RABBITS 



255 



shiiuld be given two weeks' rest, during- which 

 time she must be suitably fed, so as to reco\-er 

 strength before she proceeds to have another 

 litter. After the young rabbits are taken from 

 their mother the)' should be placed all together 

 in one hutch until they are three months old, 

 the age at which the sexes 

 must be separated. If the 

 rabbits are to be raised for 

 cooking this is the time to 

 begin to give them solid food, 

 for at five months they ought 

 to be killed and sold profit- 

 ably. A new male should 

 often be bought, for it is not 

 prudent to raise animals too 

 closely related, as diseases 

 and debility often result. 



The raising of rabbits has 

 a financial and moral interest 

 for the boy. If he has a real 

 affection for his animals he 

 will take care of them on his return from 

 school or work instead of loafing in the street 

 and wasting his time. All that concerns their 

 breeding will interest him, and he will seek 

 to add to his knowledge by e.xperience and 

 bv reading books and journals. He will think 

 and reflect, and his intelligence will develop. 



desired persons should make choice among 



those now existing. 



II. The Y.vrious Breeds 



\\'e begin with the king of rabbits, the giant 

 rabbit of Flanders. It is by far the best known 



A Gi.\XT \'iEN\.\ K.\i',r.iT {.M.M.i:) 



Much has been written of late on the breed- 

 ing of rabbits with the object of improving the 

 quality of their flesh. For our part we think 

 this useless, nearly all the present species being 

 the result of crossings. If a good breed is 



A VocNG Giant Fl.andf.rs R.-muut 



breed, and no exhibition is ever held in which 

 it is not represented in great numbers. This 

 rabbit has its cradle in Flanders, chiefly about 

 Ghent and \icinit)-, where especial attention is 

 paid to its breeding. A few- years ago, owing 

 to the vast exportation of rabbits to foreign 

 countries, the quality of the meat deteriorated 

 and the number of buyers diminished 

 perceptibly. The association of the 

 "Neerhof" happily intervened in 

 time and succeeded in obtaining a 

 subsidy from the government for the 

 purchase of male rabbits which re- 

 mained the property of the associa- 

 M tion. Thus the best specimens were 



M preserved, good breeding made great 



progress, and the weight of the ani- 

 mals increased. Only a few are fat- 

 tened for the market, and those are 

 not suitable for breeding. The color 

 is chiefly fawn or iron-gray, although 

 sometimes black, steel-blue, yellow, and white 

 occur. Animals of the two last-named colors are 

 rare and not as large as those of other colors. 

 The raising of these giants is not easy, and 



-^^yufi 



much experience is required to obtain those 



