562 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Decsmler 2S, 1876. 



handsome ; Mr. Royds, a cage of admirable Jacobins containing 

 two Reds, two Blacks, two Yellows, and two Splashes, the latter 

 particularly striking ; Mr. Booth, a pretty cage of foreign Owls 

 and Shortfaces ; and last, but by no means least except in size, 

 we must mention a dozen Almond Tumblers shown by Mr. T. 

 Hallam, of the quality for which he is so well known as a breeder, 

 and which could not have failed to please the most fastidious 

 either as regards head properties or colour. Amongst them was 

 the charming little Palace cup cock, which is a study for an 

 Almond breeder. The general arrangements of the Show re- 

 flected the greatest credit on the courteous and indefatigable 

 Secretary, Mr. H. Allsop. 



THE MANAGEMENT OP THE LOP-EABED 



BABBIT. 



During the last few years foreign breeds of Rabbits have 

 greatly improved their position in the estimation of Rabbit 

 fanciers; and whereas a few years since no other breed than the 

 Lop was kept for showing, now a great deal of attention is paid 

 to the smaller but no less interesting varieties. Lops, however, 

 still hold their position as the first among fancy Rabbits, and 

 hence I have selected them for the first of a series of papers on 

 Rabbit breeding and rearing. 



There are several points relating to the keeping of Lop-eared 

 Rabbits that require attention, and several of them have caused 

 much unnecessary controversy. The ears have alwayB been con- 

 sidered one of the most important features in the breed, and 

 although the other points are now receiving more attention and 

 are more highly valued, it is not because the ears are to be neg- 

 lected. Twenty-two inches from tip to tip of ear measured 

 across the top of the head used to be considered a great length, 

 but considerable improvement has been made lately in this 

 respect ; and although 22 is still considerably over the average, 

 22J, and even 23i are sometimes attained. Twenty-four inches 

 has only been touched upon two occasions, and then only by 

 London judges. 



To attain these enormous lengths recourse has to be had to 

 heat, and it is the proper regulation of this that is one of the 

 chief points to be considered in management. If the tempera- 

 ture be too high the animal's health will considerably suffer, 

 whereas if it be too low the ears will not be long enough. Some 

 writers advocate 80° or 90°, but 60° or 70° at the most is quite 

 high enough for health. Ear-stretching used at one time to be 

 resorted to to increase the langth of ears, but it really tends to 

 shorten them by breaking the delicate fibres of which those 

 organs are composed. It is not so much practised now as 

 formerly, but at one time it was an almost prevalent practice. 



In breeding the first thing to be done is to select the parent 

 stock. Do not let the desire to have great length of ear over- 

 come the necessity of having health and strength. Select a 

 strong doe with ears not under 20, or, if possible, say 21 or 

 ?2 inches. Let the buck's ears be not less than 22, and as much 

 more as possible, and above all be careful that both parents are 

 strong and in good condition. If you are breeding for colour see 

 whether the Rabbits have been produced by parents of the same 

 colour as themselves, and if not whether there were any in the 

 litter like either parent. This is necessary, because in some 

 strains Rabbits do not all keep to colour. If you want black- 

 and-white a black doe is best, and a black-and-white buck. As 

 a general rule, it is best to breed for broken colours with self- 

 colours, or else the offspring will not be heavy enough in 

 markings. 



Having selected your parent stock and paired them, the next 

 question will be the doe's hutch in the which she is to kindle. 

 This should be constructed with the ordinary two compartments, 

 and on the double-floor principle. Let it be fairly roomy, but 

 not over-large — say 3 feet or 3 feet 6 inches by about 2 feet, and 

 the sleeping room something under a foot. Between the real 

 and artificial floors there should be a space of an inch or more, 

 and the former is best constructed of stone, slate, or metal. 

 This space I think is best left open, but I have seen it advocated 

 to fill it up with sawdust, so that the urine could percolate into 

 it and throw off a warm vapour. I should hardly think this 

 would be very healthy, and if it be done for ventilation holes 

 should be bored through the top of the hutch so that the foul air 

 can escape at once. This hutch should be placed in an outhouse 

 or shed so constructed as to perfectly exclude all draughts, but 

 yet to afford sufficient ventilation. The floor should be covered 

 with asphalte or cement, as the wet will soak into any other sub- 

 stance and cause an unhealthy vapour to be constantly rising. 

 If there is not a floor of this description the next best is a layer 

 of sand 2 or 3 inches deep, which can be renewed three or four 

 times a-year. Sand or gravel iB decidedly better than soil, but 

 both are more or less unhealthy. The roof should be mode- 

 rately high. 



