MAEKETING. 



13 



each day until all are transferred to another hutch, which may be 

 large enough to accommodate any number. They do well together 

 until they are 3 or 4 months old, when their development will compel 

 separation of the sexes. After this any number of does may occupy 

 the same hutch, but bucks, unless thoroughly accustomed to each 

 other, will fight. 



MARKETING. 



At 4 months the young Belgian hare should be ready for market, 

 and if it has been properly fed should weigh about 6 pounds or even 

 more. This weight is about the best for market rabbits, and imme- 

 diate sale is more profitable than keeping to maturity. Some breed- 

 ers sell at 10 to 12 weeks and aim to have their stock weigh about 

 5J pounds at that age. To do this requires that the animals be kept 

 in small hutches where they can have but little exercise and that they 

 be fed heavily from the time they are weaned. Under this treatment 

 they grow very rapidly and are really superior for the table. 



MARKET RETURNS. 



It is not easy to state what a breeder should realize for market 

 rabbits. Much depends on local conditions and especially upon the 

 familiarity of the public with the excellence of hutch rabbits for the 

 table. If the animals are new to a market, a demand for them will 

 hr ve to be built up, but as a rule they will soon become popular. Bet- 

 ter prices can usually be had by selling directly to the consumer, thus 

 saving the middlemen's profit. One may make arrangements to de- 

 liver regularly or periodically to hotels and restaurants, but often a 

 poultry dealer will agree to take a certain quantity at regular inter- 

 vals. A breeder of Belgian hares near a military post in Virginia 

 informs the writer that he finds ready sale for all he can spare at 20 

 cents a pound, dressed. In England, where rabbits are almost as 

 common in the markets as fowls, the prices paid by poulterers for the 

 carcasses average 5d. to 6d. (10 to 12 cents) per pound. If as much 

 can be had for them here the rearing of rabbits should be about as 

 profitable as growing poultry for the table. If members of the fam- 

 ily look after the rabbits, so that there is no outlay for labor, and if 

 the hutches are built at home, the cost of rearing may be greatly re- 

 duced and much of the income will be net gain. While it must be 

 admitted that rabbits require more care than is usually given to 

 poultry on our farms, their management has the advantage that it is 

 more interesting, especially to the younger members of the family. 



DISPOSING OF SURPLUS. 



After selecting the best stock for breeding purposes it is well to 

 dispose of the remainder as rapidly as conditions warrant. If those 



496 



<4i 



