= om 
it is to have such a haven of rest, especially when the wife 
and little ones are anxious to be there too, and only wait for 
the coming of papa to tread tiptoe to the sacred spot where 
the ever-pleasing pets are kept. 
Many years ago, in a neighboring State, there was a home 
we often visited, for a common sympathy bound our soul to 
the occupants of that house. Our school-boy friend had 
grown to man’s estate, had taken to himself a wife, whose 
cheerful smile and pleasant voice oft bade us welcome to 
their charming fireside, while their children gathered about 
us to lisp their happy tales of tumbling pigeons. Many a 
day did we watch the tumblers sporting in the air, the sun- 
light glittering on their burnished plumage. Then came 
the thunders and lightnings of the cloud that swept our land 
and drifted us so far apart. Four years, and with trepida- 
tions we turned our steps towards that home. It was late 
in the evening when the corner of the woods that veiled for 
a time the cherished spot was turned. The sun was drawing 
the golden twilight after him as he sank to rest, the length- 
ened shadows were falling upon the ragged sward, and one 
of them lay at our feet. We followed its sombre outline 
until our eyes discovered the dilapidated chimney that stood 
like a lonely sentinel to mark the death of happiness. As 
we stood by the charred gateway, looking upon all that was 
left of that home, a bird shot through the air and rested upon 
the ruined tower. It was one of the old tumblers, whose 
gambollings we had so often watched in ‘‘the days that are | 
no more.”’ Dr. W. P. Moraan. 

en 
RABBIT-KEEPING. 
Tuis subject is one that is as yet in its infancy ; in fact, 
public interest can hardly be said to have been excited ; 
measuring the attention paid to this fancy, by that which 
has been devoted to poultry. Still that there is a growing 
fondness for these pretty pets, is evident from the very large 
number of letters received daily by the writer, and other 
fanciers; and the inquiries coming from places so remote 
from each other, lead to the conclusion that it will not be 
long before every portion of the country which has its 
poultry fanciers, will also add to their local exhibitions a 
class for rabbits. 
Many would-be fanciers are deterred from becoming so 
by the prevalent opinion that rabbit-keeping is a very 
troublesome, expensive, and annoying occupation. Trouble- 
some in the care necessarily bestowed upon them, and the 
watchfulness required to protect them from cats, rats and 
other preying vermin. Expensive, in the outlay required 
to secure good stock and suitable accommodations. Annoy- 
ing, in the injury resulting to fruit trees where the animals 
are allowed to run at large, and in the mishaps attendant to 
the does burrowing in the earth and nesting out of the sight 
and reach of the owner. All of which objections are easily 
overcome, and are in fact without foundation, if a proper 
system of rabbit-keeping is followed. 
In my boyhood days I kept the common white rabbit in 
pits or courts, frequently accumulating upwards of fifty 
together ; and in later years, when the fancy came back to 
me, and led me to invest in the newer and ‘“ fancy ’’ varie- 
ties, I have held on to the same system, although much 
modified and improved by more mature judgment and ex- 
perience. In answer to the objection of the trouble required, 
I find them no more care than poultry; and in the rearing 
FANCIERS’ JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 

27 
of young, poultry really NEED the greatest attention. Reg- 
ularity in feeding at morning and night, and a change of 
diet, together with close attention to cleanliness, being all 
the care required to insure success. If kept in hutches or 
in rooms, it must be apparent to any observer that cats and 
rats must be kept out, which is certainly no difficult matter. 
Covering the windows with wire cloth, effectually excludes 
cats, and yet allows perfect ventilation, while tinning the 
floors all around the edges of the room, a width of eight 
inches, and allowing the tin to extend up the sides some 
three or four inches, is a sure stopper to the entrance of the 
rats. I find, however, that rats are not as destructive in 
this fancy as in that of chickens and pigeons. During some 
repairs and alterations to my rabbitry, which was in an 
incomplete state for upwards of a month, the rats had free 
ingress to the floor of the house. The wires of my breeding 
hutches were one and one quarter inches apart, so that 
access to the young was comparatively easy ; yet, although 
rats were swarming through that and other buildings adjoin- 
ing, and devoured any grain that was left on the floor or 
remaining in the feeding pail they did not touch the young 
rabbits, of which I had nearly one hundred in the room at 
that time. I would not, however, recommend the amateur to 
run any such risk; in the present case it was unavoidable, 
and I would not willingly repeat it. Prevention is so easy, 
that it would be folly to invite disaster. I must not omit to 
state that on one night one of my Angora bucks, about five 
months old, got out of his hutch, and the next morning a large 
rat was found dead on the floor, which was evidently the 
result of an encounter. Possibly, attempts to enter the 
hutches may have been made, and repulsed by the does, 
which will often fight savagely in defence of their young 
Next as to the plea of expensiveness, $50 will not go far 
towards putting up a poultry house and run, and stocking 
it with choice fowls; but the same amount will purchase a 
choice pair of rabbits, and build a hutch, with four apart- 
ments; one for the bucks, and three for the doe and young 
ones. The comparison between the two fancies as to which 
proves the soonest remunerative is again in favor of the 
rabbits. In the poultry fancy we must wait a whole season 
before the result of our labor is apparent, and before we can 
breed from the progeny of the original stock; and they are 
rarely less than eight months of age when sufficiently devel- 
oped to offer for sale. 
With rabbits, the progeny is salable at two months old, 
and sufficiently developed for breeding purposes at five or 
six months. 4 
litter, which is a very low average, and putting the progeny 
into the breeding pens at six months old, the amateur will 
have a stock of over one hundred animals at the expiration 
of the year ; this is allowing the litters to be equally divided 
in sex; half bucks and half does. 
When it is known that eight or nine litters can be pro- 
duced during the season, and that it is not unusual for the 
does to bring forth eight or ten ata litter, the above esti- 
mate will be seen to be very low. Taking eight litters as 
the yearly production, and six the number produced each 
time, and allowing the same reproductiveness as above, the 
stock at the expiration of the year would number two hun- 
dred and thirty. 
With poultry it must be an unusual pair of fowls that 
will produce one hundred eggs and a clutch of chickens in 
one season. The result of the’ comparison is apparent, and 
largely in favor of the rabbits. 
Taking six litters a year, and four young at a 
