The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1901-04-18
THE BELGIAN HARE INDUSTRY.

The Eastern Importing & Breeding Co. is
now well established in this city in the Bel
gian hare business and has more than 200
breeding animals on hand. The headuuar
tiers is at the stable of the manager, f. F.
Hanson, on NOrthport avenue. The stock is
received from all sections of the country,
specially from the large breeders in Kansas
City and Los Angeles. Nearly all the
stock is American bred, although few i'm
ported English bucks are kept. The Amer-
can bred stock shows more valuable points
siOnal they are much handsOmer animals.
The company's bucks are all high-bred, with
scores above 80 per cent. One called
"BlaVk Demon is solid black color, but is
son of Yukon Chief, prize winner of the
regulation color and markings Black
Demon is the only one of his get that is in
any way off color. North Star, buck from
Kansas City, is nearly perfect in color,
shape of head, feet, ears, eyes and mark
lngs. Ben Hur, the largest of the bucks, is
standard bred, and finely proportioned and
marked. There are fifteen bucks, and the
remainder of the stock is of high-bred does.
Each breeding animal has a separate pen,
or hutch. When the business was started
the company used a Western style of hutch,
but MIR. Hanson soon invented one with
number OF improvements, on which he has
applied for patent. The Hanson hutches
are 81 feet long, 3 feet wide and feet high.
The nest in the lower right hand corner is
11x1lX2O inches, with an opening at the rear
Tor the entrance and exit of the does and
young, and door in front through which
the young may be examined without dis
turbing either the doe or the young. The
doe makes her nest of straw and lines it
with hair pulled from her own body. The
litters vary in number from to IA, and it is
safe to count on an average of coming to
maturity. A doe may begin breeding at 6
months old, and produce litters per year.
They are fed with oats and watered twice
day, and hay is kept before them all the
time. Carrots or other root crops are fed
three times week. Mr.. Hanson early dis
covered that colds were caused by keeping
the air too close, and at once made arrange
ments for better ventilation His stock is
now rarely troubled with colds or other dis
tempers. The pens are frequently cleaned,
but as the Belgians are naturally very clean
ly animals, and are easily taught, the work
in well-regulated rabbitry is light
The company is incorporated and does
business on the same general principles as
other corporations, the stockholders taking
their chances on greater or smaller divi-
dends as the business may be prosperous or
| otherwise. In addition to this each stock
holder is entitled to the use for one wear of
well-bred doe, which, when received, is
bred to high bred buck. The doe NAV be
returned for later breeding four times, the
stakeholder paying the express charges,
which in New England average about 60
cents per trip. The stakeholder thus gets
flye lltterS of young, which, at an average
of 6, will give him 50 animals from the
original doe. At the end of the year the
company receives back the original doe and
| one-fifth of her young, but the stakeholder
has all of the second and subsequent gen.
| eratOnS. BY the end of the year the COM
pany expects to have a market for all the
stock its members can produce, but no one
IS ulluel any OUliSdtlOll W Sell 10 lnt COM
pany if he can do better elsewhere A COM
plete record of every animal is kept, down
/ to the minutest details of pedigree, breeding
dates, ETC., and each animal is marked by
an ingenious system of notches in the ears
by which combinations different positions
give possibility of 10000 markings Thus
far the company has shipped 6o7 does to
stockholders and orders are in for many
more, which will be filled as soon as the ami
mails are in condition.
| Mr.. Hanson has the assurance from a
prominent hotel man in Boston that when
he can guarantee so hares per week the hotel
will make a yearly contract with him for
hares for food. The business has not yet
arrived at the stage where prices are within
reach of the consumer and there must be a
great increase in the supply before thai
time arrives. The demand for hares by
Would-be breeders and for pets is far in
advance of the supply, and consequently
prices are far above the food limit.