^6 :5 (o SF 453 .B6 Copy 1 BULLETIN NO. 1 OF Boies' Pet Stock and Game Farm •'THE HOMK OF PETS MILLBROOK, N. Y. Boies' Utility Rabbits For Meat and Fur By H. A. BOIES Price, 25 Cents Copyright, 1917, by H. A Boies, Millbrook, N. Y. FOREWORD. In offering this bulletin to the public, my first object is to answer the many letters of inquiry received, which from lack of time, 1 have been forced to answer by letter, all too briefly. My second object is to i^resent to you a good form of food supply which has been sadly neglected in this country of ours, and one which has more than enough good points to commend it to your attention. I have always been a great lover of our Bird and Animal friends, and friends they surely are, much more so than most of us realize, for without them we could not exist. Our birds not only supply us wdth many forms of food but they helj) to make conditions more sanitary, keep down the insect pests and vermon so that our crops are possible, and delight us with their beauty and song. Our animal friends are our most important form of meat supply and their skins and fur help to clothe us, so you see that many are doubly useful. During the past twenty years 1 have raised thousands of birds and animals of many varieties and naturalh'. ha\e gained much knowl- edge as to those most useful to man. Being one with a family of children to provide for, I know all too well how hard it is to properly clothe, feed, and educate our chil- dren to-day. The cost of our clothing and food supply is way out of proportion to the wages received by the average man. If our wages are raised, the prices of our food advances so that the man to-day with wages two and three times as much as that received a few years ago, really finds it harder to provide for his family than wdien he received lower wages and bought his food at a much lower price. It seems to me that the proper way to lower the prices of our food supply is for all of us to do all we can in the way of supplying ourselves with such things that we need, that it is possible for us to raise. Meat is the most expensive item of our food supply, principally because there are thousands of us consuming it to one producing. We are all too dependent. The greatness of our country, the independ- ence of our country, depends upon the people who inhabit it. If we keep on being dependent it will not be long before this great country will be dependent upon other countries, while on the other hand, if we do all we can to supply all our needs, that it is possible for us to su])plv, our country will become more and more independent, assur- ing us and generations to follow, real and lasting prosperity. J""* 23 1917 ©CU,68936 MEAT. Meat has been part of the daily (h'et of the inaj-.ritv of ])c.)i)le for ag-es and it is well that it should ],c. f..r the compounds contained in the annnal foods are, of course, very much like those of our bodies, and therefore need but little change before they are ready for use. When our forefathers settled this great country of ours, the meat supply was very alnmdant in the way of deer, bear wild boar, turkey. C^rouce. Bobwhite. partridge, pigeons and wild ducks, and even fifteen' years ago many forms of game were still abundant, but with the ever increasing population, these birds and animals have been hunted and driven from their old haunts until nearly exterminated, and a few are to be found now days. In later years we have depended upon the cattle, pigs, sheep and poultry for cnir meat supply, but with the population of the country increasing about three times as fast as the meat supply, any one can easily see. if we wish to have meat as i)art of our daily fo(id, ti-.y Fig-. 1 — HuTCM mp^DL Ft^on^ we must all make some provision to furnish at least a part of our own, or it will not be long before many will have to g-o without. The price of meat has been steadily advancing f.,r some time and though without a doubt, there is no reason why it should be held at the high prices it is now bringing; the only way to overcome it is to raise our own and let these gamblers of our f.uxl supply, ship their goods to other countries and sell them for less, which they have been doing in the ])ast. Many people living in small towns and villages have tried rais- ing ixiultry and pigeons as a means of supplying part of their meat, bnt the space required and the chances of disturbing their neighbors has made it an unsatisfactory pursuit. The majority have overlooked one source of very good food supply— the Rabbit— though in Belgium, Holland, and France, rabbit meat has long been a common article of diet and ral:)bit breeding- is common with tlie ])eo])le of these countries. Great Britain yearly consumes about $2.(XX),()0().0O worth of rabl^it meat, not only are the home warrens and farms drawn upon, l)Ut from lO.OOO to 12,0(X) tons are imported annually. In the I'nited States, wild rabbits ha\-e al wa\s been a si lurce tit lood su])pl\-, es])et-iall\- during- the winter months, but \ er\- little attention has e\er l)een g-i\-en to the breeding ot rabbits in this countr\- as a means of lurnishing us with meat, until lately. < )nl\- those whi> have bred nur domestic rabbits and have eaten their t1esh, know how cheai)ly this meat can be ])ro- duced. The meat of the wild rabbit and hare is dark and coarse, wliile that of our domestic rabbit is w bite, delicious and \er\- nutritious, in fact n(-)ne other of the connnon nu'ais used as food can com])are with it. Dr. A. S. Smith of New ^'ork C'il\-, writing of the Belgian llare, which is not a hare, but a rabl)it, says, '"Phere should l)e hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of hare meat shi|)])ed to our hospitals and sanitariums, h'or digestibilit\- and nutritive value, there is no meat Fig 2,— Nest "^o" ^'^'^'^ Emtiy com])arable to the hare. If ol)tainable, hare meat should be prescribed for fever patients, aged and feel)le ])atients, consum])tive and an.eamic patients by jjhysicians." DIGESTIBLE NUTRIMENT. The United States De])artmcnt of Agriculture makes the following re])ort on the digestible nutriment of varicnis meats. Domestic Rabbit 83 ])er cent. Chicken 50 " Beef 55 " Mutton 65 " Pork 75 " 4 ilcre is tlic most reliable iiil'()niiati( m sliowiu!;' ()nr duniestic rab- bit leading our (.