120 NATIONAL STANDARD SQUAB BOOK 



which he speaks was made in November, 

 1903; since then our stock of Homers has 

 been increased. 



"It was our pleasure within the last 

 two weeks to visit the home plant of the 

 Plymouth Rock Squab Co., at Melrose 

 Mass. We were beautifully entertained 

 by Mr. Elmer C. Rice and his family. 

 The buildings at the home plant are by 

 far the best that we have ever seen for 

 squab growing. Each building is con- 

 structed for the best possible light, air, 

 and sanitary conditions. Those who may 

 be interested in squab growing will find 

 it to their profit to communicate with 

 Mr. Rice at Boston for the printed mat- 

 ter which gives a full description of his 

 plant and methods of doing business. 



"We saw at this plant 12,000 full-grown, 

 well-matured Homing Pigeons ready for 

 distribution for growing squabs. In all 

 our experience we have never seen a bet- 

 ter lot than these. They are large, vig- 

 orous, full-breasted, broad-shouldered 

 specimens such as one would select for 

 producing squabs of the best character. 

 There are Blues, Blue Checks, Silvers, 

 Reds, and mixed colors such as would 

 naturally be produced through the cross 

 mating of any of these varieties. While 

 we were there Mr. Rice shipped from 

 the plant between five and six hundred 

 birds, all of which are sent out in large 

 roomy baskets, the baskets returnable at 

 the shipper's expense. So far as we can 

 calculate, we are under the impression 

 that Mr. Rice is doing a very large busi- 

 ness. In addition to this we carefully 

 perused a number of letters received by 

 Mr. Rice from localities as far West as 

 San Francisco, as far South as Florida, 

 all of these communications speaking in 

 the highest terms of the shipments made 

 to them by Mr. Rice." 



RUNTS NOT DESIRABLE. From the 

 Farm Journal. "Our remarks in the Octo- 

 ber issue respecting the relative merits of 

 large and small birds were put in a way 

 to be easily misunderstood. 



"By large birds we meant runts and 

 that class, usually found only in the 

 hands of fanciers and experts in pigeon 

 breeding. They are not at all desirable 

 for squab breeding. 



"Common pigeons are not hardy and 

 prolific in proportion to their smallness. 

 The largest of these should be selected 

 for breeding always. 



"There is a great difference in the size 

 and quality of what are called common 

 birds. Where they are chosen as the 

 basis of a squab breeder's business a 

 careful selection should be made. 



"Of all the pure-bred types, we know 

 of nothing superior or equal to the Hom- 

 ers for breeding squabs. They are hardy 

 and prolific and rear large, meaty squabs. 

 There is also room for selection in Hom- 

 ers, some being much larger than others. 



"When a breeder already has a flock of 



common pigeons he can greatly improve 

 it by the infusion of Homer blood," 



USEFUL, MESSENGERS. We have quite 

 a call for our birds from physicians hav- 

 ing a country practice. They leave two 

 or three birds at a patient's house to be 

 let loose when the doctor's services are 

 needed. In cases of expected confinement 

 at a distance of several miles from the 

 doctor's home, our birds are extremely 

 useful. We earnestly advise country phy- 

 sicians with a wide territory to cover to 

 look into this matter and communicate 

 with us. It will be money in their 

 pockets. 



DEMAND IN COLORADO. We have 

 had the same experience with the Western 

 trade as the following- writer in the 

 Western Poultry World, of course 

 excepting California, which is one of 

 the best squab markets in the coun- 

 try. What he says is conservative and 

 sensible and bears out what we have al- 

 ways maintained, that wherever there are 

 men and women who are good eaters, 

 there squabs will be eaten. If you live 

 in a town where a squab never was seen, 

 but where there are people who set a 

 good table, to them you certainly can sell 

 squabs: 



"Having been asked by your editor to 

 write an article on pigeons or squab rais- 

 ing, and also having said I would, I 

 commence by stating a few facts which 

 I have gained from both practical experi- 

 ence and inquiries from Eastern breeders. 

 In the first place, I want to say that lit- 

 tle is known of this industry in the West, 

 and in fact it has not been known in the 

 East until about ten years ago, when 

 they began to take it up about the same 

 as the Western people are doing now. 

 Many got discouraged at finding it was 

 not a get-rich-quick scheme. 



"I am constantly having letters from 

 different parts of the country asking me 

 if squab raising pays, and saying that 

 from inquiries they have made at meat 

 markets and commission merchants, they 

 are told that there is no demand lor 

 them. Of course there is not at the present 

 time, for if there was they could not 

 get them. No man can sell what he has 

 not got. I once went to a gentleman 

 and told him my plan of starting a squab 

 farm, and he in turn went to his meat 

 market and asked him what he thought 

 of it, and he said I was either lazy or 

 crazy. Now this man knew absolutely 

 nothing of squabs, and never had any 

 in his store, and, consequently, never 

 had any calls for them. I dare say that 

 if one were to go to every market in tfie 

 city they would tell you the same thing, 

 and nine out of every ten people would 

 tell you they had never eaten a squab in 

 their lives; still I have people come 

 right to my door who come a good dis- 

 tance out of their way and want to buy 



