-making eenters, the bulk
81 then golng 20 N, Louis, Recently,
however the lmportailons from the
AMttyssl.s have ~ slaekened THAI the
manufacturers ars appealing "a CALI