•oiiinion forms (tf nu'at sui)|)l\- .l)v 8 ])er cent, more di- gestible nutriment than the rest, and a meat that the maj(~)rity <»t' the people can raise for themselves at ])racticall\- no cost at all. Beet, mutton and pork ha\ e to be left to the man with a farm, and poultrx recptires (piite a bit of space to do \\(dl, l)ut the rabbit, \vh\' e\en a dry-g"»)«)ds box can be made into a good houie for a good doe and she will get along all right in it and furnish vou with a good supply of fresh meat e\er\- month in the year. HELP YOURSELF, HELP YOUR COUNTRY. The l^ngiish ( loveinment ])ampblets and h",nglish papers are doing all they can to encourage the breeding of rabbits in tiiat country. The war has forced the luu-opean countries to realize the importance of Rabbit meat as a food and hardh' a ])aper is issued that does not con- tain some article to encourage the ])eo])le to raise this \'aluable meat and aid in the public economw "Breed Kal)l)its and Hel]) the Coun- try" — Don't wait, but do it now. ( )ur meat su])ply is decreasing and the price is steadiK' acKancing and there is (inly one way to keep it from going higher; let e\er\- one raise half of the meat they use and there will not be the demand for so much beef, pork and mutton, and prices will smju go down in order to secure more sales. PREJUDICE AGAINST RABBIT MEAT. There seems to be too uiuch ])rejudice against the rabbit, yet the same people will willingl_\- cat chicken, jiork. etc., which will eat most an\'thing, no matter wdiat condition it is in. The rabbit, while it will eat most any kind of \egetable and greens, thex' nuist be sweet and clean or the\- will not touch them, ('icnerally, when soUl b_\' hotels and restaurants, it is offered under some other name. The following article taken from the "|ournal of < )utdoor luiter- prises" shows how the American ]ieo])le like t< i be luunbugged. "THE LONG-EARED JACKRABBIT: It has been not many years since a certain chef in a prominent dining room in Texas was noted for venison served at all seasons of the year. Connoisseurs ]')raised the product of this man and always those who loved good veni- son well prei)ared. were careful when in that ])art ot the state, to ar- range for a meal or two in the famous ])lace." "Then came the laws governing the slaughter of deer and the sell- ing of the meat. Still the \enison was ser\ed in the same good way. And then authorities threatened ])r()secution. The chef merely smiled and served more venison. "Arrest and iincstii^atioii clc\c-l<)])C(l llic fact that the xcnison was merely Jackrabl)it steak. Resultiiii;- ])ubHcily phased haxoc with the ])rohtable trade. \'enison disappeared from the menu and the famous (Hning" room became an ordinary cheaj) eatins^-house and so remains. "And now comes the Texas IDepartment of Agriculture and an- nounces that it has undertaken to create a country-wide demand for Texas rabi)it meat. Already two carloads ha\-e been sold and it is ex- pected that more than a million rabbits will be shii)])ed from this state to the North and ]\ast during the winter months. In some cities, rab- bits sell from 2? to .■50 cents per pound, it is said, and a good-sized vear- ling rabbit runs ra])idl}- into monew 'J'o advertise this new Texas e.\])oi"t, the Department of Agriculture ])l;uis a rabbit dinner in .\ustin shortlw when rabbit will l)e ser\ed in a dozen or so tem])ting forms." It is time that this form of good meat sup])lv should be ad\-anced l)y vStates and United States Government. Jackrabl>its and Cottontails are good, l)Ut they can't com])are with our domestic rabbits, sweet, nu- tritious meat, which may .almost ])e h.ad for the .asking. Dear reader, do you not think this high cost of li\ ing is a great deal what we make it, that wc do not make the most of our own opportunities? CAN I RAISE RABBITS ? /'\side from raising rabbits to su])i)ly food for vour own table you will tind many dollars in its su])i)lying those with this meat that would r.ather buy at twenty to thirty cents per pound than to raise it at five or six cents or less. The "Belgian llare News" contained the follow- ing statements: "An English wholes.ale merchant kept about forty standard hares in a small Inu'ldiug, in his back \;ird. His wife and daughters occupied their s|)are tiiue caring for the i)ets. They cleared over vS5, 000.00 from their hutches last year." "A'Denv^er man started with a trio of tlmrouijhbrcd lU-l^ian Hares \]\vvc years ago and has built and p.iid lor a $0,000.00 house, tmt of his enterprise." 1 know of hiuidreds who are raising ralibits as a sitU- hue, that get more money from thc'r rabbits than from their trade and thc-re are many more who depend entirely on their rabbits for the sujiiiort of their family and themselves, and living like kings, too. Without a doubt, the majority of those wdio read this book are spending all they make to keep their family and themselves ])roperly housed, clothed, and fed, and the biggest item of these will be the food supply, with the meat bill in the lead. No doubt vou would like to save some of your hard-earned money for some stormy day, l)Ut the high cost of everything prevents you from doing so. The thought that you could supply all or part of your meat has never occurred to you, but you can, get some rabbits, better yet. get some Boies' Utility Ral)bits or Giants, and do it now. You will enjoy caring for them, they will sup- FiG. ^ — Movable Outijooh Hutch ANb "Run. ply yom" table with a delicious meat and add man\ dollars to your ]),ink- account. ARE THEY PROLIFIC ? These animals which A\ill weigh from six to eight