() ) _ ELMER C Book _/ 7 AS Copyright N° COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT: iT va Nite ion The National Standard Squab Book ca Dei 3 ELMER C. RICE Photograph by Purdy, Boston The National Standard Squab Book — By ELMER C. RICE (Mail address, Post Office Box 175, Boston, Mass., U.S. A.) A PRACTICAL. MANUAL GIVING COMPLETE AND PRECISE DIREC- TIONS FOR THE INSTALLATION AND MANAGEMENT OF A SUC- CESSFUL SQUAB PLANT. FACTS FROM EXPERIENCES OF MANY HOW TO MAKE A PIGEON AND SQUAB BUSINESS PAY, DETAILS OF BUILDING, BUYING, HABITS OF BIRDS, MATING, WATERING, FEEDING, KILLING, COOL- ING, MARKETING, SHIPPING, CURING AILMENTS, AND OTHER INFORMATION | Tilustrated with New Sketches and Half Tone Plates from Photographs Specially Made for this Work BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 1910 Copyright’ 1901, by Elmer C. Rice Copyright, 1902, by Elmer C. Rice Copyright, 19035, by Elmer C. Rice Copyright, 1904, by Elmer C. Rice Copyright, 1905, by Elmer C.-Rice Copyright, 1906, by Elmer CG. Rice Copyright, 1907, by Elmer C. Rice- Copyright, 1908, by Elmer C. Rice Copyright, 1909, by Elmer C. Rics Copyright, 1910, by Elmer C. Rice All rights reserved. A WELL-BUILT NEST. Press of Murray and Emery Company Boston, Mass. Preface Chapter Ie Chapter II. Chapter III. Chapter IV. Chapter’ V: Chapter VI. Chapter VII. Chapter VIII. Chapter IX. Chapter = X= Chapter = ——— =5 ee ES — Wi, FA ul SS === WS == Ss Ss | — | wT Nt CHEAP BUT PRACTICAL NEST BOXES. These are empty egg cr | Each egg crate is two feet long, makes two nest boxes, each one foot square. house. i ‘ partition in the middle these nest boxes a wood nest bowl is placed. wood nest bowls. th no ates piled one atop another from floor to roof of squab one foot wide and one foot deep. The The birds build their nests in ‘these Into each of ALINE IBSNS VCS IP AW IE 23 the cold winters, but in the South the buildings are more open. Be guided by what you see around you in the place where you live. If the houses used by your friends and neighbors for hens and chickens are tight and warm, make your squab house tight and warm. It would be foolish for you, for example, if you live in Texas, to build a strong, tight, close squab house, for in that latitude, in a henhouse built tight and close, vermin would swarm and harass the chicks, and they would harass the squabs just as fast. Some of our customers write from places like Oregon and Idaho, where there is a wet and a dry season, and are puzzled to know what to do. In such cases we say, arrange your buildings as you see poultry houses arranged. The pigeons will do as well under the same conditions as hens and chickens. Suppose you have a vacant building or shack of any kind in which you wish to raise squabs. We will take for granted that it has either a flat roof or a ridgepole with sloping roof, and that it is built in rectangular form. Never mind what the dimensions are; our advice will apply to either the large or the small structure. First raise it off the pean or build a new floor off the ground, so that rats cannot breed out of your sight in the darkness and get up into the squab house. If there is an old floor, patch up all the holes in it. Now you need one door, to get yourself in and out of the squab house, and you need at least one window through which the pigeons can fly from the squab house into the flying pen and back from the flying pen into the house. You will shut this window on cold nights, or on cold winter days. You must cover the whole window with wire netting so that the birds cannot break the panes of glass by flying against them. If you have no wire netting over the window, some of the birds, when it is closed, will not figure out for themselves that the glass stops their progress, but will bang against the panes at full speed, sometimes hurting their heads and dazing them and at other times breaking the glass. The flying pen which you will build on the window side of the squab house may be as small or as large as you have room. The idea of it is not to give the birds an opportunity for long flight, but simply to get them out into the open air and sun- light. They enjoy the sun very much, it does them good AT py riee aoe ie : 53 ih | 24 - HOW CITY DWELLERS WITHOUT LAND MAY BREED SQUABS. Jal INC Sagal) WS) IAI I 20 and they court its direct rays all the time. Build the flying pen, if you choose, up over the roof, so the birds may sun themselves there. If that side of the roof which faces the flying pen is too steep for the pigeons to get a foothold, nail footholds along the roof, same as carpenters use when they are shingling a roof, and the pigeons will rest on these to sun themselves. For the flying pen you want the ordinary poultry netting, either of one-inch or two-inch mesh. The two-inch mesh is almost invariably used by squab raisers, because it 1s very much cheaper than the one-inch mesh. The one-inch mesh is used only by squab raisers who are afraid that small birds (the English sparrows here in New England) will steal through the large meshes of the two-inch netting and eat the grain which you have bought for the pigeons. You can buy this wire netting in rolls of any width from one foot up to six feet. If your flying pen is twelve feet high, you should use rolls of the six-foot wire. If it is ten feet high, rolls which are five feet wide are what you want. If your flying pen is to be eight feet high, buy rolls which are four feet wide. In joining one width of wire netting to its neighbor, in constructing your flying pen, do not cut small pieces of tie wire and tie them together, for that takes too much time and is a bungling job, but buy a coil of No. 18 or 20 iron wire and weave this from one selvage to another of your wire netting in and out of the meshes, and you have the best joint. You can line the three walls of the interior of your squab house with nest boxes if you choose. The fourth wall is the one in which the window or windows are. On this fourth wall you should not have nest boxes, but perches. These perches, or roosts, should be tacked up about fifteen inches apart, so as to give the birds room without interfering with one another. The advantage of the V-shaped roost which we advise is that a bird perched on it cannot soil the bird under- neath. Do not buy the patent pigeon roosts which you see advertised, for a pigeon roosting on one will soil the pigeon roosting.on the one immediately below. Please note particularly at this point the following terms which we use, and do not become confused. The nest box is something in which rests the nest bowl in which the nest is built. Do not speak or think of nests when you mean nest boxes. ‘Ndd ONIATA GNV (AVMADVSSVd HLIM) ASNOH avonos LINO ashe TENS y ns 2. ALIN JOAMS NS) BURIE 27 The nest boxes, when done, should look like the pigeon-holes of a desk, and should be about one foot high, one foot wide and one foot deep. A variation either way of an inch or two will not matter. One way to get these pigeon-holes is to build them of nice pine lumber, in the form of boxing one-half or five-eighths of an inch thick. Another way is to use hemlock or spruce boards one inch thick. The third way (which we think is the best for the beginner who wishes to start most cheaply and quickly) is to use egg crates, or orange boxes. These egg crates are two feet long, one foot wide and one foot deep, but they are divided in the middle by a partition, giving two spaces, each of a cubic foot,.and this is just what the squab raiser wants. They are procurable almost anywhere in the United States and Canada new for ten or fifteen cents each, and if you buy them after the egg shippers are through with them, you can get them for three to five cents apiece. Some grocers will be glad to have you carry them away and will charge you nothing for them. The crates are ‘built of thin, tough wood and usually are neat and solid. Take off the covers and throw the covers away,—you do not need them. Then put one egg crate on its side, open top out, place another egg crate on top of that, and so on until you have covered the three walls of your squab house from the floor to the roof. Do not use any nails, they are not necessary: the crates will keep in position by their weight. It is an advantage, also, to have them loose, for when you clean the nests, you can step up on a chair or box, take down the crates, commencing with the top, and clean each one with your feet on the floor. If you build a substantial set of nest boxes of boxing or hemlock lumber, you will have to stand on a chair and strain your arms in order to clean the top nest boxes, so you see there are’ points in the low-priced arrangement not possessed by the fancy kind. It is on the same principle by which a humble small boy with bent pin and worms and an old pole catches more fish than the city angler with a twenty- five dollar assortment of hooks, lines and artificial flies. It is the pigeons and the intelligence behind them which do the trick, every time. A fancy pigeon house with fancy trimmings cannot produce any better squabs than the home-made affair, provided the birds are the same in both cases, afl, Tal & iy ad did NEST BOXES BUILT OF LUMBER. a a rr ALIN) IBIAS VE SIL UR IE 29 You should have a pair of nest boxes for a pair of pigeons. By a pair of pigeons we mean two pigeons, a male and a female. By a pair of nest boxes we mean two nest boxes. We find that the word pair has a different meaning to people in different parts of the country, perhaps on the same principle that a pair of scissors or a pair of suspenders is one object, while a pair of something else, as in this case, means two objects. nine pairs a year and one pair has bred ten pairs per year. The cost of feeding averages five cents per pair per month. I think well of the squab business and expect before long to buy more as it is a profitable business, considering the small capital invested. 