The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-06-21
RABBIT INDUSTRY !. OF BIRMINGHAM IS GROWING RAPIDLY Better Than Beef, Tastes Like Chicken, Costs Much
 Less-Fur Used for
 Garments
By GEORGE H. WATSON


 N Rabbit breeding for table use is becom- ing an important industry of Birming- ham.
 At least a dozen men in the city ara giving their attention to the raising oi rabbits both for meat and for orna- mental and pet purposes. These breeders state that they are having more and more calls each month for rabbits to | be used as food.
 According to the department of agri- ! culture. rabbit meat is high in nutri- tive value. ranking ahead of beef which | IS considered one of the best of the
 common meats. Local rabbit fanciers 5tate that infirmaries and physicians demonstrate their belief in this fact by used as nourishment for their patients. Rabbit meat Is considered cheap in com parison with pork and beef. | Some of the leading rabbit raisers i'll | this district are:
 l W. J. Shipman, 12S North Thirty-flrst street; J. H. Rust, 20l Anna avenue, IGraymont; pr. J. N. Benton. 131s Elev- l enth avenue: A. F. Runner, 2l22 Ninth l avenue, south; J. E. Wilson 3I0o Besse- mer road; George Bilbe, 1500 North Fir l teenth street; Raymond Quinn, lolo Mo- | Milan avenue; pr. Robert Ashford, North Thirty-first street.
 l While there is an increasing demand | for rabbits for table use the steady de- mand for long time has been for pets. | Local dealers not only have demands | from their neighbors, but they receive many orders from other states. The big gest demand for the improved varieties I of the cotton tail' come from children who take to rabbits like ducks to water. ] HAS THREE HUNDRED l Mir Shipman, who operates the Nor | wood Rabbitry, has between 275 and 3n rabbits MT. and Mrs. Shipman have been | in the rabbit business for the past thir- l teen years and in that time have learned much about the habits of the animals. MT Shipman keeps on hand several dif- ferent breeds, including the Flemish Giant, the New Zealand, the Rufus Red. | the Belgians, the Angora White and the English White. By keeping a number Of strains he is able to supply any color Or description that suits the buyers | fancy.
 | Besides keeping the rabbits for com | mercial purposes, dealers do not fail | to take advantage of the good eating offered by their stock. When the house. wife decides that she wants rabbit for her Sunday dinner, all she has to do is | to go out and help herself. Mrs. Ship | man stated that recently she served a rabbit stew for dinner. Two of her | visitors thought to compliment her by bragging on the quality of the chicken being served them. They were very much surprised when they were informed by Mrs. Shipman that they were eating rabbit instead of chicken. SIXTEEN POUNDS l One of MT. Shipmans Flemish Giants weighs sixteen pounds. It is sixteen months of age and took the prize at
 the fair last fall. The same rabbit, as | well as many more, will be placed on exhibit at the fairgrounds this fall J. T. Rust of Graymont is the superin- tendent of the rabbit department of the fair.
 ! According to local dealers, rabbits are hardy and are easily raised. They are purely vegetarlans. thriving on oats and l alfalfa, with occasional green stuff They are very productive, and will increase with surprising rapidity if left unmo- tested.
 Mrs, J. T. Rust was quick to point out the part of rabbit raising that ap- pealed to her, and that is the use oi | the furs for various articles of clothing. The furs of an average rabbit will seI
 Cor $1 to s1.5o. and according to Mrs Rust they make lovely cloaks muffs and other wearing apparel Mrs. Rust expects to make a display of different items of clothing made from rabbit fur at the state fair this fall. FINE BREEDS A majority of the Birmingham preeu- CTS deal in the booded animals. They have in their supply rabbits that can boast pedigrees that are registered with the National Rabbit Association. Several of the rabbits had neat numbers writ >an with blue ink in their ears, whicf indicated that the animal has been reg istered.
 Rabbit dealers of Birmingham are or
 ganized into an association They have their regular meeting to discuss prob lens of mutual interest, just like the bankers and brokers A. F. Runner is president of the Birmingham organiza-
 ton and Raymond Quinn is secretary.
 The department of agriculture is doing
 all in it's power to promote the rabbi!
 industry and through bulletins, Is
 spreading useful information along thai
 line.
 A visit to one of the rabbit farms of
 the city is very interesting and is likely
 to induce the visitor to launch into the
 rabbit business for himself. Mir Rust is
 erecting a large building which will be
 the home of his rabbits during the win
 far