The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1912-06-22

THE BELGIAN HARE.


- ShiSaSo paper recently maze
the suggestion that a partial re-
viyaf of the Belgian hare fad which
ragged so violently some ten to
fifteen years ago. might in some
measure relieve the present sit
uation as to the high price of
meat. And the suggestion has
much merit If there is anything
more remarkable about the craze
of the period referred to than its
! violence, it is the subsequent pub
lie apathy toward the industry.
| There was never justification for
! the extravagant claims made by
the enthusiasts. but there was some
/ basis, at least, for the claims
/ The farmer or urban dweller
who will devote an hour each day
to the raising of hares, using pro-
per intelligence and common sense,
will be richly repaid for his ell
forts
Hares require much less room
Z than do chickens, as they should
Z be kept in confinement all the
time. run twelve feet long. two
/ feet wide and the same height, is
iall that one adult animal requires.
/ This run may be constructed Oh
one inch mesh wire on the sides
| for ten feet, the remaining two
| feet being boxed in to form a
hutch with an opening into the
| In tho t11tnh Oh ~
box, preferably a cracker box, with.
a hole four by six inches. one and
a half inches from the floor. in one
end
Hares win eat almost anything
COW will eat Alfalfa hay, bran
and oats, with an occasional treat
of something green, is all that is
needed and no more food should
be given than will be eaten. There
are several things not safe to feed
them, such as cabbage, turnips,
potato Feelings, etc, and thev
should never have any wet or de-
cayed green food Apple Feelings
are good if not containing any
rotten spots
The average mother hare shoud
raise, at the lowest estimate. thir-
ty young per year, and these should
AT the age of four or five months,
supply 100 to $50 pounds of fresh
meat. The filters usually number
from five to twelve, with eight or
nine commonly, and there should
hp SiS Iittprc. l.
rate is much lower than among
young chickens.
The beginner should start with
trio, Increasing as he acquires
stock and experience All that
would be required is a pen four
! feet wide, four high and twelve
long. This should be framed up
to have the first f'oor a foot from
the ground. There would pc need
ed ror this four pieaes of net wiz
ten feet long. Tor the sizes, tive
pieces for the center partitions
twelve feet long, and the lumber
for the floors and the roof, and
'hutches at one end for the mother
hares. The male must. be kept
separated from the females, ana
the extra run can be utilized for
the young after they are six weeks
old, at which age they should be
taken from the mother, one or two
at the time.
Instructions as to breeding, etc,
can be secured from the dealer
furnishing the stock 1t is a fact
that hare at the age of four
months will have cost far less for
feed than a chicken at the same
age and will furnish greater
amount of meat of fine quality.
| The young begin to eat bran and
oatmeal at the age of eighteen
days, at which time they come out
OF the box and play in the runs,
They are very active and frisky,
frequently jumping foot in the
air and landing with heads turned
in the opposite direction. They
are most attractive and graceful
animals and can be depended on
to draw crowd whenever exhibit
ed
A hare four months old, proper
l1y broiled, stewed or fried, will
furnish welcome change in diet
and will be relished by almost all
people. At the age of eight or
ten months they are better roasted,
and one animal will furnish the
average family all the meat reauir-
ed for a substantial meal.
When Buying, Bay Only the Best.