Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-05-19


as an Article of Food-More Tooth
some Than Chicken or Many
Forms Of Game, and the Supply is
Almost Unlimited, and the AMI
mails win Eat Any Old Thing,
Practically Taking Care of Them
selves.
Bellaire Democrat
The meat supply OF the people Is
yearly getting relatively smaller and
positively dearer. 1t is not many wears
since beef and pork sold at about one
half their present prices. In the mean
time, there has been a radical devotion.
ment In the poultry industry and the
egg and meat supply from this source
much more than doubled, without in
terlerlng with the decreasing relative
supply and growing price of meat, and
II must De apparent that this diminish
ing relative supply will continue and
prices go still higher, unless some new
source Oh supply is opened I'D and de-
Veloped, from which the growing de-
mand for meat may be met and sat
isfied.
Inc range for cattle, sheep and hogs
is yearly growing smaller, as more and
more land is devoted to grain. fruit
and vegetable culture, and the def
clency In meat from this source is more
likely to increase. than to decrease The
poultry industry is still growing and
there is likely to be large increase in
Inc next ten years in the egg and meat
supply from this source, but the in
crease can never equal the increasing
demand, because of the limit to deyel-
opment and the number of failures
among those who engage in the poultry
industry and 1t mus be met by the de-
Velopment of new source of supply
or scarcity and prices will still in
crease.
In this connection it Is worth while
TO look into the new craze. about Rel
CLAN hares, that is attracting increased
attention in many parts of this country
and that has already reached pretty
large proportions in England, where
Belgian hares were first imported near
~ 1orty-seven years ago. All who have
engaged IN the industry in this country.
II reports are reliable, have done we'll
the demand for breeding stock being
large enough to keep prices above the
point where the animals can be used
Tor meat supply except for surplus
bucks and does Of inferior stock, which
have found a ready market in the no.
tells and restaurants of leading cities
at 10 to 80 cents a pound. In England
there has been large industry developed
and large quantity of meat supply,
but the market demand has increased
more rapidly than the supply, and
thousand tons or more of butchered
mares are annua4Iy imported as a meat
supply.
That the meat of the Belgian hare
is better than beef and pork. no one
who has eaten it questions, being bet
ter in quality than the rabbit and full
ly equal to lamb, chicken or frog legs.
and that the demand grows with the
increase in supply has been fully shown
IN the experience of England. and to
the full extent of the increase in supply
1t will supplant the coarser meats and
make up the growing deficiency in
their supply. To what extent may the
development of -Ae Belgian hare indus
try be made to meet the increasing de-
mand for meat?
Belgian hares are more prolific than
any other animal now raised for food,
and cost less per pound for the meat
supply, where food supply is purchased.
There are we'll authenticated cases
whore from a single pair of these hares
family of over $50 has been raised in
a single year from date of first litter,
averaging over pounds in weight and
aggregating l 200 pounds Of meat. AS
the does will breed every forty days
and produce from to 10 young at a
birth, and the young does will breed
when months old, it is clear that even
larger number is possible than above
given. But the writer. who has some
experience, does not breed so often or
so young because it does not seem to
him advisable, but is content to produce
100 to $50 hares in year from single
pair, and this would mean meat sup
ply of from 700 to 500 pounds. To
raise 800 chickens year requires about
four acres of ground and building 100
feet long and II feet wide. Belgian
hares will bear much closer confine-
ment and do well in a hutch" feet
by feet by 4 feet, and the doe will
raise her litter in this A store box of
these dimensions with wire cloth front
and door, with box inside y by Il by
20 inches with hole large enough in the
side to admit the doe, will do for nest,
and these boxes or hutches may be
placed in stable, shed or garnet, one
on top of the other, with sufficient
room to get between them to feed the
hares and keep the hutches clean, and
they will prosper prolifcally, and there
is scarcely any limit to the production.
1t is within the power of every family
in country village or city who has a
yard or building twenty-five feet
square, to raise 1000 pounds of Bel
gian hare meat in a year, and at cost
not to exceed three cents a pound
They will eat almost anything and do
well on the bread and vegetable offal
from the table, grass, dandeloin, plan
tain and cabbage leaves and do we'll on
oats and clover, hay alone, eating no
more than an equal number of chickens
and give less thouble than flying
scratching mems. That this way lies
cheaper and better meat for the people,
If they will take hold of it and i'm
prove the opportunity. especially the
families with yards in towns and cities,
there is little doubt, and they will be
surprised how mucn they will become
interested in the quiet gentle animals
after they have engaged in raising