Replies: 23
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Hall of Famer [22127]
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A Sack Full of Rabbits
Aug 11, 2019, 4:33 PM
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When I was discharged after my term in the Korean War, I was offered an opportunity to transfer from Mississippi to the Long Vegetable Fiber Research Lab at Belle Glade, FL. Having enjoyed all the cold weather I could stand while in Korea, I jumped at the opportunity to work in a warmer clime. The LVFR Lab is a Federal facility but we were located on the Univ. of Florida's Everglades Experiment Station.
Our responsibility was to develop planting, harvesting and processing equipment to convert the fiber in the plant to a usable cordage fiber. One of our sources of fiber was kenaf, and when grown on the muck in that area produced a plant about 6' to 8' tall. We had developed a tractor drawn harvester that cut the kenaf stalk just above ground level. An adjustable "arm", usually about the 5' level, directed the stalks to a conveyor rig that deposited the cut stalks on a following trailer. The cut stalks went next to our building housing the decorticator we had developed which removed most of the pulp and other vegetative matter from the fibers. The final stage was processing the wet fibers through a drying system.
I don't remember the exact acreage of out kenaf planting but it was about 10 acres. The Experiment Station acreage was home to what seemed to be thousands of rabbits and for some reason the rabbits seemed to prefer that field of kenaf as their habitat. When we began harvesting the kenaf, the eyes of all the laborers and many others were trained on that field of kenaf.
We began our harvest at the outer edge of the field and continuously circled the field. With each progression we could see the rabbits moving to the standing kenaf. When we were approaching our final cuts around the field, here came the people with huge sticks and sacks. With each trip around the field, the rabbits were concentrated in a smaller area and the people were clubbing the rabbits and putting them in sacks. On the final cuts, I have never seen so many rabbits concentrated in such a small place. And that was the only time I have seen a sack full of rabbits.
(Kenaf is a member of the cannabis family. Maybe this is why the rabbits preferred this as their habitat.)
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All-In [26036]
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Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits
Aug 11, 2019, 4:58 PM
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If the employees had kenaf in their pipes, the circles would turn into semi-circles and eventually wavy lines.
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All-In [27374]
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Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits
Aug 11, 2019, 5:22 PM
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Oh well, at least the rabbits died happily!
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All-In [27374]
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Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits
Aug 11, 2019, 5:23 PM
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As a youngster, I smoked a little rabbit tobacco. I bet few on tnet can remember that.
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Oculus Spirit [90820]
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^ Regrettably I Do...
Aug 11, 2019, 5:39 PM
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and boy was it trash and foul tasting & awful smelling. Guess reason I hardly ever smoked again!
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All-TigerNet [11252]
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Re: Rabbit tobacco
Aug 11, 2019, 5:44 PM
[ in reply to Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits ] |
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Rolled with paper grocery sack. Pretty nasty. Probably why I never smoked cigarettes.
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Hall of Famer [22127]
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Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits
Aug 11, 2019, 5:48 PM
[ in reply to Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits ] |
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Smoking rabbit tobacco was a common thing among us kids. We thought we had grown up. We had not yet learned what being stupid implied. But those of us still alive can truly say, "it didn't kill us". (as of today)
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CU Medallion [55433]
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Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits
Aug 11, 2019, 7:35 PM
[ in reply to Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits ] |
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I bet you that I smoked more than my share of Rabbit tobacco in a home maid corn cob pipe!!! But I never did inhale!!!
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CU Guru [1273]
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Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits
Aug 11, 2019, 9:49 PM
[ in reply to Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits ] |
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Oh, yeah... we called it "Rabbit Weed"!
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CU Guru [1558]
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Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits
Aug 12, 2019, 12:09 AM
[ in reply to Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits ] |
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As a youngster, I smoked a little rabbit tobacco. I bet few on tnet can remember that.
I remember rabbit tobacco too. I wouldn't do it again though.
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Letterman [262]
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Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits
Aug 11, 2019, 6:40 PM
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Farmers that cut hay or are bush hogging overgrown pastures or fields anywhere near thier barns or houses, cut around the field first and feed the hawks and owls. That is unless it is near your neighbor’s house and your mad at them. Then you cut from the middle out (or from to back towards the house) to keep the field mice and critters from having to cross open ground and getting eaten by the hawks. Hawks and owls swarm in from all directions and fight for the best territory when they hear the bush hog crank up on the farm. They look at it like an all you can eat buffet.
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Oculus Spirit [82077]
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Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits
Aug 11, 2019, 7:39 PM
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Hall of Famer [22872]
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Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits
Aug 11, 2019, 7:45 PM
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I've had peta. Stuff some meat and veggies into a flatbread shell and munch away. Kind of like a taco. Good stuff.
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All-In [27374]
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Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits
Aug 11, 2019, 8:11 PM
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Actually it has a lot of medicinal properties that have been used for many,many years. I can attest to the fact that it was great for ear aches. Most all Indian tribes used it for a variety of ailments. I suspect, without knowing, that it contained no nicotine!
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All-In [27374]
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Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits
Aug 11, 2019, 8:23 PM
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I’m surprised that kenaf isn’t grown more in this country. It’s amazing that Joe actually was involved in research of this plant so many years ago. Kenaf is great for the atmosphere. More so than trees, I think the co2 production is the best of all plants. I read where it is used in auto upholstery today. Maybe we all need to grow some,!
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CU Guru [1747]
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110%er [6010]
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Re: PETA stands for People Eating Tasty Animals
Aug 11, 2019, 11:13 PM
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I remember smoking rabbit tobacco and it was nasty. Joe21, Forresttiger and anyone old enough. I seen a little video of a 1938 Comfortractor billed as a tractor with the comforts of a luxury car in the cab.They said it did not go over well. Do any of you remember seeing one of these?
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Legend [15863]
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There is some documentary about Bowden & kids could chase
Aug 11, 2019, 11:35 PM
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down and catch rabbits. They were fast and could change directions. It was about recruiting that area in the Glades, or Bell Glades for football.
Not sure of details but is it similar to this type of agriculture?
Anyone heard about this ???
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Legend [16330]
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Hall of Famer [22127]
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Re: yeah i remember that..
Aug 12, 2019, 8:14 AM
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I don't know if the same procedures for harvesting sugar cane are the same today as they were in the 1950's. At that time the sugar cane fields were fired to eliminate all or most of the extraneous material. If there were rabbits in the field I would imagine most of them were killed. The cane was harvested by hand and the ashes and charred material made for a dirty job. Many of the laborers were from the nearby islands.
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I made the above post before looking at the film. I was not aware of young boys chasing rabbits at that time but it could have been a common practice. Much of the land was planted to vegetable crops when I was there. Now, most of the land has been converted to sugar cane. I noticed a segment of the film was in Pahokee. One of my daughters was born in the Pahokee Hospital.
Message was edited by: Joe21®
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Legend [15863]
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I know they Arte still burning the fields - you can see it.
Aug 12, 2019, 10:01 AM
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not sure the procedure otherwise - but they are still "burning" the cane fields ........
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Legend [15863]
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CU Medallion [65536]
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"What is in P-F's head for 2019, Alex?"
Aug 12, 2019, 9:36 AM
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Gettin' awful crowded in there, from the sound of things recently.
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Associate AD [810]
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Re: A Sack Full of Rabbits
Aug 12, 2019, 12:27 PM
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A sack full of rabbits is pretty impressive, yes, but have you ever seen a sack full of snipe??? Crazy I tell ya.
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