614 
Pes AND RABBIT PEPARTMENT. 
FANCIERS’ JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 

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LOP-EARED RABBITS, “MONARCH” AND “PRINCESS.” 
THE above is a life-like representation by the well-known 
artist, J. W Ludlow, of Birmingham, England, of a pair of 
Lop-eared Rabbits, ‘‘ Monarch” and ‘ Princess,’’ imported 
by S. H. Seamans, Wauwatosa, Wis., for Mr. Charles S. 
Hermann, of Milwaukee. Mr. Seamans has done much for 
the fancyin the West. He is thorough in all he undertakes, 
believing in the old maxim that ‘‘ what is worth doing at 
all is worth doing well. Mr. Hermann has started right 
and cannot be otherwise than successful. Within the last 
twelve months the rabbit fancy has made rapid strides, and 
many old poultry fanciers are getting just a few common 
rabbits to please the boys, and, before they are aware of it, 
get the fever bad. And others who never were as thorough 
fanciers as they imagined, are also changing to the rabbit 
fancy, and others to pigeons. But this latter class has got 
to change anyhow. They are always good customers to the 
more steadfast fanciers who keep on the even tenor of their 
way, trying to perfect whatever they undertake. To those 
desiring good rabbits we refer them to Mr. Hermann’s ad- 
vertisement in another part of this paper. 

RABBIT KEEPING. 
BREEDING. 
TAME rabbits are raised, and do better in hutches or boxes. 
They may also be bred in small artificial warrens, prepared 
for them, where the soil is extremely dry, and well drained. 
A damp situation will be fatal to the stock. The doe will 
breed at the age of six or seven months, and her period of 
gestation is thirty or thirty-one days. They should not be 
allowed to breed at that early age, as they are liable to abor- 
tion. She breeds throughout the winter, as well as in the 
summer, ana will produce eight litters in the course of a 
single year. A safer calculation is to reckon upon five lit- 
ters a year. The buck and doe should not be allowed free 
access together, for the buck will not only greatly harass the 
doe, but often kill the young. Nor should two does be al- 
lowed to be kept together. The number at a birth, varies 

from two to three, up to eight young ones. In general, the 
larger the breed, the fewer at birth. I have known a com- 
mon doe to have fifteen young ata single birth. I prefer 
to have no more than five, and take away those that are in 
excess, and give to a foster mother. 
It is a very important matter to select breeding stock. I 
strongly advise the selection of young rabbits from four to 
five months old, as they are more safe, and have passed 
through their first moult, which is at times so fatal to them. 
I do not advocate pairing of rabbits too young—especially 
if they are valuable, and the young are intended to be raised. 
I decidedly prefer the ages of ten or twelve months; for, 
when fully grown, or nearly so, they have greater strength, 
and this, I think, eventually pays, for you have in quality 
what may seem to have been lost in number by not having 
the litters when the does were two or three months younger. 
