The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-03-23
Raising Belglan HIRES
G scientific American .

recently become an extensive Undue
try in southern Caifornia, having
Its center in Los Angeles. Here,
within the past two years, hundreds
of firms have turned their atten ion
to the timid little red brown hare,
and thousands Uf hutches, or rabbit
warrens, are housing the breeding
or growing animals, Many of the
concerns have extensive equipments
costing as much as thirty aud forty
thousand dollars, while hundreds of
others are mere boxes in back yards
screened with wire netting, the pro-
prletor of the place being some boy
or woman Of the establishment.
The economic value of the Belgian
abides in its fleeh ;or food purposes.
This has no relation TO the ordinary
hare or RABBIT. 1t is white, close
grained and tender, sembling very
much the legs OF frogs, being withal
of delicate and most savory flavor.
1t is decidedly at epicurean dish,
being superior to fowl OF any kind;
no roast could be more pslata BILE
than good fat hare stuffed with
oysters.
The animals commends itself to
raising in small ways from the fact
that it is very clean and will be
healthy i'm the most limited and con-
fined spaces. In this respect 1t lie
greatly superior to poultry; requir-
ing neither the care nor the space OF
chickens. The prices of hares of
good breeding points are now high
Notwithstanding the number in ex-
istence. A good buck or doe will
bring from $50 to $3.50, sales at the
latter price being very common. The
ordinary does and bucks of the ages
of three months, not bred from par
ents of prize records, briug from $50
to S25 The eek most commonly sold
Is the females; a few unstable does
get upon the meat market where
they are readily gobbled up at TWEEN
ty-five cents per pound live weight,
price which makes the animal
worth from 81 to 81 so. They are
killed and dressed at the stalls while
the purchaser waits. The animals
can be grown to maturity for from
thirty.five to forty cents, and they
could be sold at seventy-tve cents
and great profit realized; the present
prices, therefore, are very remark
able, yet they have kept steadily up
since the inception of the industry
and give no indication of waning.
The hares Of Los Angeles come
directly from England and Belgium
several of the firms make a speciality
of importing. A southern climate il
not necessary for successful culture o.
the animals. 1t will thrive equally
we'll in Michigan or Wisconsin and
would do as we'll in Massachusetts OF
in Mississippi.
The high profit in growing the
hare abides in their wonderful
fecundity and In their eating cheap
provender. The doe brings forth
every sixty days, having from six to
eleven and az high as fourteen In q
litter. AZ doe can only suckle
eight, white rabbit, usually an An.
CORA, lie kept in breeding to serve as
nurse for the surplusage. The
youngsters grow fat at a rate of about
one pound per month for eight
months when they are matured at
eight months. They are bred AT
seven months. They eat about the
same food as a sheep, their preference
being for alfalfa or clover hay. When
the doe comes to yield her litter che
prepares for them nest of hair
which she pulls out of her own body
II not prevented by spreading boards
or wire netting over the surface of the
ground the doe will burrow and pro-
duce her young in chamber about
five feet under the ground.
In color the Belgian is a yellowish
red when mature with white upon
the belly, and with long erect ears.
They are nearly black when born,
turn almost gray when a week old
but darken and redden as they APP