Omaha daily bee., 1918-07-21

BY JOHN n. kEARNES.
War conditions have given an ad-
ded impetus to the raising of Belgian
hares and other breeds of tame rab-
bits for meat purposes.
A mature doe Of the meat breeds
will produce 200 pounds of live
weight in a yeah, and this is what is
attracting many persons in Omaha
and other parts of Nebraska to the
industry.
Fifteen or 20 years ago there was
a Belgian hare fad and large numbers
of persons were induced to embark in
the rabbit breeding game by get rich
quick prospectuses sent out by vari-
Gus rabbiteries and fancy prices were
paid for fine bucks and does.
Because the business degenerated
into the raising of pets the pot of
gold at the end of the rainbow was
never reached and persons with little
or no experience gave up the fad in
disgust.
Some stuck and the war came along
to help vindicate their judgment. In
Omaha at the present time over
$25000 is invested by $50 persons in
the industry and over 5000 registered
rabbits with blue-blooded ancestry
are used to produce meat substitutes
for beef and pork, which is sorely
needed in Europe by the soldiers of
Uncle Sam and the allies in the
bloody task of winning the war.
No More Meatless Days.
When the breeding of rabbits for
food conservation becomes more gen.
eral it will not be necessary to OBJ
serve meatless days and the butchers
bills of families, hospitals, soldiers
home and public eelemosynary insti-
tutions will be cut in half.
One of the drawbacks against the
success of the industry in the past
is the fact that so many persons were
ignorant of the delicate flavor and
nutritive value, together with the
small amount of fabric waste of rab-
bit meat.
In comparison with chicken the
rabbit ranks very high, Rabbit
flesh contains SO per cent of digesti-
bic nutriment, against so of chicken.
S. of beef, IS of mutton and IS per
cent of pork. The meat is all white
and fine grained and free from the
oily substance found in ducks and
geese, and the meat is much sweeter
and more tender than that of the
wild cottontail or jack rabbit.
Rabbits are very dainty about their
eating and they dine on nothing but
the cleanest kinds of food. Leading
physicians recommend rabbit meat
for aged and rundown persons On
account of its great nutritive value
and the fact it is so easily digested.
In connection with the raising of
rabbits for meat, they are also raised
for their furs, and new Industry is
being developed in America along
these lines.
Everybody Has a Hobby.
Nearly everybody has a hobby
some for painting, some cor music,
some for mushroom raising, and some
for the raising of pets. A hobby is
good thing for the tired business
man for it relieves him ana keeps
him from getting completely tired.
1t serves to keep a mental equilib-
rum. The hobby of Sergt. E. r.
Wilson. police court officer, IS the
raising of Belgian hares. He gets
rid of the sordid police court atmos-
phere by going out to his rabbitry,
at his home, 1902 Meredith avenue
where he cares for the material CON-
forts of the inmates of his colony
"a rabbit" said he, "has as much
sense as some human beings and
each individual has his or her per-
sonality and are worthy of study. In
their home life and personal rela-
tions with each other they are very