BREEDING AND CARE OF RABBITS 



and both will generally disappear rapidly. Salt in the 

 oats once a week is very healthy for them, and plenty 

 of hard, dry bread is also good. Exhibit your stock 

 while it is young and send it in the exhibition shipping 

 crates shown in another part of the book. 



The Standard. 



It may be well to explain the color a little more 

 fully as it is a problem for old, experienced breeders 

 to decide which is the proper color. The majority of 

 breeders seem to think that the rich, glossy mahog- 

 any or deep, rich, cherry red is the right color, and 

 that it should run clear to the skin. In years gone 

 by it was no uncommon thing to hear this expression, 

 "Red to the Skin," but such Belgians are rare today. 

 The rich, wavy black ticking seems to be disappearing, 

 also the hind feet are not the rich red color they were 

 at one time. The Belgian should be a deep rich cherry 

 red all over its body, head, ears, chest, down its 

 flanks, its hind and front feet, and be covered with a 

 rich wavy ticking. The shape should be racy and 

 stylish, so when a person would span its body behind 

 its front legs they could run their hand clear back to 

 the hind quarters and find scarcely any difference in 

 the size of the stomach. The legs should also be long 

 and fine boned, and the body of good length. Then 

 with a well shaped head, long thin ears and beautiful, 

 large, bold, wild, hare-like eyes and you have a speci- 

 men beautiful to see. 



104 