1 use egg crates and orange boxes’as I have found them best and cheapest. The unit system is best as it is easier to keep track of several small flocks rather than one large one. A person breeding pigeons must study and learn their birds to make a success of it. I have read and re-read your squab book and think for clearness of description, plain explana- tions, and good clear illustrations it is the best live-stock book I have ever seen. When in doubt, consult the Manual.—J. Y. E., West Virginia. FLOCK INCREASED FROM SIXTY TO THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY IN EIGHT MONTHS. I got my flock of 30 pairs of Extras into their permanent quarters in February. I now (October 5, 1908) have about 360 head of the finest young birds you ever saw. I have just put my flock through the moult and they have begun to work now in good shape. I have squabs now in my house that were raised by my young birds (the ones which I raised myself) and their second pair of squabs weighed over one pound each at four weeks of age. Is not that good work for the sec- ond pair that young birds raise? What do you think of my increase in stock from 60 head to 360 head in eight months; is that good work or not? I can get orders for all squabs I can raise at $3 per dozen f.0.b. cars here, but I have sold only one dozen and I got $4.50 for them. I do not care to sell any until I get a big flock of reeders. I am making some ‘arrangements now to build squab houses and I want to get about 150 or 200 pairs of breeders from you in the spring; as I want to get into shape to fill orders. I had an order the first of this month for ten dozen per week at $3 per dozen. This would have been a standing order for all winter if I could have handled it. I have one pair of young birds that laid four eggs, hatched and raised all of them. Has that ever happened in your flock? Write me what you think of my success and advise what price you will make me on an order for 100 pairs of Extras.—G. W. T., Louisiana. FAMILY TRADE BRINGS HIM AS HIGH AS EIGHT DOLLARS A DOZEN FOR PLYMOUTH ROCK SQUABS. Enclosed you will find check and order for pigeons and supplies for $116.29. Please ship sundries by freight at once and the pigeons on July 23. The birds I got of you in February, 1908, are doing finely. Have raised three and four pairs each, squabs weighing at 25 days from 14 to 19 ounces alive. I have several pairs more, all raised from your Extras, so I have about 155 birds altogether now. I am clearing out the chicken pens and filling them with pigeons, as I am fully convinced they are a much better paying proposition than the chickens. Several other firms have written me for orders, but as you took such pains with my little drib, and the birds have done so well, you people get the rest of the orders. I have the largest birds in the city, and they attract much attention from the hundreds of visitors at my poultry yards. The Manual is a gem. It is plain enough for any one and I really think I have it memorized. Have several other works on pigeons, but have laid them away. They are not in the same class. The market is good here, my birds bringing from $4.50 to $8.00 a dozen, all family orders. I have worked them right into my chicken and egg customers. Could sell 50 pairs a day if I “had them.—J. A., Pennsylvania. a Y LETTERS FROM CUSTOMERS RECEIVED BY PLYMOUTH ROCK SQUAB COMPANY 299 EXPERIENCE OF PROMINENT WASHINGTON PUBLIC MAN BREEDING PLYMOUTH ROCK HOMERS I wish you would send me an outfit of your Extra Plymouth Rock Homers, mated and banded. I want to see how they will turn out. I have already quite a large lot of pigeons. but they are doing so - poorly that. 1. do ol expec... to, Keep ethem. ac expect better results from the ones which I order. The letters from customers printed in this book are evidence of the wide- spread interest on the American continent in squab breeding not only for revenue and for one’s table, but also as a pastime and instructive hobby. It will not be forgotten that the master mind of Charles Darwin evolved “The Origin of Species’ from pigeon breeding. The ideas he conceived and the laws he discovered might have been worked out with other animals, but not within the span of his lifetime, with the thoroughness he accomplished, because pigeons breed rapidly, and in other respects are ideal for experiment. Prominent in political life at Washington are customers who give part of their spare time enthusiastically to this work. One of these ordered of us in January, 1908, as indicated by the letter printed at the top of this page. The next letter was as follows: Ll am greatly pleased with the birds’ sent» me, and they seem to be all that you have said in regard Bon eM», We wrote him in December, 1908, to interest him in our Carneaux, and received the following letter: I have your letter of -some days ago in -resard, 70 thie Homers you sent me, They-were Very. fine, “and I was well pleased with them. One ~di-saisl 6a ivpie is another has followed these birds until now I have none left. First, an owl got in among them and pulled heads off, which was followed by some other mistortune.. Tu-shald never experinent Were arcain With them; but. when dp retire from the Ticid ‘or amy, labors and go back home, .1 certainly intend to keep pigeons. I thank you very much for calling my attention to your new Plymouth Rock Carneaux. We are not at liberty to print the writer’s name. We call attention to this to point the moral that serious-minded men of large affairs turn to squab raising with lively and sustained interest. (Incidentally, another moral is, Beware of owls !) ; 300 MORE STORIES OF SUCCESS WON THE PRIZES IN TEXAS. My pigeons took first, second and third prizesand I credit it much to your good stock that helped me.—I. R., Texas. IMITATION GRITS A FAILURE. Enclosed find money order for which please send me 100 pounds of your health grit and 100 pounds of oyster shells, pigeon size. I have tried other health grits that are sold nearer mv city but find my birds will not touch them.—_H FE. M., New York. READY MARKET IN MONTANA. I have about 90 young and have sold about 125 squabs. I can get $3.00 a dozen plucked and notroubie aboutselling them. I have paidas high as $2 per hundredweight for wheat but am now getting wheat at $1.15 per hundredweight ; corn $1.90.—L, E, Y., Montana. ORDINARY QUARTERS. The Pennsylvania customer whose letter is printed on this page is doing well here. SEVEN PAIRS QUICKLY AT WORK. ORDERING EVERY MONTH. The seven pairs of Plymouth Rock Homers arrived on April 24 in first-class order. Five nests are finished (May 7), one has two eggs and there are two other nests in the course of construction, which speaks mighty well for your stock, Ithink. J expect to send you an order the latter part of this month andintend buying every month. In that way I will not feel the investment so much. One could not ask for better stock than you sent me. I am well pleased and shall be glad to boost your stock among my friends. My neighbor is more than ever chagrined at the job lot that was shipped him from the southern part of the State and will undoubtedly send you an order before long. Thank you for the pains you must have taken in selecting my birds. (Later. August, 1908.) I write you to give you the address of a gentleman who is going into the squab business. You can use my name or not, just as you desire, but one thing you can use to him ismy recommendation. When I return from my vacation, September 1, I intend placing another order for 10 pairs more of Extra Plymouth Rocks. My birds have done fine and as long as I get such birds from you, you can expect my order and all others I can throw your way. There isall sorts ofrivalry here on account of the show in January.—J. B., Pennsylvania. YEAR’S TRIAL SATISFACTORY, AND GOING AHEAD. I thought you might be interested to know that the birds we pur- chased of you last January have turned out finely, we having lost but two, and this on account of flying against the wire, breaking their necks. We decided to give the birds a thorough trial for a year, being novices at the business, and I am sure as soon as the year is up, we will place another order with you, as your birds have been greatly admired by other raisers here, and they have done what you said they would. We have had no trouble in selling the squabs, which have ranged from ten to thirteen ounces each, receiving in nearly every case from 50 cents to 75 cents per pair.