The record-union., 1899-06-16
section and a railroad right at our

section and railroad right at our
door,
BEErs FOR STOCK.
Chino Champion: The valuable quail
tiles OF sugar beets for fattening stock,
Chino man, who raised, lamb entire
ly on sugar beets, which he shipped to
Kansas City with a carload of other
lambs. This animal not only weighed
far more than any of the others
weighing 10 pounds, but 1t also COM
manded a top price. Farmers IN TINS
section do not sufficiently reailze the
value of sugar beets for stock purposes
| There is little doubt that they could
be made to pay as much, or more in
this way, as the price received for tnsm
at the factory.
BELGIAN HARES.
No branch of farming is receiving
SO much attention nowadays as Belgian
hare raising. The Los Angeles Times
gives the following interesting facts
concerning the Belgian hare industry:
The constantly growing interest in the
rearing of Belgian hnres in Southern
California has already reached point
where We may properly speak of the
business as an industry. The proper
tions which it has already assumed
show that it is not to be regarded here
as a fad, but it is to be established on
a sound commercial basis. There are
other desirable features in this occupa-
tion than those which have already
been mentioned in the press, and peo-
pie are beginning to find these out.
A book on the Belgian hare, which
is accepted as an authority, bases an
estimate of the increase from a single
pair of Belgians, upon an average OF
eight young to the litter, six itters
year. This has been found by recent
developments to be at least 40 per cent.
too low. 1t is true that doe should
| not be permitted to rear more than
eight young at a time. but it is equally
true that they will often. produce twelve
and even sixteen. At first the super
fiuous young were ruthlessly destroyed,
but since recent advances in prices ana
an increase in demand for hares, way
has been found to spare the lives OF all
the young, thus increasing the owners
bank account. This is the practice OF
securing the common breeds of rabbit
| lOl Ilt4ISG uOcS, uSStlOyIiiS liAC yONAAS ~
the cheaper animal and permitting
them to rear the more valuable Bel
gians. Bonanza Lille, a doe in my
rabbitry, just a year old now, last week
dropped. her fourth litter of sixteen.
Bonanza Maid and Bonanza Flower, at
| five and a half months, produced eleven
each, and Gold Leaf fourteen. This ex-
traordinary fecundity is undoubtedly
/ I1,a 1or olxr fo ho Of
| ment The hutch method of rearing
has never accomplished such results.
The improved methods are being follow
ed almost universally in Southern Cal
fornia Mignonette, a daughter of Bo-
nanza Queen, produced first litter of
twelve young, at six months of age,
and Bertha at the same age. twelve.
Taking these facts as basis of new
estimate. the productive capacity of
single pair of hares for year rises
from 243 to $50 This, at an average
of five pounds each, which is very rea-
sonable, would mean 1,750 pounds of
meat for the owner to sell. and he
would still have the original pair left.
At the end of the second year, assuming
that all of the product We're left alive
to increase and multiply, the total
would be $4,000 hares. or 12,V0O
pounds of dressed meat. To be conser-
vative, for the haIes would not be fully
matured at the end of two years, let
US say 100000 pounds, worth, at p
cents per pound, $4,000. This table
could be carried out in geometrical
progression that staggers the mind Al
the end of five years, on a basis of only
eight hares to the litter, we would have
total of some twenty billions Of
pounds of meat. II Coxey's army, five
years aso, had gone to raising Belgian
hares instead of sitting on freight
trains at Cotton and other points wait
ing for the train men to turn the hose
ON them they would now be feeding all
Europe and would never have been
driven off the grass on the Capitol
grounds at Washington.
A pair of hares eleven weeks old,
dressed seven and three-quarter pounds
of meat. When these hares We're eaten
all of. the bones were saved and
weighed 1t was found that there were
not to exceed two ounces of bones, there
being practically no waste whatever.
The common varieties of rabbit, the
Angora, the silver gray, the German
hare and their mixtures, have been sell
ing at from % to 80 cents each until
recently Now they are selling at from
| 50 to S5 each, the reason being that
there is a great demand for them for
nurse does.
Young Belgians. from ten to twelve
weeks old, are in such demand for
""fryers" that they bring 30 cents per
pound. The large ones sell at % cents
per pound. Mr.. Fisher, on West Tenth
street is unable to fill his orders which
come over the telephone without solicit
| tation.
There are probably 300 people in
Southern California, at present, who
have started out as breeders in small
| way, having from two to five breeding
animals. At this rate. it will require
years to provide the Pacific Coast with