Show lights of new newyork york by L L STEVENSON many a lad wearing the uniform of uncle sam owes his life to a rabbit the pneumonia serum used by the army and navy comes from the blood of rabbits the army medical corps finds rabbits an invaluable aid in its work the chemical warfare division uses rabbits in a manner that means increased safety and perhaps life tor for our fighting men without rabbits hospitals military and civilian would be greatly handicapped as this and much more I 1 learned during a half hour chat with ted steele yes I 1 mean ted steele the musician hes well known in musical circles and has been since he was a mere youngster he and his orchestra are now heard on the air five times a week nevertheless he holds that rabbits and to a slightly lesser degree cavies cadies are his career so each friday midnight he leaves for his farm which is half in pearl river N Y and half in park ridge N J where he raises rabbits and cavies cadies which are more commonly called guinea pigs marjor before pearl harbor there were no big commercial breeders bleeders bre eders of rabbits in the united states steele told me at the time of the sneak attack he had about 50 breeders bleeders bre eders on his farm hospitals were dependent on casual sources of supply and from friends often received outgrown pets in all there were only about rabbits available for government errun ent work so steele a director of the american rabbit and cavy breeders bleeders Bre eders association was appointed to coordinate the tha rabbit situation for our armed forces he increased his stock to the point where he now has breeders bleeders bre eders also in just about every state in the union he has sub contractors to whom he supplies a pair or a trio of breed ers and buys their off offspring cpr ing at present he supplies hospitals government and civilian the army medical corps the chemical warfare division and the navy through the brooklyn naval hospital 0 0 the value of rabbits to medical science lies in the fact that rabbit blood in composition and structure is nearer to that of the human being than any other animal with the exception of monkeys and an adequate supply of monkeys is not available steeles breeders bleeders bre eders are new zealand whites and heavyweight chinchillas the new zealand white originate in that country but originated in california and was given a fancy name the chinchillas are a cross developed by breeders bleeders bre eders the rabbits are fed on hay and grain which steele grows on another of his farms in bucks county pa once a week as a conditioner dit ioner and not as food each rabbit is given a carrot and thus a blow at the story book tradition that rabbits live largely on carrots another illusion steele dispelled was the rapidity with which rabbits increase rabbits dont multiply that is they dont multiply and thrive so at the steele where each rabbit must be in top condition the rabbits are restricted d to three litters a year the litters are reduced to six each so ft a total of 18 rabbits a year for each pair A rabbit matures at eight months and may live as long as five years their life cycle is limited to three years by steele now 60 per cent of his rabbits go to 0 o the government and 40 per cent to the public health service after the war he plans to raise rabbits commercially and for their fur rabbit fur which can be readily disguised as everyone knows being a valuable commodity the steele rabbits pass their entire lives within a steel enclosure totaling eight square feet unlike the wild rabbit especially the tha lack rabbit of the plains the domestic rabbit is not built for speed instead of aiding them exercise actually causes them to deteriorate so there is no great need tor for space to maintain their perfect health not only is there a strict diet but also the most strict sanitary precautions steele through experience has found that fire is the only sure germicide so a flamethrower is an essential part of his equipment the quarters of his rabbits receiving a thorough fiery going over once a month love of animals caused steele who was born bom in hartford conn in 1917 and who began playing the piano when he was four to take up rabbit raising in addition to the rabbits and cavies cadies he has two huge st bernard dogs and a whole flock of cats on his farm his wife whom he married four years ago acts as manager of his orchestra and thus he Is relieved of business details they have two little girls son sll rea tuss |