piauids when grown, can easily be raised by the majority of people; in fact, all but those housed in the apartment and tenement houses of the large cities. They require very little room, will live on many of the things that are going to waste about the average home, and there is no other of our food animals that will multipl}- their weight so rapidly as these will. A good doe, w^ell cared for will give you five nice litters per year, with from 5 to 12 young to the litter, and unlike chickens, the young are at first nursed by the mother and neither mother or young make any noise to disturb you or your neighbors. Then again they are furnish- ing you food the whole year through. The young arc old enough to breed and large enough at six months. Now, for example, w^e wU\ say your purchase a doe during the first month of the year and one that was bred on the first day of January. The first of February she wdll give you a litter, and for the sake of con- venience, we will call all their Utters of six half females and half males. Now, l)_v (he middle of IMarch, the \duno" are about six weeks old and the mother is reach to breed ai^aiii. 'iMie middle of April 3'on have your second litter and b\ tlu' time these are ready to take aavax' from the mother, six weeks later your hrst litter will be sixteen weeks old, just in fine condition to kill and each one will give you more pounds of meat than a s])ring' chicken at the same age and meat that a spring chicken cannot com])are wdth. Thev will weigh a good six pounds at this age and by forcing, they can be made to weigh 5 to 5j^ pounds at 10 to 12 w^eeks of age. h'ollowing T have arranged a table sh<~>\ving w hat one good doe can produce in the C(nn"se of one ye'AV. Though their litters are generally larger, I have, for convenience, made all litters of six young and have called them half does and half bucks. I am not offering any gold brick, or get rich quick scheme, and have been very conservative in putting the litters of six each and only five litters, giving the doe a chance to rest up during the hot weather. Bred Doe No. 1 1 Jan. 1 jMar. 12. • May 21. Aug. 27. Nov. 5. First Litter: Does Nos. 2, 3, -^ Second Litter : Does Nos. 5. 6, 7 Sept. 1 . Nov. 10. Oct. 15. Jan. 31. April 11. June 20. Sept. 26 Dec. 12. Oct. 1... Dec. S. . Nov. 14. Bucks Does 3 3 3 3 3 3 g 3 3 3 9 9 9 9 9 42 42 April 11, June 20. Aug. 29. Dec. 5 . . . Feb. 13.. Dec. 10. Feb. 16. Jan. 23. July 31 Oct. 11 Dec. 20 June 5 Aug. 31 Apri 1 June 8 May 14 On January 1st. 1916, Ave started with one good doe and a buck. This doe we bred five times during the course of the year, and she gave us five litters of six young each, half of which were does. These three does from the first litter which were ready to breed July 31, but which Ave put ofif breeding until cooler weather, we bred on the first of Sep- tember and again on the 10th of November. Also the three does of the second litter w^e bred on the 15th of October. This would give us on the last day of the year the original does and buck, age 18 months, six 11 months old, six 8 months old, six 6 months old, twenty-four 3 months old, eighteen 6 weeks old, eighteen 3 weeks old, and six nine- teen days old — total on hand, 86 rabbits. Now to make things easy, we will say all these rabbits over three months old, weigh 6 pounds each and the balance 2 pounds each, which is more than fair, for the older ones will go up to 8 pounds each. We will have 44 rabbits of six pounds each, or 264 pounds and 42 of 2 pounds each, or 84 pounds — - 8 a total of 348 pounds, 3v36 pounds more than you started with, a _qain of 57 4-6 pounds tor each pound started with. What bird or other animal can do this? You can easily see that two or three does will give you about all the meat you will want and a few^ extra ones will enable you to have a supply to oiTer to your neii^hbors at a good price, and I tell you when once your neighbor gets a taste of this fine meat, you will be lucky if you have any left for yourself, unless you have a good supply, for it is THE MEAT. And where do you get all this good meat from? I^awn clippings, weeds, waste cabbage leaves, beet tops, celery and many other greens will furnish most of it, these you have been letting go to waste. Isn't it much better that you should turn them in this good food supply? Be independent, if your Fit 5 ACK or HuTCHE^- Showing THatt ^tyle^ of Froht^ butcher can"t sell meat to you at a reasonable price, and we all know he can't, it makes no difference, for you have plenty of it, easily killed, dressed and many ways to cook and just the kind of meat your body needs. SELECTING YOUR BREEDING STOCK. In selecting your breeding stock, the {principal things to take into consideration are size when matured, time it takes to develop, to an eatable size, size of bone, and color and cjuality of flesh. The lari^csl xarietics arc the Flemish Giants and the llhick and White Cdieekered (liants. v^onie of these are i^rown np to twenty pounds and lietter. l)nt to i;et tliese -vNeij^hts onl\- a few of the ^•Ollng" eau he kept with the niotlier and a s]ieeial course in feeding' must l)e lollowed All these giants ha\e very large frames, and oi course, there is much more waste to them than with the small bone varieties, and 1 do not think that their meat is as fine-grained or as sweet as the smaller breeds, however, their large size will make them attractive to man}-, for there are two or three good meals for a good-sized f;imily on one of them. Of the smaller breeds, the Belgian Hares and New Zealand Reds are the best, with the fa\-or more with the former. The great trouble with all our rabbits is that they have been most exclusively bred for fancy points, with little consideration for quality of meat or quantity of meat wdiich would change their form so as to discpialify them for showing". BOIE^ M01>EL ^ELF-CLLANINO HuTCH vSeeing the big advantage and necessity of a good meat ral)bit. 1 have