I40 PRACTICAL RABBIT KEEPING 



On the Pacifc coast there are many women 

 who engage in the keeping of rabbits either 

 commercially or as a side line. Some of these 

 women have learned how to cure and tan the 

 hides, and are making up fur garments, either 

 for their own use or to sell. It is not difficult 

 to learn to do this work, and there is always a 

 sale for the furs, even though the price is not 

 high. The skins are easily cut to the right 

 shape by being tacked to a flat board, the pat- 

 tern then being marked out on them with a 

 pencil. A sharp knife is used to make the 

 cutting, being preferable to scissors. If the 

 cutting is not made very deeply and the pieces 

 are pulled apart, the hairs will not be cut, and 

 will have a better appearance. For sewing 

 the furs a baseball stitch or an over and over 

 stitch is used, the seam being then pressed flat. 

 The edges can be finished by running a piece 

 of cloth around them, turning it over and fas- 

 tening it firmly to a thin piece of cotton over 

 the skin. Of course any kind of lining can be 

 used. It seems as though this might prove a 

 profitable industry for women, especially if 

 furs continue to remain as popular as they are 

 now. 