— C. W. C., Pennsylvania. LETTERS FROM CUSTOMERS RECEIVED BY PLYMOUTH ROCK SQUAB COMPANY 301 MORE STORIES OF SUCCESS TEXAS WOMAN DELIGHTED WITH HER PROJECT. I am enclosing an order for some Homers intended for a Christmas pres- ent to my young nephew, and wish you to ship the birds so as to arrive about the 24th. In March last I bought of you six pairs of Plymouth Rock Homers. My flock now (December) numbers 25 pairs, the first birds hatching the 16th of April, and I have seven hens due to hatch on the 17th of this month. I think my success has been creditable and to me very satisfactory. I have lost less than half a dozen young ones, and believe the loss of these was due to a lack of rock salt in the fly. My aim is to increase the flock to 100 before beginning to market the squabs. Squabs sell in our market for 25 cents each and are scarce and in demand. My pen consists of a house 8x8 feet in which the birds roost, lay and hatch. Connected with the house I have a fly eight feet wide, 20 feet long and eight feet high; with which accommoda- tion the birds seem perfectly contented. Many of them seem to know me and are not afraid when I go among them. I feed twice a day, about 8 a.m and 3 p.m., giving them what they will eat of whole and cracked corn, wheat, millet and Kaffir corn, when pro- curable. Occasionally I throw in bits of cabbage leaves which they seem to relish very much. I have your Manual and have followed instructions as nearly as circum- stances would permit, and with it as a guide and reasonable attention, do not see how any one could fail to succeed in a pleasant and_ pleasing pursuit. I believe it also profitable, even in my small way. I bought your fibre nest bowls and have them screwea to pieces that slip into the egg crates that you mentioned in your Manual. This makes cleaning the bowls and boxes a very easy matter. I intend in the near future to build another pen, divide my flock and test the question of ‘‘ pigeons for profit.”” Thus far I am delighted with the project, but love for my birds may interfere with selling squabs for slaughter. My squabs weigh on an average of three-quarters of a pound, live weight, at about three weeks of age. I have had neither sickness nor lice, and on the whole am most highly pleased with my birds.— - Mrs. R. E. B., Texas. USES A WATER FOUNTAIN WHICH HE MADE FROMA BOTTLE. In February (1908) I became interested in Homers and thinking they would give better results than common pigeons, I sold my flock of common birds and sent you an order for three pairs of Plymouth Rock Extra Homers. Three days later I received them. Some friends of mine had Homer pigeons which they considered excellent birds, but they could not beat mine. My friends have been anxious to get some of my Homers, but I intend to keep all I raise until I have quite a flock. Up to date (October) one pair has raised six pairs of squabs since I received them. The other two pairs have done nearly as well. The common pigeons I had generally stopped breeding during the moulting season, but your Homers kept right on. I feed what is called here ‘‘ scratch feed,’’ composed of buckwheat, peas, Kaffir corn, sunflower seed, cracked corn, wheat and several other grains. Ialso give a tonic every Sunday with a little hemp seed. I use a feeder which I made, as shown in your Manual, and a water fountain which I made from a bottle. I have followed your Manual HOME MADE. For this little plant the breeder has utilized what he had; expending hardly a dollar. He has done very well in these rough and ready quarters, however, as his letter here printed shows. (See letter of M. J. H., New York.) \ in caring for my birds and think it is an excel- lent book. Sometime in the future I intend to give you another order. I send by this mail a picture of my place and birds. The small pen is where I keep my young stock until they mate. The one with the Homer in the window is where my working birds are kept.—M. J. H., New York. ~ETTERS FROM CUSTOMERS RECEIVED BY PLYMOUTH ROCK SQUAB COMPANY 302 APPENDIX G The year 1909 was notable in the squab and pigeon world by reason of two important happenings: the founding of the National Squab Magazine and the organization of the National Squab Breeders’ Association. ‘The maga- zine is a monthly periodical. The first number issued bore the date Febru- ary, 1909. At this writing (January, 1910) twelve numbers have been issued and the second year begun. This periodical was an instant success, taking at once a commanding position. It is the first successful attempt made in this country to print a handsome, up-to-date squab or pigeon periodical with only original articles and illustrations giving instruction by competent writers. I [J ] BOB WIRES WITH ELECTRICAL ATTACHMENT, and enjoyment. The bent wire and cord shown in the picture are for the purpose of raising all the bob wires by a pull from the back of the squabhouse, so that the birds can go out for their exercise. The cord is released so that the bobs will drop and be in position for tripping when the first bird comes home. HOUSE TO HOUSE CANVASS, by William H. Woodruff. As wehave no very large quantity of squabs, our method has been to make a house-to-house canvass for custom- ers. This prevents creating demand without supply, as advertising would do. We have sold squabs for over two years and have al- ways received at least seventy cents a pair to private trade. We shipped a dozen to New York and got $2.55. From this express charges were deducted. The best plan, es- pecially with a small flock, is to build up and hold a good private trade. SALT BAKED IN CANS, by A. L. Thomp- son. I take a common empty tin fruit can and punch holes in the bottom for drainage, then fill with salt, and dampen, after which I put in the oven and bake hard. You can put these cans in any place in the squab- house and if you lay them on the side, the pigeons cannot soil the salt. One end of the can is open, the other end closed. 316 MISS DUNHAM’S PROFIT-PAYING SQUAB PLANT. HOW TO CURE SQUABS IN NEST OF CANKER, by M. C. Martin. It is a well- known fact that Venetian Red paint is one of the best regulators for poultry in general. I have ¢ried this on squabs repeatedly and it invariably cures the canker in three or four days. Have some Venetian Red paint in the squabhouse, and whenever you see a pair of squabs looking sickly, examine the mouth. If you find a cheesy deposit, take a pinch of the paint between thumb and forefinger and drop into the open mouth. Do this morning and evening for three or four days and the canker is gone. This plan may be used with old birds, but they very seldom have canker and are more difficult to catch twice a day, but with squabs it is a matter of only a few minutes to straighten up several dozen of them. Venetian Red is a fine regulator and may be used in the drinking water to ward off canker but to cure the ailment it must be administered in larger quantities as explained above. The droppings become red, showing that the paint has passed completely through the alimentary canal and cleansed the di- gestive system of impurities collected which have caused the canker. ae Venetian Red is a powder which retails in a paint store for five to ten cents a pound, but in a drug store you may be charged fifty cents a pound for it, and some poultry remedies have it in fancy package style at the rate of a dollar or more a pound. FLAXSEED INSTEAD OF HEMP, by Paul Gosser. I feed some flaxseed to my pigeons besides hemp. Flax is cheaper and the pig- eons like it nearly as well as hemp. My pigeons like lettuce leaves very much. In the morning I throw some into the pens and at noon they are alleaten. I sell all my squabs in Pittsburg. I get from $3 to $4.50 a dozen for them. APPENDIX -G HOW I MAKE MY SMALL FLOCK PAY WELL, by Mary Dunham, I bought six pairs of the best Homers in October, 1904, After studying them and breeding them for a year I bought twenty- four pairs more in Octo- ber, 1905. In June, 1908, I bought twelve pairs more and in October, 1908, an- other twelve pairs. All of my birds were bought from the same source. They have all kept steadily at work. One pair has raised ten pairs of squabs a year and there are others which al- most equal them. In the fall of 1907, I began tosave the squabs from the best breeders. I had to keep them in the house with my older birds because I had no other pen for them. They disturbed the breeding pairs somewhat but the following spring they mated and got down to work. I sell all the squabs I can raise to the local marketman. At first there was no sale for them in my Connecticut city, except in the summer when the wealthy people from the larger cities were sojourning here, but the marketmen bought all I had last winter. When ready for market my squabs weigh from two pounds totwo and one-half pounds a pair. They are white and fat and the dealer has complimented me about them many times. I find the business very interesting and would like to engage in it more extensively if I could get more time to devote to the birds but it is impossible to do so at present. I am often praised for the fine appearance my birds make when out in the flying pen. Last week a gentleman told me my