perfected two breeds of rabbits which I have given special names, so that any one wishing to get rabbits for meat production will get what they want, and not some cull of fancy bred rabbit. I have named them BOIES' UTILITY RABBITS' and BOIES' UTILITY GIANTS. They are bred especially for (juantity and cpiality of meat, smalhiess of bone and with a ])elt that is saleable at a good price. These rabbits are as cheaply kept as any other ; they mature quickly ; their meat is white, fine grained and very nutritious and has a flavor that always calls for more. A pair will give you many good meals. A buck and two or three does will furnish a good sized family with about all the meat they will want. Fifteen or twenty does, or more, and three or four bucks, will start you in a business of your own that will pay \ou well and you can handle it in connection with your present ])osition, until turning in enough to put your whole attention 10 to it, which I assure you, will not he ])Ook. long. See price list in hack of HUTCHES AND PENS. Our domestic breeds of rabbits will not do well if turned loose and forced to shift for themselves. They are the result of selective breeding, by man, for many years and arc entirely dependent upon us for food and shelter. There are many kinds of hutches that will do io keep and raise them in, ranging- from the drygoods box hutch to large building built especially for them. As it will depend a great deal upon just how you are situated and the amount of mouey you will be able to invest to start with, what kind and how many hutches you will build, I will describe and picture a number of different kinds so you can easily find that best suited to your special needs. A )i^ ac^wFt^ Lai flG 7. E> f,- - - JbCLTrn Of HuT<.f- - - ~:^ Ir^- i>ei OF SlXt iorTOM bETAIL OF HAY-'R/NCt«s iETAlL OFi>T\AweK Figure 1 shows a hutch made from a drygoods box, or large shoe- case. All hutches should ha\-e at least six square feet of floor space and eight to twelve is much better. This hutch is very easily and cheaply made. An upright piece about two inches wide is nailed in, about half way across the front on which to hinge the door. The open- ing on the right side is covered with netting and a door is made to fit the left side, out of lumber two inches wdde and this is covered with netting and hinged. The nest box shown in this hutch is the same as Figure 2, which is described later. Figure 3 shows a portable out-door hutch and one recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture. It may be taken out doors when the weather is nice and carried back inside when the weather is bad. It can be built two and three hutches high. That shown in the drawing is about three feet deep by six feet long-, with about one-third partitioned ofif on the right hand end for sleeping •11 quarters and nest box. The front to the sleeping quarters and wire- covered front, arc both hinged. Permanent outside hutches could be built after this drawing, bnt the roof should have a little more pitch to it and should project out o\er the front two or three feet, to keep the storm from beating in. Fignre 4 shows another form of outdoor hutch wdiich is for sum- mer use only. The run is covered on sides and bottom with wire netting. The frame is made from 1x2 inch lumber. One-half of the tcjp is covered with a movable solid section and the other half with a wire-covered frame that slides under the other half, out of the way when feeding, etc. The top of the sleeping quarters should be hinged for easy access to the inside. This hutch may be moved from one place to another as the ground becomes soiled, and to new feeding ground. ri&.8- The "^mn FKon theT\a^bit to the b-^YiNo Boa L^«^M*^^ Rb Figure 5 shows a stack of hutches suitable for a barn or any other building. They may be added to, to meet the requirements of any build- ing. A. B. C. show three different styles of fronts, any of which that best suits your fancy or needs, may be used. All partitions between the pens should be made so that they may be easily removed, so that by removing the partition you can give your rabbits a larger run. This arrangement of hutches is both cheap in construction and practical as well. Figure 6. For convenience and a time-saver and a clean, drv hutch for your rabbits, this hutch will be hard to improve upon. The slatted bottom nllows all manure and water to drop through onto the 12 real bottom, four inches below. The hay rack keeps your hay cleail and saves lots that would be soiled and wasted otherwise. The nest box is all that can be desired. Figure 7-A. B. C. shows detail draw- ings of the slatted bottom, hay rack, and tlie nest drawer. The real bottom should have a pitch of an inch (jr two, which will allow the water to run off. Both the real bottom and the slatted bottom should be painted with asphalt paint, so that they will not absorb moisture. This will make a practical hutch for large rabbitries and can be built three-high and connecting on another to meet the recpiirements of the biulding. One man can clean 50 of these hutches in the same time it will take to clean two or three of the other forms. Another arrangement for a self-cleaning hutch is shown in Figure 5B. The floor in this case is made to slant towards the back of the hutch and a space about four inches wide and the length of the Fi&-9. BoiL<)' hohZL fRE.')H Aif; Hou^E forKaruit^, hutch is covered with one-half inch mesh wire cloth, w liich will allow the excrement to drop through. Figure 9 shows a fresh-air house that will give you good results. First, it has been proven, beyond question, by numerous experiments, that a one-pitch roof like this one will give you a warmer house in winter and a cooler one during the hot weather, also the air keeps in much better condition than in a house with a two-pitch roof. The building should be built facing the southward when possible to do so. Make a frame of 2x4 studding and cover it with