246 



THE AGRICULTUKAL NEWS. 



July 30, 1904. 



RABBIT KEEPING IN THE WEST INDIES. 



The following is a further instalment of Jlr. J. 

 Barclay's notes on rabbit keeping: — 



HOUSINO. 



The hutch set on four posts, 4 feet from the grouiul, is 

 the best for our couditioiis in general. This jireveuts .strange 

 flogs getting at the rabbits, and cats and rats are kept oti' by 

 putting a sheet of tin rouiiil the [josts the same waj' as i.s 

 done %Yith cocoa-nut trees. I have not much symi)athy with 

 the people whose house-dogs and cats are not to be trusted to 

 run with tlie rabbits. On estates wliere there i.s some privacj- 

 and a good expanse of green pa.sture (common), what is called 

 the ]\Iorant system, witli lioxes placed here and tliere 

 around the house, is by far the best way of keeping 

 rabbits, as the lioxcs may be shifted on to fresh grass 

 daily; and if the dogs are trained to protect, rather than 

 molest, the rabbits, these can be allowed liberty to run in and 

 out of the boxes as they i)lease. The Moraut system consists 

 simply in providing a long box for the rabliits placed on the 

 ground. This is divided into two, either open at the bottom, 

 or with wide mesh wire to keep the rabbits fnim scraping 

 (though Belgian hares are not given much to scraping). (Jne 

 division is closed round and with a box in it, meant for 

 a breeding nest ; the other with mesh wire all round, the top 

 of the former being slojiing, in the form of a lid, with hinges, 

 so that it may be lifted nji, and it is thus easy to get at tlie 

 rabbits. For most circumstances in the West Indies, however, 

 the raised liutch will be the only kind of housing convenient. 

 The ft)llowing descrii)tioii, taken from the Journal 

 of the Jamaica Ar/riciJfirral Socirli/ for July 1903, is written 

 by an experienced rabbit keeper : — 



'Hutches may be of any convenient shape, as large 

 as can be atibrdetl, with high roof well over-lianging to 

 give shelter from driving rain. Three sides may be wired 

 (1-inch wire) and one boarded for protection from wind. 

 A board placed .securely as a shelter, about 14 to 16 inches 

 above the floor and 1 2 inches from the roof, on to which the 

 rabbits can jump, is a great addition to their comfort, and 

 gives exercise, besides providing a snug retreat out of 

 wind and light, where they can retire to sleep during the 

 day. A box put in the hutch is not so good, as most 

 rabbits will prefer to lie stretched out on their high 

 shelf, which is cooler. But whatever the style of hutch, 

 the floor should be of wire-netting (A-inch me.sh) which 

 will ensure a dry, clean house. The wire left bare would 

 be injurious to the feet of the rabbits, and to avoid 

 this a plentiful supply of dry hay-grass (or dried Guinea 

 grass, if the other is not to be liad) must he spread 

 all over the floor. The rabbits will feed lieartily on this 

 when it is put in fresh every morning. The hutches 

 should be placed on post.s at least 3 feet above the 

 ground, and occasionally a layer of fresh earth should be 

 spread under them as a deodorant. They should stand in a 

 sheltered, well drained position under trees. Some sun 

 should I'each the rabbitry to keeii it dry and healthy, but 

 rabbits cannot stand nuich sun. 



' All the woodwork of the hutches should be painted 

 inside and out with tar thiimed with a little kerosene 

 oil and laid on while boiling hot. This soon dries in 

 and should be renewed every few months. The hutches 

 should be tarred in rotation, removing their inmates for 



two or three days until the tar is dry. This is a preserva- 

 tive to the wood, keeping away in.sects and preventing 

 the rabbits from gnawing. Any part of the hutch that is 

 .soiled should Ijc wiped out daily with a cloth, wrung out of 

 some weak disinfeetaut, Izal preferably, as it is non- 

 poi.sonous. 



'Hutches for nurseries should be more snug than tlio.se 

 intended for half-grown or mature stock. They should be 

 furnislied with a comfortable nest box, about 18 inches long, 

 by 12 inches high, and 12 wide, with one opening 4 inches 

 above the level of its floor, made like that of a pigeon cote.' 



In one locality, where tliere was a stretch of green 

 sward, the writer kei)t his Belgian hares running free, 

 having trained the dogs not to meddle with them. To 

 prevent the animals from becoming wild, they were driven 

 into their boxes occasionally and kept in for a few days at 

 a time, being then let out only night and morning for 

 fifteen minutes or .so. They would all scanqier to their 

 house at a cla.]) of the hands. 



In another locality, high and cool, the house is a hutch 

 of the ordinary kind u.sed by the people, with wattled sides 

 and with a thatched roof, the back, turned towards the 

 prevailing wind, being thatched also. This hutch is erected 

 in a }iouitry run, which has a wattled fence around it, and 

 the hares are let out occasionally for short runs. 



YIELD OF CACAO IN DOMINICA. 



In the following extract from hi.s annual re])ort 

 on the Botanic Station at Dotrtinica, the Curator 

 (Mr. J. Jones) gives the yield of cacao from the experi- 

 ment jilots ami makes interesting observations as to the 

 relative yields of wet and diy (cured) cacao : — 



The area under experiment is IJ acres. Besides the 

 cacao trees there are growing on this land six largo trees of 

 Caxfi7/oa cfaxtica, six nutmegs, and some fruit trees. The 

 total yield from the five plots in wet cacao for 1903 was 

 5,3.")2 Ih. After careful experiment it is found that at this 

 station 100 It), of wet cacao give 42i lb. of dry or cured 

 cacao. The yield from the plot in cured cacao is, therefore, 

 2,274 It). (20-30 cwt.), or at the rate of 11 'GO cwt. per acre, 

 for the year ending June 1903. 



The total cacao crop at the station for the year 

 mentioned was -^0 cwt. 



For the year ending June 1904, the total yield from the 

 five plots was 4,026 ft. of wet cacao. This is equal to 1,701 lb. 

 of cured cacao (1-5'18 cwt.), or at the rate of 8'67 cwt. jier 

 acre. The total crop of cacao at the station this year was 

 44 cwt. The fall in the crop was probaVily due to unfavour- 

 alile climatic conditions. 



In some islands, wet cacao is calculated to give half its 

 \\ eight as cured cacao. This is a high estimate, but it can, 

 no doulit, be obtained, if the cacao pods are all allowed to 

 remain on the trees until tjuite ripe. The beans arc then 

 comiiaratively dry, as the mucilage surrounding the soed.s, 

 which is so abundant before the pods are quite ri[)e, 

 disappears to a considerable extent. The loss during the 

 fermenting and drying process from thoroughly riiie poils is 

 much less than from cacao pods less ripe. In Dominica, 

 owing to the jMevalence of praedial larcen)-, much of the 

 cacao is gathered before it is as ripe as it should be, hence 

 the return per 100 It), of wet cacao cannot be placed higher 

 than 42 It). In these exiieriments the beans are weighed 

 immediately after breaking the pods. If cacao beans wore 

 allowed to drain for twelve to eighteen hours after breaking, 

 and then weighed, the proportion of cured cacao per 100 B). 

 of wet woulil be higher. 



