22 PRACTICAL RABBIT KEEPING 



for show purposes or to sell for breeding pur- 

 poses. He therefore has a certain number of 

 animals to sell for food purposes, unless he is 

 so devoid of honor as to palm off even his poor 

 animals as desirable breeders, counting on 

 the inexperience of beginners to make this 

 possible. 



There is a growing call for strictly utility 

 animals, but it will pay even the amateur to 

 keep the best breeding stock that he can get, 

 providing it is not lacking in size or stamina, 

 because he is almost certain to find a sale for 

 well marked animals at a good price. 



Yet it is because of their ability to supply a 

 large amount of food cheaply that rabbits are 

 being most vigorously exploited. The situa- 

 tion in England and on the continent, where 

 meat is scarce, is. reflected here. In Great 

 Britain the Board of Agriculture has urged 

 gardeners to raise rabbits for food, to take the 

 place of beef and mutton. Three pounds of 

 rabbit, the Board says, with one pound of 

 bacon, will provide more nitrogenous and 

 fatty food than four pounds of beef. Rabbit 

 clubs are being formed in England. A nation- 

 v^ride rabbit breeding campaign is being car- 