tongue and groove lumber, ship lap, or novelty siding. The back or north side should also be lined on the inside with matched lumber with a layer of tar or building paper next to the studding. The roof should be covered with matched lumber, then some good building paper. Do not make any floor unless you use concrete, as a board floor just makes a harbor for rats, mice and other vermon. Seven feet will be wide enough for 13 the building and this will give you about four feet to work in, in front of the pens which will be ample for the average man. The pens should be started about six inches from the ground, which will make your pens about two feet high at the fronts, the back studs being cut to six- foot lengths and the front to eight foot. Use any style of pen that you like best. The front of this building is boarded up solid for three feet, then there is a window in each end of the front, with the space between the vvindov\s containing a muslin-covered frame. This frame is hinged to the opening and opens inward towards the roof where it can be fastened out (A the way. During good weather, it should be kept open, and when the weather is stormy and real bad, should be tightly shut, so that no draughts can come in around same. You will always get plenty of good fresh air through this muslin-covered frame, without the danger of any draughts. The windows will always assure you of plenty of sunlight on cold, clear days, when the muslin frame is shut. NEST BOX. A very good nest box can be made from an empty soap or other similar box. (See Figure 2.) The top should be hinged so as to have easy access to the inside. The entrance for the rabbit should be about seven inches wide and eight inches deep. Another very good one is shown in Figure 6. This has a sliding drawer — Figure 7C — which may be drawn out for ins])ection of the contents. FEEDING. The rabbit is strictly a vegetarian, and will eat about anything eatable in this line, as long as it is sweet and clean. Cabbage, kale, spinach, rape, celery, beets, carrots, turnips, mangels, parsnips, lawn clippings, weeds, apple parings, corn husks, pea pods and vines, dry crusts of bread, grain and hay, are all readily taken. Most of these are easily and cheaply supplied and in preparing many of the above vege- tables for our own use, the parts that generally go to the garbage pail will make good food for the rabbit and instead of going to waste, will be furnishing the very best of meat for our own consumption. While a few staple foods are desirable, there is no animal more adaptable to sudden changes of diet than the rabbit. The main object should be to produce the most weight with as little outlay as possible, so you must use those foods available and cheapest. Never feed anything wet with dew. Always allow your lawn clippings and other green foods to dry ofif before offering to your rab- bits. It is much better to allow them to dry in the shade when pos- sible. If you haven't a lawn of your own, you will have little trouble 14 in obtaining all the clippings you can use from your neighbors, who will be glad to have them taken away. All grass, lawn clippings, planton, burdock and many other weeds which you do not need at once, should be allowed to thoroughly cure, then stored away for future use ; they will come in very handy during the winter months. Hay in some form is a necessary part of the rabbit's diet and by laying away a little each day during the summer months, you will be able to keep your bunnies supplied during the winter months, without any outlay of money. Oats is the best form uf grain and when it can be supplied at a reasonable price, it will pay yt)U tn gi\ c each rabbit a small handful each morning. Summer Feeding sliould consist mostly of wilted greens, any- thing in the line mentioned al)o\c and only a small supply of hay and grain is needed. Winter Feeding : — One feeding should consist mostly of some sort of greens, such as roots and left over vegetable tops and parings from preparing them for the tal)le. A small handful of oats in the morning and hay should be kept before them always. Feeding the Young: — When the young begin to come out of the nest box, give them a handful of rolled oats or a mash made of rolled or ground oats, corn meal, and a little bran, moistened with water or skim- med milk. Bran is a good bone builder. Decrease bran and increase corn-meal as they grow older. Feed a little of this morning and night until six or eight weeks old, when they should be taken from the mother and put in a pen by themselves or with others of about the same age. They should not have any green food to speak of until at least two months old, but should have hay from the first and all they will eat. Plenty of hay enlarges the stomach so that the rabbits will eat more and grow faster. Never feed anything that has been touched by frost. Keep a piece of rock salt in each i)en. A ten-cent piece will last them a year or more. Keep water always before them and always see that all food and water dishes are perfectly clean. It is well to scald them out at least once a week. Time to Feed : — Twice a day, in the morning and again in the even- ing at a tune that is the most convenient to you. Rabbits do most of their feeding after dark, so if more convenient to feed at this time, do so, but try to be regular every day. 15 • . BREEDING. While a rabbit can be bred at four months of age, it is not advisable to do so before they are six months old. Many will not breed their does until eight or ten months old, but if they have been well feed and cared lor, the}- can safely be bred when six months old. in breeding, the doe should always be taken to the buck's hutch and not vice-versa. If she will not take the buck, take her away and put with him again the next da} and continue until served. A doe will generally be ready for the buck one in every three days. The period of gestation is thirty days. PREPARING FOR THE YOUNG. About