92 Game Survey of the North Central States 



ments in many of them. In 1929-30 Doniphan dealers paid 25 cents for trapped 

 as compared with 15 cents for shot rabbits. In recent years their shipments have 

 run about 6,000 rabbits per year, and went to Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Memphis. 

 1917 shipments were about 10 per cent above this normal due to favorable snows, 

 but Mr. Tanner recalls no other large fluctuations, a very significant point, the 

 import of which is discussed later. 



Mr. Tanner states that the hedge and briar country of Pike, Lincoln, and 

 Rails Counties (in the riverbreak type) yields more rabbits than Doniphan (hill 

 type), because of greater abundance and greater ease of shooting. He remem- 

 bers a single drive near New London, Rails County, about 1889 which yielded a 

 full carload of solid stacked rabbits. 



The total output of Missouri, for the reasons already given, remains a matter 

 of conjecture. The Springfield Leader published an estimate of 3,500,000 rabbits 

 worth $450,000 shipped east out of Missouri "for the Christmas trade" in 1928. 

 This estimate seems not unreasonable if it be true that the Springfield region 

 alone produces 2,000,000 annually. 



The most important bearing of export figures is the light that they throw 

 on fluctuations in abundance. Mr. Lightfoot told me specifically that the yield 

 of the Springfield region as between years does not fluctuate more than one third 

 above or below average. This constitutes evidence that the Springfield region 

 as a whole has not experienced since 1900 any greater fluctuations than might be 

 ascribed to weather. 



Mr. Tanner stated specifically that he had never known of a marked rabbit 

 shortage during his many assignments in various parts of the State. 



These reports indicate that if there are rabbit shortages in Missouri, they 

 are either so mild or so local as not to be felt by dealers drawing on areas of 

 county-size or larger. 



The Rabbit Planting Stock Industry. The commercial export of live 

 rabbits for restocking purposes seems to be confined to certain localities in Mis- 

 souri which appear as 4-pointed stars on the map. The figure opposite the star 

 gives their 1929 output. 



Planting stock is all secured by farmer boys operating "figure-4" box traps. 

 The usual price paid dealers is about 75 cents per rabbit. Trappers are paid 25 

 to 35 cents for live as compared with 15 to 25 cents for dead rabbits. 



No exporters of live rabbits were interviewed during the survey, but from 

 various published records I gleaned that the magnitude of the industry is roughly 

 as follows: 



192425 30,000 shipped to unnamed States 



1927-28 40,000 shipped to Pennsylvania, 80,000 total 



1928-29 15,000 shipped to New Jersey- 

 It appears that New Jersey bought a total of 58,000 from Missouri and 

 Kansas jointly in 1928-29. While these figures are fragmentary, they indicate 



