Oct. 25, 1900. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



661 



bees for a number of years, and was one of the first among 

 those who combined the two pursuits profitably. He has an 

 ideal country home, and a bee-location that many would 

 envy. But the hare part of the business is what we want 

 now, so I will endeavor to make things plain from his 

 valuable talk and experience. 



The first and most important thing- is to construct a 

 shed which will be rain-proof, rat-proof, wind-proof, and 

 easily cleaned. One like the picture shown herewith com- 

 bines many things of importance, and is cheapest in the 

 long run. Good, dry, clean quarters are very important if 

 not essential to success. Having accomplisht this, very 

 little trouble will be encountered. Belgian hares can not 

 stand a draft, but must have plenty of ventilation. This is 

 accomplisht by having the south side of the shed, which, 

 according to inside construction (see view of interior) is one 

 end of each hutch ; this is left open and covered with poul- 

 try-netting, and in turn is covered, or may be at will, with 

 a one-half cover which covers up the lower half of the net- 

 ting, thus keeping everything cool and well ventilated with- 

 out any draft on the rabbits. There is also a rising hinged 

 cover which may be let down, and this makes a solid wall, 

 when all is closed, almost air-tight, and leaves no place 

 where rats may enter at night. 



The size of the shed must be governed by the number 

 of hares one intends to keep. A shed lSx30 feet, arranged 

 like this one, will accommodate from SO to 100 hares ; but 

 old hares must be kept separate, and this requires some 

 additional room. A leaky roof can not be tolerated — it 

 should be absolutely rain-proof, or it will be impossible to 

 keep things nice and dry inside. A roof covered with felt 

 or tarred paper is probably best, and, if painted occasionally, 

 will last a lifetime. 



Now let as examine the interior, which we see is parti- 

 tioned off into numerous hutches, about 2'2 feet wide and 6 

 feet long. Boards on edge form the base, and extend up 

 about 16 inches, then it is continued up with the netting to 

 within 5 or 6 feet, but this is not absolutely necessary. A 

 4-foot hight would probably answer all purposes, and allow 

 more elbow-room. A suitable door forming an entrance to 

 each hutch, a box large enough to admit a full-grown doe 

 comfortably, and a small amount of clean straw, completes 

 the arrangement of each abode ; and now we are ready for 

 the rabbits. 



One corner of the shed may be left without these 

 hutches, and serves a good place to keep feed, etc. It can 

 also be used in an emergency for confining young hares, 

 and just such a case introduced the hares shown in the 

 photograph, which, by the way, are only 2% months old, 

 but as large as a good-sized cat. 



Under no circumstances should two old bucks be allowed 

 in this enclosure'at one time. They are worse than game 

 roosters, and always looking for trouble among themselves. 

 This should be watcht closely, and a good idea is to alter- 

 nate them in the confinements, first a buck and then a doe, 

 but never two of a kind side bj' side. Even thru one-inch 

 poultry-netting they will bite and claw at each other, and 

 this generally proves serious if 

 not discovered in time. 



"PTOcnring good stock in the 

 beginning, and the prevention 

 of in-breeding by introducing 

 new blood from time to time, 

 will overcome many of the little 

 troubles which would be en- 

 countered. 



The Belgian hare is a very 

 clean animal in its habits, and 

 the more we can do to allow 

 it to carry out its instincts 

 by keeping its abode sweet 

 and clean, and, above all, per- 

 fectly dry, the better success we 

 are assured. 



A good start can be pro- 

 cured by buying a trio of known 

 good stock from a responsible 

 breeder. Of course, the price will 

 be governed ,by the purse, but 

 something good can be purchast 

 at $35 to $50 a trio, and as each 

 mother has a nestful of young 

 creatures every month, the pro- 

 fit realized from the sale of this 

 blooded stock at the present 

 high prices may be well left to 

 the imagination. 



r~ I do not wish any one to overestimate the profits 

 which may be derived from this business, for surely there 

 will be a surplus soon, with so many going into the busi- 

 ness ; but at present nothing is thought of paying $25 for a 

 good buck, and many are being sent from California every 

 day even at a higher price. 



The advice of many is to get good stock at a moderate 

 price, and this the bee-keeper will do well to follow, and 

 leave the extra-fancy stock, with its accompanying high 

 price, strictly alone, for it is the bread-and-butter side to be 

 lookt upon in this case, and breeding for market and table 

 use will be the thing to be considered, and not the show- 

 room with its uncertain results. 



Before closing this article I would like to say that the 

 information (?) I have endeavored to give to the readers was 

 received from a talk with Mr. Roebling, and, outside of 

 what I have written, I am totally uninformed, and know 

 about as much of Belgian hares as the average newspaper 

 reporter does about bees. I have tried to avoid anything 

 which would mislead, and only give a few facts resulting 

 from the practical application of the business by some one 

 else, and I think these may be safely followed with fgood 

 results. 



U' 



Honey-Yinegar— How to Make a First-Class Article. 



BY MRS. A. J. BARBER. 



SE about one pint of honey to the gallon of water (you 

 will soon be able to tell by the taste when it is sweet 

 enough). Put it into a keg or barrel with a good, tight 

 head, and leave a hole not larger than one inch for ventila- 

 tion. Keep it in a warm place, and put in some good vin- 

 egar or yeast to start it. After it gets to working, draw off 

 a pailful now and then and pour it back ; or if you have 

 more than one keg, pour from one to another. It helps new 

 vinegar to put old vinegar into it ; but it spoils the keeping 

 qualities of the old vinegar to put fresh vinegar into it. 



We save all the washings from the extractor, tank, 

 strainers, and cappings for vinegar. We wash the cappings 

 by pouring warm water thru them again and again, until 

 about all the honey is out of them. They are then rinst by 

 pouring a pail or two of cold water thru, when they are in 

 fine shape for the wax-extractor. The water is all put into 

 the vinegar-barrels. It took us' two years to get really 

 good vinegar from the start in new barrels. Now that we 

 have our old sour barrels and good vinegar to start with, we 

 can get good vinegar this season from last year's wash- 

 ings. For the last four years we have made from four to 

 twelve barrels each year. We have twelve for market this 

 year, and now at the last of July four new ones coming on 

 for next year. We expect to make several more before the 

 season closes. Each barrel should be cleaned every other 

 year. Unless this is"done the " mother " will begin to de- 

 cay and break up, 'making the vinegar flat in taste, and 

 muddy in color. The barrels that we started vinegar in 



Interior View of a Belgian-Hare Shed. 



