207 
Belgian Hares 
Yon liuvo rocoiitly made inquiries in 
regard to Helgian hares. First, do they 
I)a.v for their keep? This could be an¬ 
swered eitlier in the .affirmative or nega¬ 
tive, like majiy ot'^^r -luestions which 
might be asketl. “'long the lines of agri- 
eultnre or aarmal trading. For instance, 
does it pay to raise poultry? Does it pay 
to set o\it fruit trees? Does it pay to 
raise or produce milk? Some say “No*’; 
others the revei-se. I think it depends 
very much on the care and environments, 
and the natural ability of the individ\ial 
who ujidertakes to follow any of the above 
lines, as well as numerous others one 
might cite. 
I have kept hares for about six years 
and gained more or less experience in 
tlieir care and breeding, and stilt I be¬ 
lieve there is nuich more I might learn. 
'I'liere :tr(v quite .a number of pei’sons ad¬ 
vertising pedigreed sto<.'k (so called). So 
far as I can see, as conditions are today, 
we can all do the same. Now I will say 
I have had hares that were nine months 
or a year old that had eaten their heads 
ofi‘ once or twice before they aridved at 
a salable size, while from the same doe 
1 have had hares that have made a steady 
gain of ll!i pounds per mouth. The two 
v.arying conditions were brought about by 
th*' care, feed and attention they were re- 
<-eiving. Right here I will say there is 
no other animal I am acquainted with that 
n ill produce the same amount of meat in 
the space of time and of the same value 
for food consumed as the Belgian hare. 
1 will not go into every detail as to 
hdw this work ought to be done, for if I 
should I have reason to think that those 
who start in the business will have ideas 
of their own, and will have to meet Avith 
some reverses before success will l>e ob¬ 
tained. There have been and are today 
many misleading statements made in re¬ 
gard to the Belgian hare; in fact, I have 
hefoi-e me now tAvO’ advertising schemes 
st.arting something like this: “A For¬ 
tune in Belgian Hares.”' Every 4hink- 
ing ja'ison Avho gets these ^advertisements 
ought to weigh the matter well before he 
Jumps. “Oo ea'i.v,’’ I say. Learn the 
business as you .go along, detdde Avhat line 
von intend to follow; breeding for the 
shoAV ro<im. breeding .stock to sell to 
others, or )irodneing meat for the table. 
Due can combine them all provided they 
iii'e adapted for .all three lines. Your in¬ 
quirers evidentl.v AA'ould like to knoAV if 
they could go to raising hares and come 
out even. T say “Yes: decidedly so.” If 
they Avant them for pets take up the 
r.'iiicy breeding dejiartment, get the best 
stock they can ju-ocure, then advertise. 
If for the meat* end, pay no attention to 
style, but breed for size and quick 
groAVth, make no p(‘ts, be prei)ared to 
kill and disimse of :ts soon as they cease 
to make groAvth, or at from live to eight 
itonnds in Aveight. I have sold many 
hares for table use, and Avherever used 
they are considered a delicacy not to be 
met Avith every day. Still in many sec¬ 
tions the )>roducer AA’ill have to create his 
own market. 
Hares can be kept under almost any 
conditions but the better they are cared 
for, i. e., housed, fed, kept clean, Avatered. 
and all the above done regularly, the 
l>etter the results. One side spells suc¬ 
cess Avith hares, and the other failure 
and ultim.-ite disgust with the whole busi¬ 
ness. When one goes into the business 
of producing Belgian hares and raising 
them on their mother’s milk and foi'cing 
her to pro<luce enough of that on a few* 
handsful of clover or vegetables scraped 
up in the gai-deu, that nothing else Avill 
eat, I feel like suggesting they try a dose 
t>f their OAvn medicine. I can produce 
liares that will w’cigh six to nine iKuinds 
at six months old, but not on the abf>ve 
method. I can assure anyone neither am 
T selling or offering this class of stock for 
the prices quite often offered in the pa- 
ix-rs. 
Hares Avill eat many things that poul¬ 
try do not care £<•!*, Avhich will go far to 
make up the bulky part of their food, 
Avhich Avill very materially reduce the 
<<incentrates Avhich poultry recpiire in 
order that they make a quick groAvth. 
Hther points in their favor are no ex¬ 
pensive heatt'd brooders or hatching con¬ 
trivances needed to produce the young, 
Avhile the percentage of loss by the death 
rate is very small. They can be bred 
Avhen about six months of age, Avhile Avith 
proper attention they Avill produce four 
CAe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
litters or more a year, varying from four 
to eight at a time. As to the age when 
this ceases I have yet to find out, as I 
have one hare at the present time with 
a litter of young Avhose age is supposed 
to be about seven years. E. C. wake. 
Mas.sachusetts. 
AILING ANIMALS 
Diseased Shote 
We killed three shot.es recently out of 
six. The first (iressed 115 pounds, the 
second 115 pounds, and the third SO 
pounds. All Avere from the same litter. 
They Avere killed a week apart, the last 
one, dressing SO pounds, being the last 
killed. This shote Avhen killed had an 
enlarged liver. The liver Avns at least 
double normal size, and Avas hard. There 
were Avhite blotch-like spots on it. There 
Avei’C no ulcerations or anything like sore 
I)laces. The shote Avas always undei-sized, 
so much so that Ave called it “Rtiiity.” 
