Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-10-15
EDITORIAL PAGE
HASKIN LETTER
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN
THE LADIES LIFT BUNNY'S HIDE.

straight up, SO that you can rub them
either way without affecting their ap-
pearance.
The rabbit skin is at best pretty weak
material The skins of the various
American rabbits are altogether too
European rabbit which is used for THIS
purpose. Its hide is abort as good as
sheepskin but not nearly as toIga Is tie
hides Of most bearing animals.
Despite these drawbacks, the advent
Of rabbit fur is decidedly a good thing.
1t has founded new industry in this
country in which almost anyone may en-
gage with very little capital. And the
Inevitable by-product of rabbit fur is
rabbit meat, which is nourishing and
delicate In many states there is al
ready permanent and dependable mar
ket for it-notably in California where
rabbit is listed in the market quotations
every day.
A good many people remember that
rage for Belgian hares which struck
this country soTSe fifteen or twenty years
ago. Everyone. was going TO raise Bel
gian hares for the market and for home
consumption. But at that time beef and
mutton were cheap, and there was no
market for rabbit skins. The Belgian
hare was over advertised. over rated,
and ultimately overproduced The re-
suit was that many persons lost money
and the Belgian hare fell into disrepute.
The domestic rabbit makes his second
debut in America under much more fay-
orable auspices. Meat is scarce and high.
and rabbit skins are bringing prices that
sometimes range as high as S1.50 each.
The industry is already on a sound and
apparently permanent basis in three or
four states. and is spreading rapidly.
DR.. Ned Dearborn, of the biological sur
vey, advises those who are interested in
rabbit farming to begin by raising rah-
bits only for home consumption, and to
| increase the size of the operation as the
market develops. Breeding stock may
now be sold at good prices.
Thus. although rabbit fur does not
] last long, it is always easy TO produce
more of it. and to add valuable item TO
| the national bill Of fare at the same time.
The European domestic rabbit. upon
/ which this new industry is founded. IS
!! wonderful example of what selectiye
! breeding can do. The beginner who looks
/ into the rabbit business finds himself
/ confronted by bewildering variety Of
! breeds from which to choose. There is
!, the New Zealand red, the Siberian white.
] the Dutch rabbit, the American blue, the
| Himalaysn rabbit which is white with
/ black spots, the Belgian hare, the An
| CORA rabbit with its long hair, and the
/ English lop-ear. which cannot jump high
enough to get its ears off the ground.
All of these. and some Is or 20 others.
are in reality variations of the same rah-
| bit. They are all derived from the Eu-
ropean wild rabbit The Flemish giants.
| which sometimes reach q weight OF ~
/ pounds each. are preferred for food pur-
poses. while the New Zealand red and
the American blue lit was Vienna blue
before the warl are the favorite fur
breeds The geographical names given
these rabbits have no significance at all
The New Zealand red never saw New
Zealand. nor has the Siberian rabbit any
| connection with Siberia
Many wealthy amateurs are now going
in for rabbit-raising, and this Is good
thing for the business, as these fanciers
breed for show points and tend to keel
the stock up 70 standard. 4 wealthy
woman who owns 1,100-aere estate or
Long Island. makes rabbit raising hel
chief hobby. She feeds her rabbits witt
her own diamond decked hands, and i
frequently seen summing about with {
big Belgian buck clasped in her silkeI
embrace. When conditioning her bes
rabbits for a show she feeds them on i:
beaten mixture of fresh eggs. maltet
milk, and sweet milk, which makes then
very fat and sleek.
Bunny has not only gotten into hi;
business of late. but also into high SO
! cIpty