48 CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF RABBITS 
dard for the breed. The youngsters are hardy, 
quick maturing and will easily dress one pound 
for each month of their age up to six months. 
I rarely find one that will not beat this record 
by a long ways. They are of a delicious 
flavor and texture, having white meat all over, 
similar to the breast of a chicken. There isn’t 
a single rabbit of the domesticated breeds that 
has dark meat. 
The Belgian hare is the smallest of the com- 
mercial breeds. It should weigh eight pounds 
or under. For years it was bred more for ap- 
pearance and style, it being thought highly 
ideal to have as small and trim an animal as 
possible. It springs from the same source as 
the Flemish Giant, but the English breeders 
sacrificed its splendid commercial possibilities 
in order to make a show animal of it. 
It is long and racy in appearance and is not 
quite so chunky and solid as the New Zealand 
Red, but it makes a splendid commercial ani- 
mal when bred for that purpose. It is a quick 
grower and takes on weight readily and if 
