118 NATIONAL STANDARD SQUAB BOOK 



for parent birds are all that is necessary 

 to success. 



ACTUAL, TESTS CONVINCED THEM. 

 In Appendix A in our Manual, we tell of 

 a sale of our Homers which we made in 

 February, 1903, to a ship captain, who in- 

 tended to sail from Boston around Cape 

 Horn to the Pacific coast, with stops, the 

 whole voyage to be made in about a year, 

 the pigeons to furnish fresh squab meat 

 for the long journey. The ship went to 

 Florida, from Boston, thence to Rio de 

 Janeiro, Brazil, safely, and sailed from 

 there October 1, 1903. Under date of June 

 22, 1904, the Captain wrote us as follows 

 from New York City: "The birds proved 

 all you claim for them, and even more. 

 I put them in a small house I built, four 

 by eight, and four by four flying pen on 

 March 7, 1903. (This was on the deck of 

 the ship.) They all hatched before April 

 6, and up to June 5, 1904, every bird had 

 hatched twelve times, and one pair thir- 

 teen times. I saved one pair of the first 

 hatches, that was born about April 6, and 

 in October they hatched their first pair, 

 and up to June 5 had six hatchings, which 

 I think was pretty good. I am satisfied 

 that if the birds are taken care of there is 

 big money in them, and just as soon as I 

 can get a location in New Jersey near New 

 York City, I will send to you for two or 

 three hundred pairs. I have an option on 

 a place now and will know tomorrow. I 

 am pretty sure I shall get it and by next 

 Monday I am in hopes to begin my houses. 

 As soon as I get them ready, I will send 

 you a draft for what birds I want. As my 

 houses are built I will order and fill them 

 and I hope you will try and give me a 

 good lot of birds. I shall build for one 

 thousand pairs this summer and increase 

 next year if the birds are as good as those 

 you gave me. In two .weeks you may ex- 

 pect to get an order for two hundred 

 pairs, so you can begin to get them paired 

 off. Any suggestion you can give me 

 about the houses will be very acceptable, 

 as I am going to begin to build at once." 



Since the above was written, he has built 

 his first house and we have shipped him 

 the first large lot of birds. His experience 

 is certainly convincing. Anyone who has 

 doubts can start with a small purchase of 

 birds and find out the facts for himself, 

 just as this customer did. 



We are continually filling large orders 

 for customers who started with a small 

 purchase and did well. Why don't you 

 start with two dozen or so pairs and have 

 the experience of this Michigan customer 

 whose order we received this summer: 

 "A short time ago I received twenty-five 

 pairs of your Homers. They are all doing 

 finely, every bird being lively and full of 

 vim. They are almost all at work now 

 nest-building, and I am more than satis- 

 fied with results thus far obtained. I 

 am about to build two houses, each house 

 to accommodate two hundred and fltfy 

 pairs, divided into five flocks of fifty pairs. 



Enclosed find New York draft to pay for 

 four hundred and fifty pairs Extra 

 Homers." 



Under date of July 1, 1904, a customer 

 writes us from an Ohio town: "The 

 Homers 1 purchased of you two years ago 

 this month have been doing very well, in 

 short, their increase has been marvelous, 

 averaging nine and one-half (9 1/2) pairs 

 per year for the two years I have had 

 them. I -now have quite a flock, bred ex- 

 clusively from the three pairs of mated 

 birds purchased from you, but think it is 

 about time to get some new blood in the 

 flock, therefore will you kindly quote me 

 your prices for birds from one to three or 

 four months old, equal parts cocks and 

 hens, so that I may turn them in with my 

 young birds to prevent as much inbreed- 

 ing as possible in that way. I want to say 

 that I at first had some doubts as to the 

 profits of the business, but must confess 

 that they are even more than you have 

 ever claimed." 



Some of our most successful customers 

 are women. One writes us this summer 

 as follows: "Enclosed find post-office 

 money order for $7,08 payment for the fol- 

 lowing order: three dozen wood nappies, 

 three bath pans, four galvanized iron 

 drinkers. Ship by freight or express as is 

 cheaper. Something over a year ago I 

 bought twelve pairs of pigeons of you. 

 Imperative duties have prevented my giv- 

 ing them as much attention as I would 

 wish, but they have increased and pros- 

 pered with but trifling loss. There are 

 now more than forty pairs nesting, and 

 altogether a flock of something over one 

 hundred and fifty. I have sold none, not 

 having had time even to sort them out and 

 send them to market. I hope soon to get 

 into the lofts and put things in first-class 

 shape and weed out all the culls. I am 

 very well satisfied with my experiment." 



A customer in New York writes: "There 

 have been two pigeon fanciers here this 

 week who say they have no such fine stock 

 as ours, nor have they seen anything like 

 them." 



BOSTON PRICES. The squab market is 

 improving every year, and breeders every- 

 where are getting better prices, even right 

 here in Boston, the centre of the section 

 where our business is done, and where the 

 interest in squabs is very great. The 

 following quotations from the Boston Daily 

 Globe cover a period of nearly four years, 

 and, as will be seen, prices are firmly 

 maintained. New York prices are better 

 than these: 



Mar. 28, 1903 $4.00 and $5.00 a dozen 



Apr. 25, 1903 3.50 and 4.00 a dozen 



May 23, 1903 4.00 and 4.50 a dozen 



June 27, 1903 3.50 and 4.00 a dozen 



July 11, 1903 3.50 a dozen 



Aug. 22, 1903 3.00 and 4.00 a dozen 



Sept. 19, 1903 3.50 and 4.00 a dozen 



Oct. 24, 1903 4.00 and 4.50 a dozen 



Nov. 14, 1903 3.50 and 4.00 a dozen 



Dec. 5, 1903 4.50 and 5.00 a dozen 