a week before the doe is to have her young, she should be supplied with a nest box, unless she has one already, described under heading Nest Box. Three or four days before she is due to litter, her hutch should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected and she should be supplied with plenty of fine hay or straw, so she may build her nest. Special care should be taken at this period to see that the doe is not frightened and she should not be handled unless absolutely necessary. P"eed plenty of greens and a drink of warm milk, if possible, so as to start a good liow of milk for the young to come. She will generally keep the entrance to nest box covered with litter and it should be left this way until she removes it, for the young- should be kept inside away from food they would otherwise get that would be harmful to them. HANDLING. To pick up a rabbit, take hold of the skin of the back, right over the shoulders, and if the rabbit is very heavy, place the other hand under the stomach, allowing part of the weight to rest there. Do not pick them up by the ears, it is uncomfortable and painful to them and is decidedly the wrong way to handle them. KILLING. To kill a rabbit, pick it up by one of the hind legs and hit it a (piick, sharp blow on the back of the head, then cut its throat and hang it u]) to bleed. DRESSING. A rabbit should be dressed ])y hanging it up b}- the gamble joints in the same manner as a hog or sheep is hung up. Tie a piece of heavy twine about each joint and hang up in a door-way, limb of some tree, or some other handy place, with the legs spread. Make a cut around each leg at X in figure 8-a. then cut the pkin down the inside 16 of the leg, crossing- just in front of the tail and up the other leg, as shown in the drawing by the clotted Hne from a to b. It is not neces- sary to save tail. Now loosen the skin from the flesh with a knife, being very careful not to cut the skin, and draw it inside-out towards the head (Figure 8b). Skin to the ears, then remove. Next make an opening from the vent down the abdomen to the neck, using care not to cut the entrails, and remove same. The heart, liver and kid- neys are good to eat and if you like them, they should be saved. Now wash down the carcass with two or three changes of cold water and hang in a cool place, away from the flies, to cool. When the weather will permit, it will be much better to keep in a cool place for se\erul da}S l)efore preparing for the table. VALUE OF SKINS. Rabbit skins are valuable for the manufacture of boas, niulfs, mittens, caps, gloves and for nearly every thing which other furs are used for. The skin of the domestic rabbit is much better than that of the wild and at present, is bringing a very good price. Our wild fur- bearing animals are rapidly decreasing, which will make the rabbit skin more in demand each year and it will not be long before there will be big advance in the prices paid. Many have foreseen this end of the industry, companies have been formed to raise rabbits for their fur, and many individuals are doing so as well. Rabbit fur has been conspicuous everywhere where furs are the fashion, this past season, both as trimming and as boas, muffs, etc., but they were not sold as rabbit fur, the manufacturers putting them on the market under such names as Red Fox, Black Fox, Arctic Fox, and Black Lynx. An enormous trade in rabbit skins has been carried on abroad for many years. In the European countries nearly all the skins of the market rabbit are saved. England and Ireland alone have purchased in the past, about 30,000,(XX) annually ; while according to the English trade returns for 1910, there was imported in undressed rabbits' skins, 82,327,101. 11,000,000 coming from Belgium, 4.000,000 from France, about 43,000,000 from Australia and 7,739,960 from New Zealand. The above figures show in a very small way, the big demand there is for rabbit skins. The European countries are at war and have been for some time past. They have destroyed thousands upon thousands of rabbits, both wild and domesticated, to help supply them with food. Every year there is a bigger shortage in furs and every year there is a bigger demand for them. The rabbit is the best way of solving this problem, for they can be both easily and cheaply raised. Get some rabbits at once, raise your own meat, save the skins which will go a long way towards paying for their keep. I will buy every one von can raise at the highest market prices. 17 HOW TO SAVE THE SKINS. After you have removed the skin from the rabbit as deseribed under the caption "Dressing," you should have a board to stretch it on simihir lo that shown in Figure 8C. The width will vary from six to eight inches, according to the size of the skin. Make it about 30 inches long, with a slight taper, so the skin can be easily withdrawn when dry. Draw the skin on this, fur next to the board and after pulling on, smooth off all wrinkles, tack as shown in Figure 8d. Now remove all ])ieces of fat and meat and be careful not to cut the skin. Then hang up to dry, but not in the smi. As soon as they are good and dry, they ma\- be removed from the ])(i;ird and laid away in a dry ]dace until ready to sell. RABBIT MANURE. Rabbit manure is one of the highest grades of our natural manures and when dried and pulverized is very nutritious, immediate and lasting in effect. It makes one of the very best, rich liquid manures. Green-house men jirefer it to most other forms of fertilizers. The manure should be gathered every day, kept as free from litter as possible and allowed to thoroughly dry, when it can be put in boxes or barrels until }OU have enough to dispose of. You will have no dif- ficulty in disposing of it at $2.00 per hundred and without a doubt, could easily get 2.50 or more, if free from litter and well dried. If allowed to stand in the hutches long and become wet or put away in boxes or barrels in this condition, it will