Tlie Rabbit in the Garden Economy 137 



experience of an acquaintance who found that from the 

 increase of ten rabbit does occupying but a small space 

 in his yard, he was able to provide the entire meat 

 supply of his family. This does not mean that they ate 

 rabbit meat exclusively, though they ate it often, and 

 insisted that it was their favorite meat. They had, 

 however, many more than they could consume and sent 

 the surplus young stock to market to be sold for cash. 

 This cash was sufficient to buy all the beef, pork, mut- 

 ton and fowl that they required — even the Thanks- 

 giving turkey and Christinas goose. Thus the rabbit 

 solved their whole problem of the high cost of living, 

 so far as meat was concerned. 



I am a strong believer in the possibilities of the rabbit 

 industry as a source of cash profit to large numbers of 

 producers; but know from experience and observation 

 that there are certain conditions precedent to the real- 

 ization of this hope. To begin with, the rabbit must be 

 more widely known and generally appreciated, so that 

 in this country, as in Europe, millions of people will 

 look to it as a part of their diet, as they now look to 

 beef and chicken. This condition is coming a little 

 nearer year by year, and when it shall be fully developed 

 will create an enormous demand for the toothsome and 

 wholesome rabbit. 



Another important condition will be the solution of 

 the problem of canning rabbit meat so that it can be 

 shipped long distances and kept indefinitely, like other 

 canned products. Some admirable experimental work 

 has been done in this direction by Gordon Phair, of 

 Los Angeles, and perhaps by others. I have often had 

 the pleasure of serving his potted rabbit to my friends 