little house is the neatest and the birds the finest looking he had ever seen. NO NEED TO GRIND PIGEON MANURE, by Harry Howe. Having read in the maga- zine the different methods of handling pigeon manure for the making of commercial fer- tilizer, I will tell you the result of my own experience. I take the cleanings and then pack them in barrels. When I have several barrels of them, I form a pile outdoors con- sisting of a layer of manure, then a layer of loam, sprinkling each layer with air-slaked lime until it shows white. Keep on until you haye used all the manure on hand, then cover the top well with loam, and wet the whole pile. After a few days, when it com- mences to steam, it should be well turned over, repeating the turning over three or four times. You will finally- have a fertilizer as fine as sugar which can be thoroughly dried and bagged, or used at once. This for a variety of crops cannot be beaten. APPENDIX G 317 WHY I PREFER SQUABS TO CHICKENS, by Mrs. Lizzie A. Trout. I wish to keep on increasing my flock of pigeons as I like the work better than raising chickens. I have learned that if one would succeed in squab raising he must like it and by so do- ing acquaint himself with the little things that are of great value to the success- ful squab raiser. The following are important points: care of the birds, what to feed, how to feed and when to feed. My squabhouse is built on the slope of a hill facing the south and as this is a warm and pleasant loca- tion I do not have frozen squabs in the winter. I give them tobaccostems to - build their nests and by frequent cleaning give no chance for the lice to live in my squabhouse. I find that to givea variety of feed is the best. A good mixture is six quarts of sifted cracked corn (not too fine, because if it is fine it takes out much of the meal from the corn, which otherwise would help to fatten the squabs), six quarts whole wheat, two quarts buckwheat, two quarts Canada peas and two quarts kaffir corn. Every other morning I give them a few handfuls of millet seed and twice a week hempseed. I think this is a good mixture for them. I also keep within their reach char- coal, salt, fine oyster shells and a grit of which the old birds are fond. Before I used this coarse grit, I noticed that a few of my hens would prefer being out in my outside pen or yard, and were in a constant hunt for some- thing, and trying to pick up bits of gravel and stone. It appeared to me that perhaps a coarse grit might be a help to these birds and I find it did the work well. I always try not to have left over any feed, or very little, until the next feeding time. so I know that their grain will be sweet and clean. They will be more eager for their feed. I do not like the idea of throwing feed on the floor — and they will get the feed more or less dirty even if you do clean the floor once a week. I feed in a box six feet long, two feet wide and three inches high. The birds cannot scatter the feed in this way very much. This box is large enough for a loft of fifty pairs as they never all feed at the same time. Feeding should if possible always be at the same hours, seven o’clock in the morning and four o’clock intheevening. This will give the birds plenty BLUE-BARRED RACING HOMER. A beautiful flyer bred by Paul F. Miller which has covered five hundred miles in one day. of time to feed their young before night. I wash my fountain and give my birds fresh water twice a day in winter and three times a day insummer. They.are as glad for the nice fresh spring water in the hot summer day at noon as vou would be fora plate of ice-cream. As to my choice in chicken or squab raising, I prefer by far squab raising. There is not half the work, with much quicker results and feed for the purse. No unruly hens to contend with. No squabs to run after when a rain is coming. They are already cared for. No lamp to fill and trim, no thermometer to watch, no eggs to turn, no trays to change. The old birds do all this work themselves. No wind to blow out the brooder lamp and chill the squabs at night. All this vou must con- tend with if you want to raise chickens. Feed your pigeons the right kind of feed, give them plenty of fresh water. Then they will care for the squabs themselves and in four weeks’ time the squabs will be ready for market. There is a field for prosperity in squab raising. When President Taft started on his 1909 trip, he was given a banquet by the Boston Chamber of Commerce. One line in the menu was roast squabs, two thousand in number. 318 FIRST-CLASS HOMERS, SILVER AND SPLASH. Plymouth Rock Homer stock produces squabs which sell for $3.50 to $6 a dozen in Utah, unplucked. SQUAB PIE, by James Y. Egbert. Dress, draw and singe four squabs. Stuff them with the chopped livers, hearts and gizzards and fine bread crumbs, mixed with chopped pars- ley, a large lump of butter, pepper and salt. Run a small skewer through the body of each, fastening the wings to the sides. Cover the bottom of your bake-dish with thin strips of ham. Season with chopped parsley, pepper and salt. Over these lay the squabs. Be- tween every two squabs put the yolk of a hard-boiled egg, and three or four in the center. Cover the squabs with a_ thick brown gravy. Cover this pie with puff-paste end ees in a moderate oven for an hour and a half. BRAISED SQUAB. Clean, wash carefully. Put a large olive in the body of each. Bind legs and wings neatly to the sides of the birds. Fry six or eight slices of fat salt pork in the frying-pan until crisp. Strain the fat back, lay in the squabs and roll them over and over in the boiling grease until seared on all sides. Take them up and keep hot. Add a tablespoonful of butter to the hot fat, and fry an onion, sliced, in it. Lay the squabs on the grating of the roaster. Pour the boiling fat and onion over them. Add a cupful of stock. Cover and cook steadily for three-quarters of an hour. When the squabs are done wash with butter, dredge and brown. Remove to a hot dish and make the gravy. Serve with currant jelly. APPENDIX G STARTED SMALL, GREW UP BIG IN UTAH, by Walter Bramwell. Two years ago I purchased twenty pairs of the best Homers. Being cashier of a small bank in a country town, much of my time in the morning and afternoon was unoccupied. I sent for the birds out of curiosity and for recreation and study. They immediately impressed meas being very interesting. My little flock commenced operations shortly after arrival and as they rapidly increased in number my interest in- creased in proportion. It required little time for me to discover that my Homers, properly handled, were money makers, and to that end I have built up a fairly large business, hav- ing now more than twenty- five hundred breeders, At first my plant was in a small town but in the meantime I have moved to the largest and best city in the State. The market conditions at that time were verymuch undeveloped and when I would mention squabs there would bea round of laughter from my friends. However, to-day, through persistent effort and the production of first-class squabs, the demand is greater than I can supply. During the present winter I will enlarge my plant to four or five thousand breeders, and later on will be prepared to furnish all squabs desired by my patrons. My customers con- sist of cafe, club, hotel and railroad officials, who buy the best, and whose patronage is very satisfactory to me, because Iam not compelled to sell to commission men and can thus de- mand a larger price for my product. The price in this State is from $3.50 to $6 per dozen, undressed. The future for the business here appeals to me as being a very bright one and I feel con- fident that my business stunt of squabs will reward me handsomely. The business is attractive and profitable be- yond expectation, provided the proper atten- tion and skill are exercised that would be de- manded in other lines where success is at- tained. I am delighted with my birds and business and trust all who are or may be in- terested in the same line will have their efforts crowned with success. PECULIAR COLOR RESULT, by C. C. O’Neal. About the young birds from the cross of two Carneaux males with two white Homer females, generally they are of solid black piu- mage, sometimes dark-shaded checkers, AVE ENIX G HOW A BIG OHIO PLANT SHIPS SQUABS, by F. J. Bunce. On Monday morning while the attend- ant is watering, and before the birds are fed, the rounds of the pens are made and all of the squabs that have dropped to the floor over Sunday are placed ina crate, and these with enough more to make six dozen, are re- moved to the killing room for the early morning start. AE These are enough squabs to run the pickers several hours and give the breeders plenty of time to feed the young before more squabs are re- quired for the killing room. There is no set age at which a squab should be marketed. Some will be ready at three and a half weeks, some at four and some not until five weeks of age. If the squab on the nest is solid and plump and is full feathered under the wing, it is ready for the market. Do not hurry them off the nest un- less it be absolutely necessary to fill an order, as a few days longer on the nest may make