The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-02-22
Tt1E CHATHAM RABBIT.

a G1et Oh tlldl!i1.i
katie potatoes. They make a dlsh h''o
set before the King When
cooked. Shortly after Mr. Waiter IL
Page began the publication OIL Dho
| Daily Chronicle he had a yHpooi"hA
on How to Cook a Chatham f'ao-
bit contributed by the judges ana
doctors and other %epicures, ana the
Question of the best way to cook the
s,1cculent animal made more sharp
divisions of sentiment among ITlelius
than a gubernatorial campaign.
MANY statements have been printed
as to the shipment OF chatham fab-
bits and other am which mas grown
to be an important industry in that
county, particularly in the western
section Of which Siler City is the chief
shipping point. The closing season
has been the best and has carried
much money to Chatham people, as
the following statement by the
Chatham Record o
The game season, which closed
Yesterday, Feb. IS, was much better
in this section this year than last
year. During the seasons Of 1908 ana
1906 there were about $1,000 TaDplts
shipped from this place, each. In l9oI
there were about $4,000 rabbits ana
10, 900 birds. In 1908 not half that
amount was shipped, owing to the ex-
IRENE mildness Of the winter and tht.
unprecedented freshetS of the proceed
ing summer. This season, however,
| the amount is much larger. there be-
ing shipped from this place 1876
| rabbits and 8,o07 birds. This is not
taking into consideration h home
consumption. Our produce dealers
| tell us that the rabbits are more nu-
nlerous now thar for the last several
years, this being due no doubt to the
increased area OF leased and posted
land. So if this suInme is fairly dry,
we may expect q bumper crop next
fall.
The shipments from Bear Creek of
rabbits amounts to 5,425, Of birds
$3.50. The shipments from Collision
or rabbits is $50, of birds 700. This
gives a total for western Chatham
(not including what were carried to
Staley and Liberty in R~andolph), Of
2o,441 rabbits and 12.OS7 birds"
Twenty-Five thousand rabbits from
these points in western Chatham, in
addition to the thousands shipped
from other points in the county and
the many thousands needle for home
consumption. It is the principal diet
| Of Chatham's connoisseurs and cpl
cures. No rabbits are shipped from
Pittsboro because the fastidious PEG.
pie Of that county seat get their
beauty and many other good qualities
from q diet Of rabbit. The best cooks
have ninety-scvcn different ways of
cooking h rabbit, and the animal is
50 good in each way that when Pitts
boro folks go away from home they
carry enough rabbits to give them at
least one q day while they are gone.
They have been known also to carry
a broiler and be found by their hosts
broiling a rabbit in their room after
they thought everybody else had re-
tired. They do not understand how
n body can prefer canvas-back
ducks or IynnhaVen bays to the sue
cuIent Chatham rabbit. On one oc-
c%asion, however, a circuit rider from
Currituck, who had been brought IN
on the best ducks of Currituck Sound
went to Bear Greek to hold a camp
meeting in the good old DAYS when
religion made 81 complete alteration
IN ones life. His host fed him on
rabbit every day, and, the memory OF
DUCKS caused him to SO long for home.
that he grew tired of the steady rab-
DIT diet. he got nothing else, not be-
cause h Galatians did not have
plenty Of turkeys and chickens, bat be-
cause the host thought it was his duty
to serve the best delicacy to the visiting
preacher. He could not protest. but
on the last morning of his stay. when
he was served again with the newt
able rabbit, h Currituck preacher
offered this grace:
Rabbit not and rabbi cold
Rabbit young and rabbit old.
ftaDblt tender and rabbit tough.
we thank thee, Lord. we've had
enough"
mat preachers gastronomic edu-
cation had been SADLY naoloctal ~