ferment and lose much of its fertilizing cjualities. It is surprising the amount of manure that can be collected from a single rabbit during the course of a year and for your information I have collected it every 24 hours ior 10 days at a time, from both the small and large breeds, separated it from all litter and carefully dried it before weighing. I found the average full grown rabbit, well kept will give an average of one-half ]xnmd of dried manure per day, or a good 180 pounds per year, which at twcj cent, i)er pounds would amount to $3.60 per year. This form of manure can be easily bagged and shipped, making it especially desirable to any one wanting a good nutritious manure, prac- tically free from disagreeable odor. MARKETING. If you are so situated that you can raise rabbits for market, you will fnul this a very ])r()fitable occupation and one that all hands: mother, father, and children will enjoy taking a jKirt in. There is a great shortage of disposing of all you can raise at a handsome profit. Give two or three of your neighbors nice young rabl)it and just as 18 soon as tlicy g-ct a taste of this Iiik- meat and kimw something oi its nonrishing qnalities, yon will l)e sold out in advance from that time on. Tn otTcring yonr rabhit meal f> >r sale, always be snre it is as clean and in as sanitary condition as possible, all elTorts in this way will repay you many times over. At the present time rabbit meat is bringing from 20 to 30 cents per pound, a very good price for meat that can be so cheaply produced. I should advise that all rabbits l)e skinned, cleaned, head and feet removed before marketing; it will go a long ways towards overcoming the prejudice some people hold against them. A rabbit offered with the skin, head and feet on looks too much like a pet to manv, but dress- ed they make a tempting piece of meat that few will pass by. Recipes. The following recipes for serving Boies' I'tilitx' Rabbits and (jiants are all good tested ones and those which will be well worth your while to try. However, any good cook will soon tind nian\- addi- tional ways of serving. For frying one should use }(>ung ral)l)its, l)Ut if an old one is used, it should be parboiled first. When cooking rabbit, remember that their meat is almost entirely lean and contains very little fat, so fat in some form should be added to serve it best. Salt pork, bacon and butter added will improve it w^onderfully, the first two being by far the best. FRIED RABBIT. Young rabbits will alwavs l)e found best for fr\ing, but if one de- sires to fry an old one, it should be tirst parl)oiled. Cut the ral)bit u]) into suitable pieces and roll in a mixture of flour, salt and pepper. Fry in hot grease or oil. The grease from fried salt pork will impart a very good flavor, if used. A small onion fried with the rabbit, is liked by many. Cook slowly imtil done, forty to fifty minutes will general- ly do. BROILED RABBIT. A rabbit three to five months old is best for broiling. Boil it first in salt water for five minutes, then wipe dry and ]nit on the broiler at once, while it is hot. Thin slices of bacon or salt pork should be jnit an top if it, which greatly improves the flavor, v^ave the drippings and make gravy from same. Season to taste. BROILED RABBIT, SOUTHERN STYLE. Cut the rabbit into suitable pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put a layer of fat bacon on the bottom of a roasting pan and 19 la_V the pieces of rabbit on this and cm cr w ith nuirc l)acoti. Butter or salt pork may be used in place of bacon. I 'our in the pan a little hot water or broth and roast in a hot oven, l)astin^ and turning nftcn, until the pieces are tender and rich-broAvn. It \\ ill, generally, take about an hour to roast. AX'hen done, take u])on a hot platter and keep hot while preparing gravy. Skim the fat from the surface of the pan, add one or two table- s])Oons of Hour and stir imtil smooth. Add a cupful of boiling water, the juice of a lemon, ten tablesi)oonfuls of catsuj) and pour over the meat. Garnish with thin slices of pickles and arrange a border around the platter of alternate spoonfuls of freshlv cooked rice and tomatoes. To prepare the latter, pour off the superfluous juice from a can of tomatoes and season the remaining tomatoes with salt, red pepper and a little sugar. Put in a baking tin on top of roasted croutons and dot with butter. Bake until firm. When ready to serve, cut in square blocks and alternate with the rice. ROASTED RABBIT. Take a large, fat rabbit, sprinkle well with salt and pepper inside and out, then fill with dessing, sew u]), tie the legs together, put in the roasting pan and lay or tie some ])ieces of fat bacon or salt pork on the rabbit and roast for about one hour and a half, basting and turn- ing often from side to side. About a tpuirter of an hour before it is finished, remove the bacon or pork and dredge with tlour and baste well until nicely browned. Make a good gravy by removing the excess grease, adding a tablespoonful of browned flour, half a i)int of stock and a little salt and pepper. Serve with little heaps of red current jelly. DRESSING FOR ROAST RABBIT. Four tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs, two tablespoonfuls of chopped suet, two tablespoonfuls of chopped ham, half a teaspoonful of sweet herbs, one teaspoonful of chopped parsley, one small teaspoon- fwl of salt, a little pepper and a dash of cayenne, three chopped mush- rooms and two eggs. Stew the liver for five minutes, then chop and add to the above ; mix the whole with the eggs well beaten, put in the rabbit and sew it up. RABBIT AND ONION ROAST. Take a double roasting pan and grease the inside well, cover the bottom with sliced onions, put a layer of cut up rabbit on the onions, then more onions, etc., until the pan full or rabbit is all 20 used up. Cover tlie top with thin slices of hacon nr sah pork, v^eason each layer with salt and pep])cr as put in the pan. Put