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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 1. 



only three breeding-does generally. In the 

 future I shall be obliged to keep more, for I 

 can scarcely keep any for my own use on ac- 

 count of the demand from far and near. 



The cost of growing the hare, as nearly as 

 I am able to estimate it, is about 20 cents for 

 each specimen, growing the animal to weigh 

 about 8 pounds alive. 



Right here comes in one of the mistaken 

 ideas about the size of the critter. You state, 

 Mr. Editor, that you have seen them in Colo- 

 rado of the size of a good-sized dog. That is 

 rather indefinite. I have known a dog to 

 weigh 150 lbs. That, of course, was a large 

 dog. A good-sized dog may weigh 75 lbs., or 

 perhaps only 50 lbs. The Belgian hare does 

 not come anywhere near that figure, I am sure. 

 If the actual weight of the hares in Colorado 

 had been given in pounds it would have been 

 better understood and appreciated. The best 

 that has been attained, to my actual observa- 

 tion and knowledge, is 14 pounds for a male 

 Belgian hare. I know of some to-day, proge- 

 ny of high-priced imported stock at that, 

 weighing but little more than half of that. A 

 year ago, at our county fair, I bought a male 

 hare having taken the premium over one hav- 

 ing received the first prize at the New York 

 State Fair. He weighs now 10^ lbs. My 

 breeding-does weigh about 8 pounds, but could 

 be made to weigh more. Breeding them con- 

 tinuously reduces them in flesh, even with the 

 best of care. 



Where a great many breeders are kept, 

 boxes are made use of for their habitations. 

 They are about 16 inches high, 20 inches deep, 

 and 3>4 feet long. A good-sized dog confined 

 for a long time would feel uncomfortable in 

 such an apartment ; but the hare, being small- 

 er, feels quite comfortable in it. 



Prof. Cook states that, according to good 

 authority, a hare could be kept on 4^ lbs. of 

 hay per month, which is not far out of the 

 way for a six or seven pound hare. But with 

 one the size of a good-sized dog I think it 

 would be different. 



By the way, fine hay and even timothy hay 

 is not suitable for growing hares. They will 

 waste a great deal of it. and will not do so 

 well on it. Clover hay, if ever so coarse, is to 

 be preferred. 



Disease is practically unknown among hares; 

 they are also not troubled with vermin. I 

 have so far lost but one — a half-grown one — 

 probably from feeding an excess of succulent 

 food, or food wet with dew or rain. One must 

 exercise care in this respect. With ordinary 

 care, one need not have any losses whatever. 



When stock is closely confined in these 

 small boxes (or hutches) there comes in an- 

 other feature that will need our attention. It 

 is cleanliness. Prof. A. J. Cook said, in Ameri- 

 can Bee Journal a short time ago, "The Bel- 

 gian hare is of very cleanly habits." In a 

 measure that is true. But if Prof. Cook had 

 bred the hares himself he would have found 

 out that the hare may become very offensive. 

 The solid excrements may be gotten along 

 with without any trouble, but not so the liquid 

 voidings. Dry earth, land plaster, charcoal, 

 etc., will have to be used plentifully to keep 



things sweet. The hutches will have to be 

 sponged out often ; their floors must be made 

 absolutely light, and a drain provided to carry 

 off the moisture. When the hare is kept not 

 too closely confined, and on a ground floor, 

 with plenty of absorbents, no difficulty arises. 

 The runs may not be cleaned out except each 

 time after the young are weaned from their 

 mothers, which will be every 6 or 8 weeks, 

 when each apartment should be given a thor- 

 ough going-over, and plenty of new bedding 

 be given. In all our undertakings labor must 

 be reduced to a minimum, and so I believe it 

 is more profitable to lay out a little more mon- 

 ey in buildings than to crowd many of the 

 hares into a small space, and then lay out 

 the money in the extra labor. Our aim must 

 be to have the things around us as convenient 

 and self-regulating as possible. 



A clipping from the Fatnier's Voice was 

 brought to my notice recently in which a 

 writer warns the people pf the danger that 

 hare-breeding may bring with it; viz., that 

 the hares may become so numerous as to be- 

 come a source of great annoyance. After 

 wa!ching these animals for years I can safely 

 say that there is absolutely no ground for any 

 fear of that kind. Without the protection of 

 man, the race of hares would soon be extinct. 

 Even should the grown animals escape all the 

 dangers unharmed, they would not be able to 

 bring up a single one of their young. Cats 

 and dogs and crows would pick up the little 

 fellows as soon as they made their appearance. 

 We know this from sad experience. The hun- 

 ters with their dogs and ferrets would, in a 

 very short time, take care of the grown hares. 

 Why, even the wild rabbit doesn't stand a 

 very good chance in these parts, and will soon 

 need protection for the sake of having any 

 game left at all. 



As to their doing any damage — well, of 

 course they will bark young trees sometimes 

 when food is scarce. I have a small park, 

 about 50 feet square, into which I turn young 

 stock. A few fruit-trees stand inside of it, 

 and I have them protected with tarred paper. 

 Last winter, when we had the deep snow, the 

 hares were enabled to reach higher than the 

 protection around the trees, the snow having 

 become crusted, holding up the animals. I 

 should have attended to the matter right away, 

 but I didn't till my children came in one day 

 and informed me of the mischief the little 

 rascals were doing to the trees. During the 

 summer, and when running at large, neither 

 the hares nor the wild rabbits will ver)' often 

 do any injury to trees or to an}' thing else. 



Should any of the readers of Gleanings 

 conclude to grow Belgian hares for market, I 

 would advise supplying the home market first, 

 although it may be necessary to educate the 

 people before growing very many. I don't 

 believe the Belgian-hare industry will prove a 

 Klondike for the masses, but, like the poultry 

 industry, it may be a help to' them. I have 

 an unlimited outlet for all the hares I can 

 grow, at 15 cents per pound, dressed. This 

 price is for matured animals. Broilers should 

 bring 20 or 25 cents per pound on the same 

 basis. The young animals dress away about 



