114 NATIONAL STANDARD SQUAB BOOK 



writers of these letters because many of 

 them are regular buyers of our birds, arid 

 moreover, we cannot advertise other 

 breeders free of charge. These letters and 

 the testimony they give are valueless if 

 they are not genuine. Each and everyone 

 is genuine, and moreover, we guarantee 

 their genuineness, and will produce the 

 originals at any time to satisfy anybody. 

 In these days when many "testimonials" 

 are unblushingly "worked up" without a 

 shadow of foundation, there are skeptics, 

 and to such who cannot come to Boston 

 and see us, we recommend that they send 

 one of the commercial agency men to 

 make the inquiry and handle the evidence. 

 We have never yet had the genuineness of 

 our letters from customers questioned, for 

 they "ring true" and are in the simple 

 language of facts which cannot be counter- 

 feited, but we are ready at any time for 

 any doubter. 



What others have done and are doing 

 with our birds, you can do. 



KILLING MACHINE. To kill squabs 

 with extreme rapidity we have made a ma- 

 chine with which the operator can work 

 with much ease and satisfaction. The 

 method of tweaking the necks which we 

 describe and illustrate in the Manual is 

 slow when compared with the work of this 

 machine, and is repugnant to many, es- 

 pecially women. 



The illustration shows the construction 

 clearly. The neck of the squab is placed 

 between the movable arm (or lever) ami 

 the lower arm, and the lever is brought 

 down upon the neck, breaking the bones, 

 crushing the spinal cord and killing th"e 

 squab instantly. The operation produces 

 no blood, nor does it break the flesh. 

 The two edges of the upper and lower 

 arms, where they come together against 

 the neck of the squab should not be sharp 

 so as to cut the flesh, but should be round- 

 ing, and slightly flat at the points of 

 contact. 



The base-board is made of three-quar- 

 ters, or one-inch lumber, twenty inches 

 long and seven inches wide. The upper 



arm (or lever) is of half-inch stock, one 

 and three-quarters inches wide and fif- 

 teen inches long. The lower arm is of 

 half-inch stock one and three-quarters 

 inches wide and eight and one-half inches 

 long. The two upright pieces in front, 

 nearest the hand of the operator, are each 

 of seven-eighths or inch stock, one and 



three-quarters inches wide and three and 

 three-quarters inches high. The two up- 

 right pieces in back, furthest from the 

 hand of the operator, are each of seven- 

 eighths or inch stock, two and one-half 

 inches wide and three and three-quarters 

 inches high. 



The pin at the back of the machine on 

 which the lever turns is of one-quarter 

 inch brass or iron rod two and one-quar- 

 ter inches long. 



The upper arm (or lever) is beveled or 

 cut off at an angle on lower corner (be- 

 hind the uprights, and consequently in- 

 visible in the picture) so that the lever can 

 be raised to an angle of forty-five degrees, 

 thus permitting the neck of the squab to 

 be inserted between the arms at a point 

 just back of the farther uprights. When 

 the upper lever is at rest upon the lower 

 arm, there should be no space between the 

 two; they should butt flush together. 



The whole machine is built of wood with 

 the exception of the metal pivot and the 

 screws which hold the parts together. It 

 is not necessary to mortise the uprights 

 into the base-board. The screws which 

 fasten the uprights are started underneath 

 from the back side of the base-board and 

 go through the base-board. Nails may be 

 used instead of screws to hold the parts 

 together, but the job will not be so 

 strong. The base-board should be nailed or 

 screwed to a bench or table so as to give 

 firmness and solidity in operation. Carry 

 the squabs in a basket to the machine and 

 kill them there; do not take the machine 

 into the pens and kill the squabs in sight 

 of the other birds. 



We do not sell this squab killer. It 

 should be built by you or your carpenter. 



Customers with large plants have told 

 us that this tool is a handy article, and we 

 have found it indispensable. The squabs 

 can be killed as fast as you can work the 

 lever. The pressure is considerable and 

 the cords are crushed at once. The squab 

 is not strangled but is paralyzed, and 

 made lifeless at once. 



After killing in this manner, the squab 

 may be bled, if desired, by inserting a 

 long, sharp knife in throat and cutting it 

 inside, out of sight. It is easier to do 

 this after the squab is dead than when 

 it is alive. 



WEANING THE YOUNG BIRDS. If you 

 are starting with a small flock with the 

 expectation of raising your own breeders, 

 do not take the young birds away from 

 their parents out of the breeding pen until 

 they are weaned. They are not thoroughly 

 weaned until they are six to seven weeks 

 old. It is true that many of them hop or 

 fly or are pushed out of the nests when 

 they are from four to five weeks old, but 

 they continue to cry for food when they 

 are hungry, and the old cock bird of the 

 pair which hatched them will be seen 

 feeding them on the floor. The young- 

 sters at this time are feeding themselves, 

 but to keep them strong and rugged they 