It Avas a barroAV. and Avas ahviiys apj)ur- 
ently healthy. HoAA’ever, the last AA*eck 
Runty did not eat all.the food given him, 
but nothing particular was thought of this 
because Ave fed him dry and thought he 
was being overfed. We also noticed dur¬ 
ing the last Aveek that he Avas not so 
active, preferring to lie doAvn or sit on 
his haunches and munch the fodder about 
him, of Avhich he had plenty, fltherwisc 
he gave no signs of being sick. He was 
very fat as compared Avith the others, 
much of which he seemed to gain in the 
last three Aveeks. When dressed he 
turned out the nicest carcass I ever saw. 
His blood Avas drained perfectly, his kid¬ 
neys were perfect, and in every other Avay 
the meat gave the appearance of a most 
healthy hog. Would this uig»be considered 
diseased pork? Would it be unfit for 
use? What Avas the matter Avith the liver; 
that is, Avhat was the probahh* cause, 
whether injury or actual sickness? 
Pennsylvania. ii. r. 
The fact that the pig Avoighed .”5 pounds 
less than his litter mate and had an ab¬ 
normal liver shoAvs that he Avas diseased, 
and we conld not conscientionsly advise 
use of the meat for human consumption. 
We cannot, hoAvever, say <'<>nfidentl.v Avhat 
disease Avas present, although tuberctilo.sis 
or parasites might cause the ahiiormal 
condition of the liver. a. s. a. 
Cough 
My five-year-old Jersey coav has a bad 
coAigli; It seems to come from the stomach. 
I guA'C her some cornstalks tq cat Avhich 
Avere moldy. I feed hay, cornstalks, all 
she Aviir eat, and some turnips and cab¬ 
bage. She AAull freshen in April. Conld 
you advise Avbat to do? R. M. K. 
Connecticut. 
Til all jirobahility the symiitoms de- 
scribi'd are caused b.y tuberculosis affect¬ 
ing tlie lungs, and a cow so diseased is 
dangerous to the <‘attle and her milk is 
unfit for any use. Have the tuberculin 
applied by a ti*ained veterinarian. The 
test is reliable and has no effect Avhen 
tuberculosis is not iirosent. A. 8. a. 
Lame Sheep 
My sheep arc troubled Avith a lameness 
or disease that I do not understand. Four 
of the sheep have finite a large swelling 
on the joint nearest the bofly of the left 
front leg, a.s large as one’s fist, making 
the slieep very lann'. Thert? is no (‘ut or 
bruise. In every case the swelling is on 
tlie left front leg in same position. Can 
yon give me information and a possibh' 
remedy or treatment? av. a. av. 
Connecticut. 
We slionld advise you to clip oft’ the 
AA’ool and paint the SAvelling twice daily 
with tincture of iodine for two days and 
then once a day. If the SAvelling peivsisls 
;ind fliiid evidently is present, the veter¬ 
inarian should i*emovc it. Without an 
examination avc cannot determine the ex¬ 
act nature ()f the trouble, but “shoe-boil” 
from bruising Avoiffil bfi a novelty in sheep 
and scarcely Avoiidd allVct several at one 
time unless the .sheep liaA’c been lying 
upon a bare cement floor. a. s. a. 
“A man should never talk about Avhat 
he doesn’t understand.” “Sometimes,” 
replied Senator Sorghum, “you’re obliged 
to do .so in self-defence. Yon get tired 
of listening to other peojile talk about 
Ihiiigs they don’t understand.”—IVa.v/t 
•iKiloii- Star. 
i 
II 
''M 
Remember: 
I have no ped¬ 
dler’s wagon and 
horses expenses 
to pay; that’s why 
I can sell you my 
Stock Tonic 
through a local 
dealer in your 
town—a man 
with whom you 
trade every week 
—at rock-bottom 
prices. 
Dr. Hess Stock Tonic 
25-lb« pail, $2.00; 100-lb* Drum, $6*50 
Except in the far West, South and Canada. 
Smaller packages in proportion. 
Why Pay the Peddler Twice My Price ? 
Condition Your Stock 
Drive Out the Worms 
spring is here —your animals have long been on dry feed 
and as grain, hay and fodder do not contain the laxatives so 
abundantly supplied by grass, they are apt to be out of fix. 
Now’s the time to feed Dr. Hess Stock Tonic to your 
horses, to condition them for spring work, so that when the 
sun shines they will be rid of their old coat, full of stamina and 
ready for business. 
And don't overlook the spring pig crop —the money-makers. 
Start them off free from disease—free from worms, by a course 
of Dr. Hess Stock Tonic. 
YouP cows will be benefited by Dr. Hess Stock Tonic, 
and it will keep your feeding cattle right up on their appe¬ 
tites during the finishing period. 
Excellent for ewes at lambing time. 
Dr. Hess Stock Tonic contains laxatives to regulate the bowels, 
diuretics to remove dropsical swellings, tonics to improve the 
appetite and increase digestion, and vermifuges to expel worms. 
There’s a dealer in your town that will supply you with Dr. 
Hess Stock Tonic and guarantee it to do these things. 
DR. HESS & CLARK, Ashland, Ohio 
Dr. Hess Poultry PAN-A-C 
win belp make your bens lay novir 
Dr. Hess Instant Louse Kille 