cm the cover and bake in a hot (tven. Tlic onions will sujiply i)leiity of moisture so no water need he added. CHILI SPANISH PAN ROAST. Cut rabbit up into small pieces, let it boil from t\vent\- to thirty minutes in a pan of vineg-ar. Remove it from the a inegar and wipe dry, then fry in plenty of q-ood olive oil: season with 8 or 10 small Chili peppers, Chili powder, two medium-sized choi^ped onions, small qraiu of qarlic. one-half of a bottle of catsu]). Allow the rabbit to fry slowdy until tender, before adding- the seasoning and allow it to set about 20 minutes after adding the seasoning. RABBIT POT ROAST. Cut the rabbit up into pieces and put in a roasting kettle with just enoug;h water to cover; put in with the rabbit four or five generous pieces of salt pork, two or three onions, season with salt and pepi)er after it has cooked for about one half hour. Cook slowly until about done, then put over a hot fire, remove the cover and allow the water tn cook out and the meat to brown well. Remove the ral)bit to a hot platter and keep hot until gravy is made. One or two tablespoon fuls of vinegar added when roasting down will impart a nice flavor. CALIFORNIA BRAISED RABBIT. Take a good sized rabbit and cut into pieces and fr\- in browned f)utter mitil nicelv browned : now slice an onion and let that brown : then cover with w^ater and let simmer for an hour or so, according to the ag-e of the rabbit. Season with salt and pepper. Put in a can of French mushrooms along wdth a thickenings of flour — mushrooms make it delicious. If you have none, try small pieces of browned sweet potatoes or browned parsnips. WELCH RABBIT STEW. After cutting- up into pieces, put into a kettle with just enough water to cover. T^et this come to a g-ood boil, skim, add a little salt, pepper and butter: let it come to a boil again: then add small pieces of onions, carrots, parsnips, celery, potatoes and turnijjs: cook until dry and done. Be careful about burning. Make a gravy the same as for anv stew, after removing meat from the dish. ENGLISH WORCHESTER RABBIT PIE. First make a Welch Rabbit v'^tew, then put it in a baking dish, lined with a rice biscuit dough, putting in first a layer of stew then a few 21 small pieces ot ihe doiij^h and so on inilil all llie stew is used uj) or dish is full; then potir in some of the stew licivior and eo\er with iTust and bake from 25 to 40 minutes in a moderate o\en. Ser\ e with plenty of good brown gravy on the side. RABBIT PIE. One pound of cooked, cold rabbit, half a pound of pulT paste, one onion, fotu' (3tmces of macaroni, two hard-boiled ey,i;'s. hall a i)int of stock, half a teaspoonful of kitchen boiupu'l. Break the macaroni into short Irngths and throw it into plenty of boiling" water, and boil until cpiitc tender. Line a flat dish with pastry, drain the water well from the maca- roni, and place it in the center. Arrange over this neatly the pieces of rabbit, and pour in the stock and kitchen boucpiet, and sprinkle over with a little salt and pepper. Peel, scald and chop the onion, sprinkle it over. Put the dish in a hot oven for ten minutes, then cook it in a moder- ate oven for half an hour. Chop finely the whites of egg, arrange theru on the to]), and rub through a wire sieve the yolks, allowing them to fall directly over. vServe very hot. JUGGED RABBIT. Put two tablespoonfuls of butter in a saucepan, and when hot, brown the pieces of rabbit together with a bunch of scalions or a small white onion and a clove of garlic. Have ready two cupfuls ot stock or gravy, and when the joints are browned, put into a stone jar, together with gravy, salt, and pepper to season; the juice of a lemon, half a glass of sour wine and four cloves. Cover the jar closely and set in a large saucepan, filling the latter with cold water almost to the level of the top of the jar. Bring the water to a boil and simmer four hours. Remove the meat and gravy and put into a saucepan over the fire, adding a table- spoonful of butter rolled in flour, a tablespoonful of mushroom catsup and two glasses port wine. As soon as hot and slightly thickened, serve with baked potatoes and wild grape or current jelly. PRESSED RABBIT. Boil until well done. Take all the meat from the bones and grind in meat grinder. Season with salt and ])epper to taste and pour the broth it was boiled in over it, then press the same as chicken. 22 SOUTHERN RABBIT CURRY AND RICE. CookiiiL;- a raljljit with curry and rice, \ < m use tlic sainc nK'tliod as you do with lanil), curry and rice. Boil rahl)it until it is (|uitc tender; make a thick gravy, add ])()\vdcre(l curry td suit taste, tlieii mix ral)hit, gravy and rice together^ (ir }-()U can ser\e seijarate. JM»r a change yuu will find this an exceptinnally line dish. REAL HASSENPFEFFER SAUER BRAUTEN. This elegant ' /.erman dish is the j(i\- of epicures — it linds its wax- all ()\er the world. Cut the ral)l)it into small jjieces. then stew until done, adding- a grated onion and a few l)a\- leaves ; add salt and pepper to taste, with jilenty ot s])ices. Now cut in scpiares, stale crusts of bread or toast or chicken histmit, let soak in licpior. make a good grav\', ])our o\er meat and ser\e hot. This reci])e is the hatherland's de- light. YORKSHIRE RABBIT BROTH. Use a rabbit of al)out ti\-e jxmnds, cut meat in small pieces, place in kettle and co\er with two (piarts of water; bring (piickl)- to boil, skim, add half a cu]) of l)arle\' or rice, which has been soaked o\er night in cold watei' ; simmer one and a half hours until meat is tender. Sep- arate the meat from the bones and ])lace the bones in a second kettle; co\er with cold Avater, heat slowly to boiling, skim, and boil one and a half hou.rs ; strain licpior from bones: fry the meat for five minutes in two tablespoonfuls (»f butter, then boil u]) a half cu]) each ol diced car- rots, turnips, onions, celery, parsnips and add the l)roth with salt and pe])])er to taste. Cook until xegetables are