ten-pound squabs of birds that would not weigh more than eight pounds if dressed too soon. We do not suspend the squabs from a string to pick them, as the most of the large plants do, but pick them in the hand. Our picker has always contended that he could pick a squab while the other picker was hanging his up and taking it down. Place the left hand around the base of the wings after drawing them together and draw the head back between the thumb and first finger. Insert the killing-knife well back in the mouth and draw'it sharply upand forward, twisting the knife as you remove it from the mouth. Care should be taken not to insert the knife too deeply into the brain, as the birc will bleed too freely and cause the skin to set before the feathers have been removed. As soon as the incision has been made, re- move the wing and tail-feathers first, follow- ing this with the neck, and then the balance of the body. The squabs are then placed in the buckets to remove the animal heat. When the buck- ets become full, the bodies of the squabs are washed off, the blood is removed from the mouth and the filth from the feet, and they are placed in another and larger tub, where they remain until it is time to pack them. We wish to say here that we never leave the squabs in the tanks over night, if we can avoid it, as they are apt to get soft. If un- avoidable, ice the water heavily, but always do your best to get them out on the first train for their destination. 319 = wat WT ta SAT OS gE eee es eer CRS, Sereno UTTER ETT, EXTERIOR OF ONE OF THIS OHIO PLANT'S HOUSES. Never use a box for packing your squabs as some will recommend, for the simple reason that the express messengers will up-end the package, also pile other boxes on your ship- ment, and when it reaches your market, your commission man reports it arrived in bad order and you are given a nice little cut in your remittance. We use a small keg for small orders and a cracker barrel for larger shipments. First fill your barrel or keg with water and let it stand until it drains out to swell it, then line it with a good grade of white parchment paper to make it air-tight. This also helps the ap- pearance of your package. Before placing any ice in the package bore a small hole in the bottom of the barrel to drain off the water which would gather from the melting of the ice. Place a iarge scoopful of finely cracked ice in the bottom of the barrel, then place in the barrel in very nice order a layer of squabs, a thin layer of ice and another layer of squabs, repeating until barrel is three-fourths full. Then fill to edge with ice cracked to about the size of a man’s fist. Fold the balance of your parchment paper over the top, remove the hoop, place a piece of burlap over the barrel, replace the hoop and drive down in place, holding it in place with small lath nails. Fasten your express tag to a strong cord or wire and run through the burlap, fastening same securely. Question: I have bought a set of steel figures to number leg bands but the figure 9 is missing. Answer: To make figure 9 hold the figure 6 die upside down. None of these ects hes both a9 anda6. One die serves for oth, FLYING PEN WITH BOB WIRES. The small holes guarded by the bobs can be seen at the top of the flying pen. The pigeons cannot get out unless the bobs are raised. They can enter when- ever they please by pushing back the bobs. TWIGS ARE GOOD FOR NESTING MATERIAL, by James Y. Egbert. I have tried hay, straw, pine needles, leaves and twigs for nesting material. The birds will use twigs in preference to any other material, building a neat, compact nest lined with a few wisps of hay or straw. I cut the twigs into five or six-inch lengths and place them in a berry crate, then after the squabs are taken from the nest I clean the twigs and replace them in the crate. In this way, the pigeons use the twigs over and over again and the breeder does not have to supply so much new nesting material. suppose that on the seashore, where Homer pigeons originated, they used twigs lined with dry grass in their nest building. I find it is a good idea, in preparing my garden, to plant a few rows of sunflowers, and in the odd corners or along the border scattered seeds may be sown. In this way a squab raiser can have all the sunflower seeds he needs for hi> pigeons at a trifling cost. Pigeons are very fond of these seeds and if a breeder raises his own the feed bill is cut down just so much. Sunflowers require little cultivation and will grow and thrive in almost any location. Question: Are squabs ever scalded before plucking? Answer: Yes, but it is not neces- sary, nor do the dealers want them scalded. They should be dry-picked. APPENDIX «G SEVEN YEARS’ PROF- ITABLE XPERIENCE, by P. A. Heiermann. I have been raising squabs for nearly seven years and have found it a good pay- ing business. I started with one pair of common pig- eons. After having them a few months and learning their habits, I bought ten pairs of good Homers. Their squabs were much larger than the common pigeon squabs. I then be- gan tosave all of the largest squabs and banded them so as not to inbreed, and numbered the bands and kept arecordofthem. At present I am getting from $3 to $5 a dozen for my Homer squabs_ dressed, according to size, but at wholesale I get $3.50 a dozen straight through. I sell most of my squabs at retail, and then cannot supply all my orders. The city in which I live has.a population of about sixty thousand and I have a home market: for all the squabs I wish to put out. My squab plant is on the car line and can be reached _ from all parts of the city. I never have donated any squabs to get customers, but at first when I had no market for them I telephoned parties whom I thought would want them and I soon found places to sell. When I got a new customer I always gave him a few of my cards, and by so doing I soon built up a large trade, as a satisfied cus- tomer is the best advertisement. I feed wheat, cracked corn, peas, kaffir corn, millet, hempseed and other different kinds of grain, but I always keep changing so as not to feed one kind too long. I feed three times a day in long troughs, and do not use any self-feeders, but in the moulting season I do not feed so much. I always keep plenty of fresh water before them at all times, also grit, oyster shells, charcoal and rock salt. It costs me about $1.25 a year to feed a pair of breeding Homers. Question: Can you tell me how it comes that one of the pairs of blue checkers has an almost white-feathered squab? Answer: Colored Homers do not breed true to color. Blue checkers may breed blue bars, or blue checkers, or any other color. A white young- ster from colored-plumaged birds is rare, like a white calf from a black bull and black cow, and is generally called a throw-back, or re- version to one of several constituent types. The white Homers breed true to color as a rule. APPENDIX -G WHAT ONE PAIR OF CARNEA PRODUCED, by Mrs. . M. White. The first of May, 1908, I bought a pair of Carneaux, In fourteen months I bred forty from that one pair. I send you two films show- ing me feeding my pigeons. In my story you will notice that I say I fed some of the squabs after taking them away from the parent birds. I did this by chew- ing up soda crackers and then moistening them in my own mouth with malted milk. Then I held the squab to my mouth and fed the bird in the ratural way. Any squabs may be readily nourished in this manner. As they grew older, I gave them grain by hand. In the upper picture Mrs. White is feeding two squabs in the natural way. In the lower picture she is feeding two squabs out of her hand. Her experience with one pair of Carneaux is quite a jolt to those who are afraid of inbreeding. Starting with only one pair of Carneaux, she has done more in _ fourteen months than another might with six pairs in the same period, having turned out a good-sized flock of two-score birds. Ofcourse she could have accom- plished nothing without inbreeding. It was all inbreeding, except the young bred by the orig- inal pair. Her flock are fine, large and rugged birds. This is the record of one pair of good Car- neaux in competent hands. DELAWARE HOTELS PAYING $4.50 A DOZEN, by N. H. Case. I can sell my four-weeks-old squabs faster than I can raise them. There are three large hotels in my nearest town in this State (Delaware) whose proprietors all say they will give me $4.50 a dozen, foras many asl canraise. They want them killed and bled. They offer me this price for both winter and summer. Each hotel keeper says he can handle from two to two and one-half dozens a day, so it looks as though there ought to be money in them— no expressage and payment on delivery. 321 MRS. WHITE AND CARNEAUX. I am sure there is a fine opening here for squabs as San Antonio (Texas) is a city of 100,000 population and nothing of the kind here. I never have seen anything but common squabs here and very few of them. A friend, Mr. Hobbs, is working in a near- by country town, and he says they are al- Ways ringing up from San Antonio asking a they can find any squabs.