984 Rabbit Breeding for Small Holders, [march, 



muscular chest, tail straight, not screwed, altogether of a racy appear- 

 ance. 20 points. 



Ticking of rather a wavy appearance and plentiful. 10 points. 



Ears about five inches, thin, well-laced tips. 10 points. 



Eye hazel colour, large, round, bright, and bold. 10 points. 



Legs and feet : Forefeet and legs long, straight, slender, well 

 coloured, and free from white bars ; hind feet well coloured. 10 points. 



Dewlap : None. 10 points. 



Size : About 8 lb. 5 points. 



Condition : Perfectly healthy, not fat, but flesh firm, like a racehorse, 

 and good quality of fur. 5 points. 

 Maximum number of points, 100. 



It is probable that the chief disadvantage of this breed lies 

 in the fact that many Belgian Hares are anything but hardy. 

 This is due to "breeding in-and-in," which, in securing good 

 colouring, fine limbs, head, &c, has resulted in some sacrifice 

 of stamina. If, however, a good-sized animal were obtained, 

 not strictly a show specimen, the offspring would probably 

 be satisfactory, as the breed is certainly prolific and the does 

 are generally good mothers. The chief value of the Belgian 

 Hare lies in the first cross. If a massive Flemish Giant 

 buck is mated with a large, well-built Belgian doe, the 

 resulting young are undeniably excellent table rabbits; 

 in fact, they are by many claimed to be the best table 

 rabbits. 



Breeding. — Does may litter any number from three to ten, 

 but taking everything into consideration, about 20 youngsters 

 per annum is an average for the usual breeding rabbit. 

 The best time for breeding is undoubtedly the spring and 

 summer, but if the rabbits are properly housed and well 

 looked after, breeding may proceed slowly throughout the 

 winter. More care is necessary in the upbringing of any 

 litters that may be born in winter, but with a fairly large 

 head of stock, it would probably be safe to assume that a 

 proportion of the does would come into season throughout the 

 colder part of the year, and, no doubt, the breeding of does 

 in winter may be encouraged by warm housing and judicious 

 feeding. 



Fattening.— The fattening of table rabbits is important, 

 the object being to place on the market at the end of fourteen 

 weeks or so a rabbit that will yield a dressed carcass of 3J to 

 4 lb. of meat. The fattening starts from the day they are 



