RABBIT FURS— THEIR VALUE i/^v 



Doubtless more attention will be paid by 

 women doing this work to the production of 

 rabbits especially valuable for fur. That 

 means those in solid colors, for when rabbit 

 skins are dyed, they do not wear so well, per- 

 haps because the dye rots them. Such breeds 

 as the Himalayan, the English, the Black and 

 the White Flemish, the New Zealand, the 

 Blue Imperial, the Checkered Giant and the 

 Silver can be used without being dyed. The 

 so-called Siberian hare is considered espe- 

 cially valuable when black furs are wanted 

 because of the even color. Some black rabbits 

 have patches of brown which reduce their 

 value. 



If the skins are to be salable, they must be 

 obtained when they are in the best condition. 

 During a molt, of course, they are worthless, 

 unless a market can be found for them at a 

 glue factory. The skins are at their best in 

 the winter, of course, say between October and 

 March, and rabbits which are kept in out-of- 

 door hutches are apt to develop a better qual- 

 ity of fur than those which are housed in 

 warmer quarters. 



Getting off the pelt is not a difficult matter 