—J. W. Mann, exas. 322 APPENDIX G eae ats y) SSS yf SESS } NORTH CAROLINA SQUABS IN OPEN AIR, by ulius A. Caldwell, M.D. e have been experiment- ing with twenty-five pairs of the best Homers. We put them in a wire pen 24 feet x 12 feet x 12 feet built against an old house whose roof projected out about five feet. This afforded some protection from the HORSE RADISH AND NT fan ifeara Oty \\ ther. I d - 4 | DN PEA a A hy ANY sketch to. show “yous the WY SMEG AEC Ka x) d detail, Find- ; ALA i A; i idea more in detail. Fin Uy Y Hi ut | Yy RVAAY ORIN XX) ing the work a pleasure as Me lev : ‘ ore CPW XX) | well as profitable, even in CAA Ah aerial eral aT a PO NAO) a i iy t i ui f / eu I NRZANY LAAN, (XX cal Sener ae Von f Wilh N {LY VV {Yee TRY Y YX V Ry as 1S, ecide ybht i} Nese Ns =A i Ee INU q unit squabhouse and it is | Sapa WEE EAI) = how ‘built. Tam buying i} rarer LEA i Y aT v NAN) \ some Carneaux to try also. Y = oe \ MY MAAK AAR Af) a OPEL Siete : Site : a Vrain’ Se R us | af wh oe . ry Mun Ain 4 FRESH AIR FOR THESE NORTH CAROLINA PIGEONS. CANADA COTE BUILT OF COTTON CLOTH, by F. V. Dickson. It may be of in- terest to your readers to hear something about a Canadian squab plant. Last fall I tried the experiment of building a squabhouse with cotton walls, two stories in height. Ordinary cotton, at ten cents per yard, was used. This was tacked to the up- right scantlings, which were set at a proper distance to suit the width of the cotton. Poul- try netting was put on outside of the cotton. On the east side, from which direction come our prevailing high winds, another thickness of cotton was put on. This house was cheap to build, and is light, dry,:and airy. It is cold, but I have as vet seen no harm resulting from that cause. A number of my birds have been occupying it during the past winter, and they have done as well, and raised as many squabs, as any of my other birds. At present the flock consists of about three hundred and sixty pairs of birds. For the squabs I get $4 a dozen, the buyer paying the express charges. Question: What, if any, is the difference between the squab-breeding Homer and what is generally called the Carrier pigeon? If the Homer is not the same as the pigeon generally used for long-distance flights, can it be trained for such flights? Answer: ‘There is no dif- ference between the squab-breeding Homer and the message-carrying pigeon. A carrier pigeon is a Homer which has been trained. There is a variety of pigeons known as English Carriers, but these are not used for message carrying. Everybody breeding squabs from Homers can fly the young which he is raising. rp VY YY ¢ ——— eal SPLIT PEAS, by Edward Gerhard. A good tonic for pigeons is horse radish. Plant it close up to the fly- ing pen so the birds can get at the leaves to eat them. They are very fond of them. I feed my pig- eons split peas, which they enjoy. These peas do not cost me very much. I get them for seventy-five cents a bushel. It is the cheapest feed that I buy. With wheat at $1.20 a bushel, it does not pay to feed very much wheat. I am raising squabs weighing from twelve ounces to sixteen ounces apiece, with the help of mysplit peas. These squabs make the finest eating any one can have placed before him ONE YEAR’S WORK, by’ Ward Edwards. One year ago this month I purchased four pairs of the best Homers. I now have one hundred and thirty-five pigeons in all. Of course they are not all old enough to raise yet, but if they continue to raise as fast, by another year I will have over a thousand. I should have bought more breeders and not had to wait this long for them to multiply. I have followed the directions in Rice’s Manual very closely and had no trouble with my flock. I have kept close track of my matings and have had little or no trouble of inbreeding. I sell many squabs to private tesidences and although raising to multiply have made a nice little sum along with it. eS Dee SSS Question: Is rye a good food for pigeons? Answer: If cheap and pure, it is useful in connection with the other grains, but most rye contains ergot, or false rye, which acts as a mild poison, harmful to both pigeons and poultry. The ergot grains are larger than the Tye grains. When you buy rye, look at the grains and if they are not uniform in size and color, don’t buy. APPENDIX G 323 FLOCK OF GOOD HOMERS, by Leroy Wiles. The two squabs in the picture are Homer squabs. The father is a large red checker and the mother is a black Homer. These squabs weighed one pound apiece, when four weeks old. They are black checkers. Both of them turned out to be males. One is now mated and has a nest with two eggs. I banded the one that is mated with one of the bands of the usual size and it would just go around his leg, so you can see what a leg he has. The little boy holding the nestbowl is my brother He is nine years old. I amnineteen. I think that he is going to be just like me in regard to pigeons, as he likes to go out with me and watch them eat and feed their young ones. I have some more squabs growing up and I think they will be fully as large as the two in the picture. I SELL SQUABS FOR FIVE CENTS AN OUNCE, by W.E. Blakslee. I have a way for keeping young squabs in the nests made around on the ground. I nail four pieces of board a foot long into box shape and set it over the nest. — This keeps the squabs quiet and the old birds have free access to them all the time. The young birds cannot get over the top of it, and the old ones can easily get into it for feeding them any time. I find it a simple matter to work up more trade than one wants if you go at it in the right way. I adopt the plan of selling my birds by weight—five cents per ounce. When asked what my price is, and I tell them this they exclaim that they can buy all the squabs they want for forty-five cents apiece. There are many flocks of common pigeons in this surrounding country. I don’t run down the birds that they are buying, nor do I stand and argue the question with them. I ask them to weigh the birds they buy and see what my price would make them cost. They find they are getting more six and seven- ounce birds than anything else and at my price they would cost only thirty and thirty- five cents instead of forty-five cents. They come back to me and want to see my squabs and are astonished at the size of them. They find I have squabs instead of jack-knives to sell. Most of my squabs are eleven and twelve ounces. I have some eight and nine MY BROTHER AND MY BIG HOMER SQUABS. and I have a good many twelve to fourteen. I have no trouble in making customers under- stand that they are getting meat for their money—for they have proved the fact to their own satisfaction. When you have the right squabs, your biggest trouble is too many wanting them. Question: Do you know of any way to dispose of pigeon wings? It seems to me that there must be some concern which buys them. Answer: The wings of the colored Homers are not used to any extent on women’s hats, but the wings of white Homers or white pigeons of any kind are in active demand by milliners. Wholesale milliners try to buy these for ten cents apiece. They sell them to the retailers for thirty cents to fifty cents apiece, and when the milliner makes up the hat for her customer she gets from $1 to $2 for the white wing. I would advise you to sell your white wings for at least twenty-five cents each. Question: One young Homer that hatched had a great deal of white in it, although the old ones were blue. Is this liable to hap- pen any time? Amswer: Yes. The colored Homers do not breed true to color. WELLE WIRE NAILS INSTEAD OF CLEATS. Question: I would like to inquire if stale bread crumbled into small pieces about the size of corn would be good to feed to squabs. I do not mean exclusively but at times. I have a large bakery and have considerable stale bread which I thought I might be able to use to good advantage in connection with the squab business. Answer: Yes. Question: Do pigeons breed as well on the seashore as inland? Awnmswer: I think so. The species originated in the cliffs on the seashore, according to the ancient writers. I have seen a fine flock of squab breeders at Buzzards Bay, where they fly out over the salt marshes and get a good deal of their living from small snails, eaten shell and all. Question: Can peat moss be used for nesting material? Answer: Yes, and it will drive away lice. It is good for nests for setting hens (fowls) for the same reason. An attempt was made in Indiana to use this peat moss for upholstering furniture but this did not work very well. It is used for bedding horses. APPENDIX G ONE DOLLAR FOR EVERY LOUSE FOUND ON MY BIRDS, by F. Beltran. As I believe in exchanging ideas, I am going to tell you about my last arrange- ment ot nestboxes such as I draw them here. The whole thing is plain. The bottoms rest on only four nails, two on each side, that is all. My aim has al- ways been to have not the smallest hiding place for mites, etc., and when I could not avoid having them, then to have them movable so as to be sure to reach the pests, easily, whenever I wanted. Everything inside of my house is absolutely smooth ana affords no hiding place for those pests that live in the cracks here in our Mexi- can climate. The lice which live on the bodies of the birds would be also a thing