As the doe's time of kindling draws nigh, that is towards the 

 end of the fourth week, liberally supply her with fine straw and 

 sweet hay, and she will soon make hernest of it. You may rely 

 upon her being with young if she tears the hay up and carries is 



about in her mouth. Having made a nest of the straw and hay 

 she will line it with fur from her own breast, sometimes in her 

 zeal laying herself almost bare. At the time of kindling the 

 doe is often afflicted with excessive thirst, to appease which she 

 will sometimes eat one or more of her young. A saucer of milk 

 or water will alleviate this. 



Arrange your breeding so that you will have a nurse doe 

 kindling at about the same time. When your Lop doe has 

 kindled about a couple of days seize an opportunity when she is 

 feeding to have a look at the young. Even at that age you will 

 be able to tell plainly enough which are the best marked. Select 

 two or three of these and leave them with the doe. The re- 

 mainder remove, and substitute for your nurse doe's litter. 

 Great care should be used over this operation, as if the doe note 

 the change she will unmercifully attack the new comers. Shut 

 her from the young a few houre before changing them, and feed 

 her with very moist food so as to give her a great flow of milk. 

 Do not admit her into the dark room until the fresh young ones 

 have been there some little time, so that they will have settled 

 down. Then admit her, and after the young have once drawn 

 her milk there will be no more difficulty, and she will tend them 

 the same as her own. Keep the front of the hutch covered up 

 the first week or two so as to keep the young Rabbits warm. 

 Supply both mothers liberally with good nourishing food, not 

 omitting to give them plenty of a succulent nature. If you 

 want length of ear and good size for show purposes, the longer 

 you have the young with the do6 the better, so long as she does 

 not fight them. When this occurs often, if she be put to the 

 buck she will be quite peaceable again. As soon as the young 

 begin to feed give them soft flesh-forming food, taking care not 

 to derange the bowels, as this will keep them back more than 

 anything. Keep them with their mother till at least two months 

 old, and as near three as you can. Even if you exceed three it 

 will only tend to increase their siz9. Remember that at this 

 time their ears are capable of tremendous growth, and your 

 work is to increase that growth as much as you can. Some- 

 times both ears do not fall evenly, one being inclined to be up- 

 right or to fall over the face. The course in that case is as 

 follows : — Put the Rabbit in question on your knees and gently 

 work the ears, not pull them, till they assume the correct 

 position. Let this be repeated daily as long as necessary. There 

 need be nothing cruel in the action. Pulling will do more harm 

 than good, and if only gently worked the Rabbit scarcely notices 

 it, and frequently will continue eating during the operation. 

 Feed liberally with crushed corn, and vary the kind as often as 

 you like, for just as you prefer a change from beef to mutton, 

 and back again, so does bunny like a change in his diet occasion- 

 ally. Wheat, oat3, and barley form three very good flesh and 

 size-forming foods. For a treat, and to put flesh upon their 

 bones, give an occasional — say once a-week or fortnight — mess 

 of split peas. Let these be first scalded in hot water and left 

 to soak several hours ; then let the water be poured off, and a 

 very little milk be added. An occasional feed of brewers' grains 

 is also good, but neither of these two last Bhonld be given too 

 often. 



Supply liberally with green stuff. Take care that no poison 

 gets among it, as several herbs are noxious to the Rabbit. 

 Lettuce, cabbage, carrot tops, soft and tender grass, young corn, 

 tares, all kinds of clover, trifolium, and lucerne, endive, parsley, 

 (beware of the hemlock, which has a round and spotted leaf, and 

 is poisonous); sow thistles, young grass, and several other herbs 

 may with safety be given. The amount need not be very limited, 

 provided always that it is gathered dry, and left a little in the 

 sun or warmth before being given. No green stuff must ever be 

 given wet, and if it be gathered wet and then dried, the process 

 will take out nearly all the goodness. Supply good hay ad 

 libitum. This is one of the cheapest and best foods that you 

 can possibly give to Rabbits, although when it is used in abun- 

 dance there must also be a good supply of succulent food, or 

 there will be a tendency to constipation. Roots are very good. 

 Swede and all kind of turnips and carrots may be given with 

 great advantage. 



Lop Rabbits should be kindled in the spring or early summer, 

 so that less artificial heat will be required. If, however, you 

 have late litters be sure you keep your temperature uniform in 

 the winter, and supply with warm food. Bran mash is good 

 when given warm, but is not very strengthening. If the addi- 

 tion of a little oat or barleymeal be made it will improve it greatly, 

 and make it wholesome, nourishing, and at the same time 

 palatable. 



It should be hardly necessary to speak: of the importance of 

 cleanliness in breeding. The effeots of neglecting this all- 

 important duty are sometimes seen at once, the young dying off 

 rapidly ; but even if this be not so, the effect will bethere ready 

 to show itself when opportunity shall occur either in the form 

 of disease or in stunted growth. The necessity of keeping air 

 that is regulated to G0° pure, should be apparent to all. If the 

 very necessary .precaution be neglected the air will assume a 

 fostid and noxious smell that will mako it horrible to enter the 

 rabbitry. The hutches should be cleaned out once a day, and 



