FOR EXHIBITION AND MARKET 



Belgian hare boom in this country. People in all 

 walks of life invested in Belgian hares, and fortunes 

 were made and lost. From Chicago to the Pacific 

 Coast the interest was at fever heat, and Chicago, 

 Kansas City, San Francisco and Los Angeles were 

 the great centers. It was a hard matter to purchase 

 a fine specimen for less than $50.00, and many sold 

 for $100, $150 and $200, while one famous specimen 

 brought over $1,000. Wealthy business men of Kansas 

 "City organized importing companies, and paid experts 

 large salaries to go to England and also to Los Angeles 

 and pick out fine specimens. One Kansas City concern 

 owned 5,000 Belgians at one time. The Los Angeles 

 papers would be full of notices of auction sales of 

 Belgian hares and people would come from all parts 

 of the country to buy. Belgian hare meat was served 

 at the fashionable hotels and on dining cars, and the 

 demand was great. 



To secure winners for the great Chicago show in 

 1899, $100 each was paid for specimens that won only 

 fifth prizes in their classes. The writer is personally 

 acquainted with an Englishman who has made his 

 home in America since just before the boom started, 

 and being a Belgian hare fancier he was fortunate 

 enough to breed and exhibit the winner for the great 

 Chicago show. We had many wonderful experiences 

 during that boom and it affords great pleasure to meet 

 the few fanciers who are still in the fancy that were 

 in the game during the great boom. The boom quick- 

 ly died out on account of the snuffles, high prices and 

 dishonest breeders. 



The Belgian hare suffered a serious setback from 



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