of the past in every house of mine, if only the man in charge would keep as close a watch on the squab-raising pens as J] keep on the breeding stock and raising pens, where I would give a dollar for every louse found on the bodies of the birds. SET YOUR STANDARD HIGH. It is not merely the birds, it is the intelli- gence and skill behind them. In buying breeding stock, whether pigeons or poul- try, of a man you are not buying simply his birds but you buy his knowledge, skill and experience. He has attained a cer- tain standard which may be high or low, as you can judge for yourself by reading what he says, and knowing his record in the business. All Homers and all Carneaux are not by any means alike. The best ones are furnished by the men of most skill and intelligence, because they have set their standard high and do business accordingly. The man of nostanding may offer to sell you birds at half the price of the man whose standing is high, and it almost invariably happens that such birds indeed are found to be worth about half price, because the offering of them at a low price is a confes- sion of the advertiser that he has not a high standard and is not making his birds indis- pensable, but is satisfied to take the trade of people who want the cheapest they can buy, and such people are satisfied with poor stock. I have seen something in the magazine about high altitudes and dry climates. Up in this part of Canada it is very dry and we have to make our pigeons breed on the ground so as to get the dampness, for the eggs will dry out if they are up on the wall in nest- boxes. So we do not put more than twenty pairs of pigeons in a house twelve by twelve, and we let them build nests on the ground.— J. H. Smith, Saskatchewan. Question: Are pigeon wings salable? An- swer: The wings of colored Homers are not used to any extent on women’s hats, but the white wings are readily salable to wholesale milliners. APPENDIX G 325 HOW TO TAKE PIG- EON PICTURES. Almost everybody has a camera these days and with a small one, costing two dollars, it is possible to take excel- lent pigeon pictures. The film can be enlarged to any size. Choose a day when the sun is out and take them in the flying pen when they are walking around on the ground. Do not take them while they are on the perches because then they are drawn out of shape. They strike a natural and handsome pose when they are on the ground. Youshouldsit on a board on the ground. Hold your camera not over six inches from the ground and point it at the birds. Have a pocketful of hempseed and throw it out to the birds in front of the camera from four to eight feet from where you are sitting. Do not snap the birds while they are pushing and_ scrambling for the hempseed but wait until they have eaten and raised their heads expect- antly as if looking for more. This is the time to press the button. Try to get a group of the birds in this manner, showing six or eight birds. The best view of a pigeon is obtained broad side, but sometimes an excellent picture is ob- tained from the front or even from the back, such a view showing the width of the shoul- ders. Photographs showing squabs_ four weeks old alive or dressed or novelty pic- tures like{the one on this page are always interesting. COMMON SQUABS TQO SMALL, by Charles F. Manahan. I watch and study the ways and habits of my Homers whenever I have time. I live near a summer resort in Mary- land in the Blue Ridge Mountains and have a small truck farm and haul my vegetables to these cottages and hotels. I think I can sell the squabs from several hundred pairs after I get them introduced, as there is nothing in this neighborhood but common pigeons. Where I sell them, the people say they are the finest they have ever bought. On one occasion I did not have enough and told the person that I could get a pair of a neighbor to make out the number. After I had the head and feathers off, I saw much difference, so I put the pair I got from the neighbor on months old, squabs just three weeks old.—Gottlieb Pfister, New GRANDPA, BABY AND SQUABS. I send a photograph of myself and grandchild, Miss Janet Pfister, eighteen York. the scales and the two weighed just a pound. I then put one of the Homers on and it weighed fifteen ounces, so the Homer squab weighed only one ounce less than the pair of common ones. Question: I have been contemplating for two or three months trying the squab business. I wrote to a commission house in Chicago to give me prices on squabs and they quoted me $5.50 per dozen for eight-pounds-or-over squabs. I also wrote to another commission house about the sale of squabs and they sent me a price list in which it priced squabs at $2.50 and $3 a dozen for choice squabs, and as low as $1.50 a dozen. Answer: If you were to go into a hat store and offer a man $1 for a hat which you happened to see and liked, and he should laugh and tell you you could not have it for $1, that the regular price was $3, would you be disappointed because he would not take your $1 and give you the hat? You are not obliged tosell for $1 a dozen just because you are offered that amount. 326 NEW YORK CITY SQUAB MARKET BOOMING, by William R. McLaughlin. The New York City squab market, with which I have been intimately connected for many years, buying and selling to a trade which I know thoroughly, is steadily increasing in demand, especially in January and the fol- lowing eight months, when no game can be had. There is no possibility of overdoing the production, as the squab business is here to stay. There is a good demand all the year round for birds running from seven pounds to twelve pounds to the dozen, at good paying prices, and breeders should place themselves right at the start by buying birds enough to ship from five to ten dozen squabs at a time. In this way they will save considerable on express, as the charge on this quantity is a trifle more than on one, two or three dozen shipments. The very small shipments are unsatisfactory to handle as they do not con- tain enough birds of any particular size to keep a good average scale. There is no line of goods I handle which has grown so much in the last few years as squabs, especially since the squabs have been sold ac- cording to grade and size, and I believe they will continually crowd to the front. I want squabs all the time. I know there is nothing around a farm pay- ing any better and holding to a more steady price all year round, than good squabs from seven to nine pounds. As regards increase, I will say that in one little town in New Jersey where I-started a few shippers and got them to raise according to the scale of selling by weight per dozen, when I first started, the business in that section was something like $5000 a year and has since grown to $25,000 a year, and you could not get them to go-baek to the old way for love or money. They have all made money and grown from small shippers to large ones. I DO.MY KILLING IN THE EARLY MORNING, by B. F. Babcock. I have two days in each week for the killing of my squabs—Wednesdays for the city markets, and Saturdavs for my home orders. At this time of year (July) I start in killing at five a.m., and have all squabs killed, plucked and delivered by ten a.m. have two covered baskets which I take with me to the lofts and the squabs which are to be killed are put in them. Then they are taken to where I kill and pick them. I have a boy who does all the killing and helps pick. My wife and myself do the most of the picking. As soon as. the squabs are picked they are thrown into a pail of cold water. For my home trade, I leave them in the water only until all are picked. Their feet and mouths are all cleaned of foul matter, then they are delivered to the customers. do all delivering myself. For the_ city market they are left in the water from five to six hours, according to what train they are to be shipped. APPENDIX .G I have at home a large hotel trade, having a standing order of four to six dozen a week. Prices range from twenty-five to seventy-five cents each according to size and weight, the average being about fifty cents each. In shipping squahs to the city markets I pack all squahbs in ice, first putting in a laver of ice, then a layer of squabs. I have not shipped vecy many to the city markets as my home trade takes nearly all that I can raise, but have always when shipping received the highest market prices. The inexperienced wiil at first find in using the squab killing knife, that they do not stick the squabs right and that some will jive for quite a long time, and have to be stuck the second time. This has been my experience so I tried this plan so as not to let the squabs suffer any. I made a killing machine, the same as described in the National Standard Squab Book, pages 114-115, which breaks their necks and kills them at once. I then use the squab knife and bleed them. As soon as the squabs are plucked they are at once placed either in a pail or tub of cold water, into which some salt has been put. If you use a twelve-quart pail put in three to four pinches of salt, that is, what you can hold with your thumb and fingers. If a tub is used put in according to size. This will give the squabs the