The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-06-02

|
written for the Country Gentleman, of
which his father has been a longtime
subscriber, l learned something that was
new in regard to the demands of the
market, and the price paid for the mar
llet stock.
The proper market age is three to four
pounds in weight, and their flesh is
most sayory and juicy. The meat is
variously dressed and at this enter
prising youths stall small booklet is
given to all new purchasers, describing
the various ways of cooking them, as
for a pot-pe, stewed, fried, stuffed and
baked, roasted, broiled, la spring chic
ken, which the tender young rabbit
much resembles in its white flesh and
savory juiciness. His method of build
ing up trade is unique, and saVors
something of the enterprise by which
most of our milliOnaires made their first
start in life To any inquiring person
coming to his stall to learn what these
little carcasses or joints are, he gives
this booklet, and if that does not lead
to trade he gives dressed rabbit, which
with it's white, semi-transparent, clear
flesh, is quite attractive; and in this
way he has gathered large clientage
who cannot be coaxed away by the
| Establishments of his neighboring COM
| uetitors His trade is excellent, for
there We're over hundred carcasses
nicely dressed, and many baskets filled
under the counter.
The way of dressing these animals is
| this: One is taken by the Sack of the
| neck, and hit a smart rap with small
club on the back ofthehead, The neck
is then cut with a sharp pocket knife,
and the carcass is laid on side shelf to
| bleed into a receptacle, this blood being
| sold to a chemist for some trade pur-
poses. A cut is then made across the
| back and the carcass is skinned; the
| head and tail go with the skin. Loops
are then passed around the hind legs
| and the carcass is hung up by the loop,
| and the body is eviscerated in an in
slant As / witnessed this part of the
| business, l asked my young friend
| about tape worms, of which l have new
| er failed to find one or more in every
| wild rabbit l ever killed. He said these
Belgians. never being In the woods, new
| er acquire these parasites; and sure
enough the few / saw dressed during
| my stay with the young merchant were
| as clean and free from everything Of
| fensive as a broller chicken from mod
ern hencoop. The sides are spread out,
wiped with a clean cloth, but not
washed and had a very neat appear
ance.
The regular price during plenty or
scarcity at this stall is sixty cents each,
which is considerably more than as
heavy a fowl would bring, these half
grown rabbits weighing between two
and three pounds, averaging two and
one-half. The method of rearing these
animals has become so finely worked
down that a hamper of them will not
vary at an equal age more than two or
three ounces. The breeding stock are
on sale at this stall. sent here by the
largest breeder in the United States.
Males are sold much higher and only on
order
There can be no question of the profit
there is in breeding these rabbits The
ordinary weight when full grown is
eight to nine pounds, under the best
care and feeding. The largest animals
are males which have been castrated
when discarded as breeders, and kept to
supply, the small demand for these
heavier ones, which are bought for
roasting in the English fashion, as COM
mon with the true hares of that coun-
try.
The common way of keeping these an
i1nals is in barns or sheds, at times. for
ecOnomy's sake, of two or three floors.
The floors are laid out In alley-ways.
ri1
pens are three or four feet wide and
five feet long. Alley-ways are left be"
tween these rows. Each pen is inclosed
by wire netting of the smallest mesh
made. Only one animal Is kept in each
pen, and is supplied with pure water in
a tin dish, the water being kept In in
verified tin fruit-cans, at the edge of
which is a small hole through which the
water runs as the level of it in the dish
Is lowered Each pen is kept cleanly
Uttered with chaff or saw-dust, and
thorough cleanliness is duly observed.
The food consists of oats, crushed peas,
bran and chopped sweet clover hay,
cured as green as if it had never been
dried. This hay is cured wholly in the
cock and is made specially for feeding
these animals. Salt, of which all kinds
of rabbits, even our small nat breed.
are exceedingly fond, is kept always in
reach.
In summer a garden is planted espec-
tally for them The food is made up of
green pea vines; the small dwarf kinds
are grown for the purpose, as well as
lettuce and cabbages of the tenderest
kinds. Early York Is being mostly
grown for them. Dandelion is specially
grown, as we'll as the broad-leaved
plantain and sage and tansy. Roots of
all kinds are favorite food, and in the
season green apples are eaten with
avidity Strips of bark or small brush
are given, and young apple shrouts are
eagerly peeled off the bark. All the
aromatic plants are eaten with eager
ness. Catnp is so eagerly desired that,
like the domestic cat, these rabbits will
roll over and over on it to get the odor
evidently, before they sit down quietly
to eat it.
The broods of the does generally come
at intervals of four or five weeks, and
run from six or eight and occasionally
more. More, however, Is worse than
less, and if one doe rears five or six a a
litter, the young rabbits are better and |
stronger. The doe will mate in few |