192 AMERICAN SQUAB CULTURE 



following a few old ideas that were costing them a lot of time 

 and money. I propose, therefore, to give the reader the benefit 

 of my experience that I secured and thereby assist him in mak- 

 ing an inexpensive short cut to success. 



Most of the large plants in the East and in Now England, 

 particularly, build their squab houses with an aisle to the rear 

 of their nest rooms and with a solid wall or partition between 

 the aisle and the nost rooms. In each plant I visited of this de- 

 sign I noticed the birds were unusually wild. They would start 

 flying off the nests and out of the squab houses into the fly pens 

 the minute we entered the building and would stay out for 

 some time after we came out. In these plants I always noticed 

 a lot of cold, deserted nests and eggs. In one plant where the 

 partitions between the aisle and nest rooms were of wire so the 

 birds could see us as we passed along the aisle they were not so 

 wild, and it was here that I got my first idea of a wire i)artition 

 between the aisle and nest rooms. Previous to that I had built 

 my front aisle with a partition of solid wood between the aisle 

 and nest rooms. Since then I have wondered why I went to the 

 expense of building a solid wood partition when a wire partition 

 was better in every way and much cheaper. 



The objection to having the aisle in the rear of the nest rooms 

 is not only that it makes the birds wild, but it is awkward and 

 unhandy. 



Most of the New England- plants have gates to their fly pens 

 at the opposite end from the house so when they want to get 

 into the fly pen it is necessary to go clear around in front, thus 

 losing a great deal of time. 



I quote below from a letter I received from the owner of a 

 plant I visited near Boston which covers the difference between 

 the front and rear aisle system complete in a few words. "Dear 

 Mr. Eggleston: I feel very grateful for the suggestion you gave 

 me this spring. Shortly after you were here I changed the plan 

 of one of my houses and built the aisle in front and of wdre 

 instead of boards. This is going to cost me a lot of money 

 because I like it so well that I am going to change all of my 

 other houses. But I am sure I will gain back the expense of the 

 change before the year is over. The convenience of your aisle 

 plan of feeding alone is enough to cause me to change the aisle 



