The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-11-08
A RABBIT DRIVE
ANTELOPE VALLEY IN CALTFOR-
 MA HAD A FIELD DAY.

Recently, LaRenster Invited Many People to Participate in the Ex- termination of Thousanda of | Jacks, Which Were Men- aclnE the Country,
 Special Correspondence N. Y. Even
 ing Post.
 r Lancaster, Ca1.-The California
 ranchers are confronted with the jack
 rabbit, which swarms over certain re- gions, and is So dangerous an enemy
 to civilization that at times the peo.
 pie of district aae obliged to call | upon the outside world to assist in
 the act of extermination.
 Such an episode occurred recently
 in and about the desert town of Lan-
 caster. in the Antelope Valley. be- | tween Mojave and Los Angeles. Far
 mers have found it difficult or almost
 impossible. to settle up the country. 1 because what they grew was eaten by
 the hares that roamed about in thous- | ands. This year they became such
 menace that the farmers joined inter- ests and asked for assistance. Ad- vertisements were inserted in the pa- pers of Los Angeles and other cities
 requesting people to come Co Lancas- l ter on October IT, when horses and l teams would be supplied and a round | up carried out.
 More than 300 men accepted the in- vitation from Los Angeles, and the day was a great one for Lancaster. At a certain location a corral was built with
 wide wings that spread out to right
 and left for a long distance. The ob-
 ject was to form long lines, covering
 miles of country, and to drive the
 hares between them. On the arrival
 of the train the hunters assembled,
 received instructions from those in charge formed in great dIverg1ng lines
 uK1I l.Yo 1.v aIn
 to a regular system. driving the jacks before them.
 Some men were armed with shot guns, which they fired to frighten the game, and 1t was not long before hum dreds of jacks were darting about. But they were always met by shouts and yalls and forced to run in a gen. eral direction, the hunters, mounted, on foot, and in wagons. being near enough to prevent any number breaking away, hence the trend of the constantly In- creasing throng was in the general direction of the corral, with It's yawn- ing jaws or arms. Occasionally a jack would dash through the human bar rier, or break away, to be shot by the men.
 A Remarkable Sight.
 The sight became more remarkable every moment. as jacks seemed to start up from every bush and every cactus group; every patch of tar weed con- cealed one or more. They often lay low until the men were directly upon them. when they shot away like an arrow out of a bow. As time passed 1t was estimated that 5000 hares were in sight. Some stood still, their black tipped ears erect, listening, watching, wondering what 1t all meant, not re- alizing that they were trapped; others dashed madly across the valley. But 1t was not until the end of the run was reached that the full extent of the haul was manifest. The gray soil seemed to have changed to brown, white. and black spots, and to be moving.
 As the animals reached the fence some dim idea, apparently, entered their diminutive minds. They turned back and raced against the human bar rier-a pitiful spectacle of terror and fear that found no sympathy in the mob of human beings. Not that there was anything unseemly in the attack; 1t was question of the life of the jacks or the farmers, and the animals were to be exterminated. if possible.
 At last the crowd closed in with rush, and the herd of jacks, 5.0OO or 6 900 in number. were run Into a small corral, where they were killed by sev- eral hundred men with clubs. It did not take long. Hundreds were packed and sent to the city markets. and ev- cry one who wished 1t. within ra- dius of fifty or 100 miles. had hare for all meals Another drive will take place in the winter, around Christ mas, and 1t Is hoped eventually to rid the valley of this menace. In such val leys as San Gabriel these animals are easily kept down by grayhounds. All the large vineyards keep these hounds to run the jacks out of the country.
 What menace the jack is to the West is not appreciated by Eastern people The animal practically speak, ing, is confined to the area between latitude 32 degrees and 45 degrees, and east to Missouri. Drives are nec- essary not only In Antelope Valley. | but In Bakersfield, Fresno, Lake View. Lake City, Cal. Lewisville, Ore, Cor | rimbo and Panguitch Utah, and Lamar Col.
 Jacks have few enemies. Coyotes | can run them down, but coyotes are | inadeauate and no community could | afford to shoot jacks in vast num- bers. When farmers settle up a new | country. the jacks are attracted, and 1t | ia a 6ght to the finish. At Tulare. | Cal inc lacks devoured crops to the | amount of more than half million | dollars. despite the drives; and one | county in Idaho has spent $30,00O in | fighting them
 Numbers Beyond Computation.
 Their numbers in many cases are | havond computation. Twenty five | thousand were killed in Modoc County | within ten square miles. and this was hut fraction of those left. It Is es- | timated that twenty years ago there were 2.00O. 900 jack rabbits in the San Joaquin Valley. Near Bakersfield, a mile of country produced l.20O; sec ond drive over the same field produced | 700. A week later 200 more were killed, and finally 5000. On one small ranch | S OoO lacks were killed-farming was | ir1posslble. At night. when they were | watched the jacks ate everything | green and girdled the trees. Since 1888 70 900 hares have been killed in inc immediate vicinity of Bakersfield. Tn a drive at Fresno, 10000 jacks were killed. and $500 men took part.
 Jacks increase with extraordinary rapidity and the young attain their full size in two months. Five jack rabbits are equal, so far as consuming mower is concerned. to one sheep; and | inc same estimate is used fin Austra- fla. where. between the years 1878 and 1888. the rabbits destroyed crops valued afE OO0 000