66 AMERICAN SQUAB CULTURE 



Mondaine standard. I consider this a wonderful squab producing bird. 

 I have over four thousand pairs of these birds and am meeting with 

 great success shipping them to all parts of the country for squab 

 breeding purposes. I filled one order for one thousand pairs. 



To start with I purchased several pairs at eighteen dollars per pair 

 from a party that came direct from Switzerland in 1905 and have kept 

 them and improved the strain ever since. I have never seen such 

 squab breeding. Squabs average three pounds in weight at twenty-four 

 days old. 



I have a very large plant constructed along your lines and ideas 

 which is giving me the greatest of satisfaction. 



F..M. Prevost. 



Oxnard, California. 

 Mr. E. H. Eggleston: 



The following is some information regarding Swiss Mondaines. 



For almost a decade there have been a few White Swiss Mondaine 

 pigeons in this country, with a light scattering of the Blue-Bars and 

 an occasional Silver, which is an off-shoot of the Blue-Bars. 



The "White Swiss has been in a few breeders' hands who realized 

 their worth and as none of their owners happened to be men who kept 

 them for a purely commercial purpose, but who were at the same 

 time rather jealous of their pots, their price was prohibitive, in those 

 days when a squabbing pigeon was considered a child's plaything or at 

 most, far less valuable than a common chicken. 



However, today a utility pigeon's worth Is appreciated and its worth 

 is high or low according to its production. And as the Swiss Mon- 

 daine's squabs run from 15 to 18 lbs. to the dozen, good, healthy birds 

 of this breed are worth considerably more than the average utility 

 pigeon whose squabs usually average 10 lbs. to the dozen. 



The number of squab marketed from a pair of Swiss Mondaines will 

 equal the production, squab for squab, of any of the utility breeds 

 that produce the 12 lb. squabs. The consumption of grain per pair 

 is such a slight amount over that of the producers of the 12 lb. squabs, 

 that unless there was large lofts of these birds this increased grain 

 consumption would hardly be noticed. 



The scarcity of the White Swiss Mondaine is their only drawback 

 for the commercial squab plant, for this scarcity tends to keep their 

 selling price well above that of the more common utility breeds. 



However, the writer knows of a number of relatively large com- 

 mercial plants that are "running up" flocks of White Swiss to take 

 the place of the birds they now possess. 



Those that are interested in pure bred live stock will appreciate the 

 fact that a number of the leading White Swiss Mondaine breeders 

 have a Record Association under way that will issue registered pedi- 

 grees on the White Swiss, this in itself may not amount to very much 

 at the present time, — but time will tell, and in every instance the 

 non-registered are forced to give way to the bird, stock or hog that 

 has its pedigree of pure breeding. 



