August, 19 13 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



FANCY RABBITS OF MANY KINDS 



PEOPLE who suppose that rabbits are 

 prized only by boys and girls are greatly 

 mistaken. ]\lany business and professional 

 men find pleasure in breeding these 

 friendly little animals, not only because 

 they are among the best of pets but because 

 of the satisfaction found in producing 

 specimens coming as near as possible to the 

 ideal type. 



The common white, pink-eyed rabbits 

 generally chosen for children are by no 

 means the best, being rather poor breeders 

 and indifferent mothers. There are fash- 

 ions in rabbits as in other things, and just 

 now the Belgian hare seems to be most in 

 favor. This is not surprising, however, 

 for the Belgian is a handsome animal when 

 well bred, with fine curves, a long lithe 

 body and a beautiful reddish brown coat. 

 The ears of a good specimen must be laced 

 with black and the feet must be free from 

 white. Despite its name, the Belgian hare 

 is not a hare at all, but a true rabbit. There 

 are several distinct differences in the two 

 families. The young of rabbits, for ex- 

 ample, are born blind and naked, while 

 newly-born hares appear with their eyes 

 open and with well developed coats. About 

 all the so-called wild rabbits found in this 

 country are really hares. 



Some years ago a Belgian hare craze 

 swept over the country and hundreds of 

 costly specimens were imported from Eng- 

 land, where the breed has long been popu- 

 lar. Prices soared to ridiculous heights. 

 to drop when the boom broke, almost over 

 night. A splendid buck of my own with a 

 value of at least fifty dollars at one time 

 probably would not have sold for ten a few 

 months later, although he was too much of 

 a pet to be sold at all. Large sums were 

 soent for buildings and advertising. A lead- 

 ing surgeon in central New York con- 

 structed a rabbitry as large as a good-sized 

 poultry plant. When the slump came it 

 blighted the get-rich-quick hopes of many 

 breeders, but fanciers have continued to 

 raise and exhibit Belgians because of their 

 beauty of form and color as well as their 

 other good qualities. The flesh of this rab- 

 bit is not excelled by chicken ; it is white, 

 fine of grain and not at all gamey in flavor. 

 Belgians are well worth raising for meat 

 and there ought to be a better market for 

 them than there is. 



Although the Flemish giant is bred by 

 fanciers it is pre-eminently a meat breed 

 and would have great economic value if 

 better known. As the name indicates, the 

 Flemish giant is a large animal, weighing 

 from ten to eighteen pounds. The color if 

 steel gray, the frame large and the long ears 

 verv erect. 



Of all the fancy rabbits the lop-eared has 

 the longest history. It has been bred for 

 a century or more, but bred so fine thai 

 present day specimens are lacking in 

 stamina. The ears form the leading fea- 

 ture and can be made to assume the great 

 length desired only when the animals are 

 given artificial heat in cold weather. Many 

 more are bred in England than here, and 

 over there rabbits with ears measuring 

 from twenty-five to thirty inches have beer 

 produced. The ears are expected to be 

 five or six inches wide and they hang tc 

 the ground, giving the animals a highly 

 grotesque appearance. 



Both Dutch and Himalayan rabbits are 

 very satisfactory as pets and make a pleas- 

 ant appeal to the eye. Dutch rabbits are 

 small and trim. They are found in several 

 colors, but always have a distinctive white 

 band around the neck and a white spot on 

 the nose. The does have the maternal in- 

 stinct well developed and often are used 

 for foster mothers. The Himalayans are but 



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