more detailed side view here. ■' 



A B C is one timber, E C H another and 

 E B a third. B D Is made of wire, to pre- 

 vent the birds from flying from the squab 

 house to the top of the passageway. K 

 shows the lattice work underneath the nest 

 boxes through which the pigeons thrust their 

 bills and heads to feed from the trough F. 

 You fill the trough with grain by hand from 

 the passageway. This is useful in stormy or 

 bitter cold weather when it is desirable not to 

 let the birds out into the flying pen, where 

 the self-feeder is located. The line C D is 

 shown full to represent the bracing posts, 

 tint you should remember to leave this top 

 part of the squab house mostly open, for bet- 

 ter ventilation. 



In building our new squab houses, we have 

 deviated a trifle from the dimensions given on 



Page 16. The perpendicular distance from E 

 to the floor of the squab house we are making 

 eleven feet. From A to C, thirteen feet. 

 From C to floor of squab house, nine feet. 

 From H to floor of .squab house six feet. 

 From A to H (total depth of squab house) 16 

 feet. Width of unit squab house (large 

 enough to honse 60 to 75 pairs of blrdsj, 

 twelve feet. Length of flying pen from top 

 of ridge pole of squab house to south ex- 

 tremity, thirty feet. Length of flying pen 

 from end of squab house to south extremity, 

 twenty feet. Height of flying pen from ground, 

 nine to twelve feet. 



TO SUM UP. 

 There are but four points essential to suc- 

 cess in pigeon raising: First, variety and 

 plenty of food. Second, fresh, clean water. 

 Third, clean houses. Fourth, GOOD STOCK, 

 as obtained from the PLYMOUTH ROCK 

 SQUAB CO. 



QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 



Ques. How do you yourself pack squabs 

 for market, In baskets or boxes? Ans. We 

 pack in boxes, with hinged cover because the 

 distance from Pembroke to the Boston market 

 Is short. For a day' s journey, use nailed 

 cover boxes. 



Ques. Do you pack in one layer, or more? 

 Ans. We pack them in layer upon layer, 

 close, in an orderly manner. Don't throw 

 them in every way. 



Ques. Is there any discoloration of the 

 meat upon contact, after the squab is cooled? 

 Ans. No; In hot weather the squabs should 

 not be killed until the night before ship- 

 ping, and when cooling from the studding 

 should be hung in a draft. There will be no 

 discoloration when shipping squabs cooled 

 property in this manner. 



Ques. Is it safe to hang killed squabs 

 from studding In the summer time to cool? 

 Ans. Use a cellar, or the coolest room on 

 the premises. 



Ques. Of each pair of squabs hatched, is 

 one invariably a male and the other a female? 

 Ans. Not invariably, but as a rule. 



Ques. When raised all in one pen, are 

 not the brother and sister likely to pair, be- 

 ing best acquainted by association in the 

 nest? Ans, No, it is not Nature's way. 

 Bach will look for a new acquaintance. 



Ques. If pairs only of birds when old 

 enough to take to the wing were put in an 

 apartment until there were a large number 

 of such pairs, would it insure freedom from 

 unmated and unproductive birds and the use- 

 less Cost of feeding such birds? If so this 

 would be easier than mating them in coops 

 or hutches. To the inexperienced It would 

 be safer than to trust to one's ability to de- 

 termine the sex of birds by examination. 

 Ans. It is very hard to tell the sex of young 

 birds by manipulation because the female, 

 having produced no eggs, has not widened in 

 position of posterior bones. As we state in 

 the Manual, one way to tell the sex of 

 pigeons is by observation of their behavior, 

 and this is the way which must be used In. 

 the case of young birds. You cannot tell 

 either male or female organs in the living 

 birds. Wa have killed and dissected them 

 and found them. The breeder must train his 

 faculties of observation keenly and then h3 

 can tell the birds apart and seldom make an 

 error, (But we have seen breeders who 

 thought they were good judges fooled.) It 

 takes. a keen, sharp eye. 



Ques. Would it not be well to have the 

 nest-boxes larger, so the birds can have a 

 place to alight? Ans. No; the bird ahou'l 



77 