fine white skin desired by the New York market, taking out all the dark or red spots. It also gives them plumpness. I leave them in water from four to five hours, which takes out all the animal heat. then clean the feet of all foul matter and wash all the blood from their beaks and mouths and wrap their heads in white tissue paper. The paper costs very little and the trouble will more than repay any one. It gives a fine, clean appearance when your dealer opens the box and your squabs will bring the top prices. I pack all shipments in ice, putting in a layer of ice first, then a layer of squabs, keeping this rotation up until the box is filled, but being very careful not to get the box too full. No breeder will ever be sorry for any extra pains he takes with his shipments, as it will pay in the long run. SOFTENS PEAS IN WATER, by Elmer Streckwald. I know a woman breeding squabs who softens peas by moistening them in water. Her idea is that they will not be so hard to digest, especially for the young pigeons. I have not tried this myself. Of course they should be softened fresh at each feeding time, or allowed to soak three or four hours before feeding time, for if they were allowed to stay damp over night they would ferment. This woman also feeds her squabs on bread crumbs and she has told me that she finds the use of a moist mixture an im- provement over the dry feeding. This spring I sold my squabs to middlemen in Boston for $4 and $4.25 a dozen. My plant is paying a profit. INDEX TO NATIONAL STANDARD SQUAB BOOK Africa, Plymouth Rock Homers for...... 128 Alum, use of for canker. = Der ceac il A news agent's side line ..... Pe28 An old man’s success with squabs. . sae ed Antwerp Biceoas: Bh A er ee eee 06 Appendix A.. eer 39) Bet Soro gl os} Cree 55-0 alte) IDs 6 5 0 ocr a lltsts) Pe Mee OO) G53 oS Artificial fattening of squabs.. Sata e cee me 110 nitaly.. . 244 eee ae Plymouth Rock Homers to. .263 Average ability necessary to raise sq uabs. seit} Banding squabs. . PPG AG Aa Be eae 7) On leg to show sex. . GMELIN Lee ee Oruintiswpe er dee Mi ene ee eho ay Mly Seamless. . ee odlalil Barley for feed. 55, 214 Barn loft for breeding loft. 3 60 bet) Baskets, cleaning of. See te eA For shipping pigeons. Sa see TPN ero eo) Bathing necessary for pigeons......... 20m ol In cold weather sasaaee Pere an Oe In running water. 54. Bath pan. i 5 By Management oben > 458} On a pipe. -205 Beginners, troubles of. . Bee LOS Big squab farms. . 1838265 Flock from small beginnings. ..159, 161 169, 201, 269, 271, 279, 299. Billing and treading. . eel 022240 Bill of fare, squabs on St FLouis . Pee DOS Birds, taming of. ee eon Blood and breeding count ... .188 Branching out in squab business. . -139, 161, 182 Breeding age of pigeons................. 5 aes} Dark-colored squabs .... 71 Master of by mating and banding. ‘ Of pigeons an ancient lens 2 One pair per month. 5 0) Pen.. 5 Change to when mated. eeOD Changing to Sy, pen 8 Sasreie .249 iraestorcolore..« . nee 1132249 Breeders, shipping of. Br eee SE OT Buckwheat tor feed: .../ sniadeee tei.) 5D iBiildinestonaloktaeee ee nee shee lemon Cost pemlinealfoote ose eee ee seen oe 41 Construction of sass eee ae so Cheapest on record. .....-2.-.2.-...-2¢9 Expensive not necessary.......... 21 Floor of, best to make............ 41 Hen house remodeled......... 110, 170 More than one Story, pigs SARE 2 110, 242 One in Minnesota. eee ONG Of unit house. . ..3f, 44 Points for location of. saecra DL: Roof of. . ae oar one Business management necessary. Mea eee ey “120 a Cabbage as feed for pigeons.... Gil, Toa Canada peas necessary for breeders. aoe Customers, see ‘‘Letter’’ and “Maree § kets.” Canker, pigeon disease. . . 89 Cleanliness prevents. . 91 Cape Horn, Plymouth Rock ‘Homers around. . 144 Card index system | for loft . aa Care of pigeons. Brie 5 eva Carhome pigeons. ae BOB, Carneaux pigeons. é (297, 239 How to breed fifteen pairs er year .231 Carrier pigeons....... 110 Catching pigeons. SIR NE Wile 104 Cats around loft, how to kill... |. RNa MU ead Cement floor for loft. . ah 43, 112 Ceylon, shipping Homers CORR Nee eel OS, Chair seats for nest bottoms.............205 Changinessqualbstinenes tae nee een S71 Charcoaliform pigeons. 7.0.42 52 oo ose oe ee 20% Cheapest loft on. TECORGM ah fast cen eee OO) Chicago, see ‘‘Markets.’’ City lofts . : Seater 15 In garret of house. SUA Reo Sealine red eae 30 Clamoring for sauabe in State of Washing- ton. Cee OS Cleaning floor of loft. . nog C8 Baskets. . Sih eae Oe Cleanliness essential for success....... 20, 33 Lack of causes failures. . es OO Prevents SHOE oo nas vo nd ae oalllly Coal ashes irritating to pigeons. ...249 Codfish good for pigeons. ere 196 Cold weather does not affect breeding . Beato}, ALP/ Gelert feathers, disregard in mating. 69, is 2 Color of legs. . .102 Colored bands . 3 .198 Commission men want squabs. . ei Letters of Chicase: .1389 Cleveland. . he ..144 Kansas City... nade .144 ING WeVion kaye ny se ee Pia 188-192 Scranton. . Bes ~143 State of Washington. . .149 Common pigeons a failure for squabs . 76, 164 Experiences with. . .129, 286 Five hundred pairs. Pero For trap shooting. a. Leh Poor investment. .270 Concrete floor for loft. . Ae eA, Control of mating by banding squabs esti BOF Cost OE keeping pair of pigeons ... .20, 111, 125 Sixty-five cents per pair. .293 Seventy-five cents per pair. are ee 277 Eighty cents per pair... ..... .283, 293 Eighty-five cents per pair......... '913 Cottage squabhouse . .273 Country Gentleman, editorial i in. Fiom 123 Life, editorialin. EEG amr aor Cowameasitontecda ene enn nD 03 1 328 Cracked corn for feed. . dd ashame se tueetor OD From sour grain bad..... rian Lot Dark loft for new flock.................. 89 Skinned squabs. . eee or eam Daughter cares for flock.................196 Deaf woman's success...................295 Diarrhea, wheat causes............... 2s 00 RicearepulatorOn. . saat se . 2. 102 Doctoring pigeons useless............... 92 Drinking watenes =. ies Stents eee nO) Plenty necessary... ee) Serene y | Fountain. 2. .... Pereeeseseseesees Ol Cleansing of . DAME a rahe OD From bottle.................. 802 Driving by male......... sit Eee Meaty its OO Earning power of small flock............223 Editorials, Country Gentleman. Se Raion etier LO Country Lije. . Bastien stars Mise oO Designer. . pase SS, SES (5). Farm Fournal. . Bae tar eneeneea bal | Vick’s Magazine. . Mae eu neuer ee ee oe le, Egg crates for nestboxes.........-...... 27 Eggs, fertile and infertile. . Se Se oe Bean OD Laying of by pigeon. - faye OS Pigeon laying more than two... ...187 PigeOnM1Ot SO] des tere aie cease LOZ Electric light in loft. Beton Bee 74010) England, shipping breeders to. . 106 Entrails, not removed in shipping squabs. 105 Excess of cocks, how to maga down.......241 Experience with self-feeder...........-.. 20 Of Lunn Brothers...... ore.) Of Washington, D. ‘C.,man........300 With five hundred common pigeons, 164 Of squab breeders in States, see “Letters”’. arate aeetoed . 113-302 Express rate on live Hinds ncn escen eye 97,145 Shipments by weight. . eee yall ©) Modlos Angeles’: 22 vee. sands sams GLAD PrepayinSdcvqulese tere) oa oo oe saree LAD, Failures in squab raising, causes of........ 94 Family squab trade in Pennsylvania. .....299 Fanciers prize Plymouth Rock Homers. ..137 Fancy prices not necessary for pean .19, 129 Fantail pigeons... . siaievee Bia eae Farm Fournal, editorial in... EAL Fast work ....155, 180, 193, 215, “216, 221, 224 Twelve out’ ot thirteen pate in twelve daysic ie fea eee =a lk Feather souvenirs. .261 Removing from squabs for market. 83 Feed, as to section of the country. ee eS) And water. ne it yeray Soe Buckwheat for. . eA oo Cabbage good as dainty... Beno | elfeyr/ Canada peas necessary . Sakon gee DO) Corn whole and cracked.. Bs is Oe) In summer. ane) Cracked from sour ‘grain ‘bad... .197 Green as relish .. .61, 187, 199, 202, 280 Hempseed . are 56 Lettuce and parsley. -280, “199 Mixture of grains. 59, 202 INDEX Feed (continued) Marshmallow weed. . A Old, hard and dry grains. ane Principal grains in your section. ean Ot Properly balanced sas iseiee Gye FOU iRiceitor diarrhea. ....02 ca ce ae aenemneOe Shivers...... Jat el OS Sprouted grain dangerous AS ee nT Staple feed. Fie ye eee 50 In South Carolina. . welts susGaie ZOO Variety of necessary. oars inte eee) Wheat, red the best. . ca taate ne aus aa esa OO Causes most troubles...........173 Poorasetbacks2.. 2 ashes sen LO White not good. . eae LOS Feeding dainties, . Poly eoay ee salto et SO By hand.. Se TRE eae Sa eens @LOG In Italy. . 22 244 Effect on color of meat. 69 Green feed. . 61, 187, 199, 280 Inself-feeder....... .54, 60, 280 Trough under................-296 Mr. Tyson’s experience.......... 62 Pennsylvania customer. ........280 Locust leaves. . Ee eee Gerseniel Oe Table scraps, never. sain Fett memea eee Twice aday.. : eet OE A Floor of loft, construction of. 41, 43 Cleaning of. . Ae (nas eae aS Flying pen, location of. . S(t SAN RO A ten-foot.. deme LOU For three- story building. . AS One for several units. Pave cites ce LOD Flying, training homers for..............1¢5 Fountain, drinking. . okie wiatigiat tyes, ey (OU Fourteen-fold increase in one year.