not have any space to loaf on, but should 

 be on top of the nest as soon as it strikes 

 into the nest-box. The nest should be its 

 only place to sit. 



Ques. Please give details as to shingling 

 squab hoiise. Ans. To get a warm house, 

 one of our correspondents has suggested the 

 use of rosln-slzed building paper 'under the 

 shingles. We approve this suggestion. Use 

 common and not wire shingle nails, which 

 rust out quickly. As to the roosts, this cor- 

 respondent makes the following suggestion: 

 Use inch boards five and six inches wide, cut 

 eight inches long. Nail the side of the six- 

 Inch piece onto the side of the flve-inch piece 

 like the letter V inverted and toenail the 

 end to the wall where wanted, 



Ques. In tacking on the t^o-inch strips to 

 the front of each pair of nests, do you mean 

 both the horizontal and perpendicular divi- 

 sions? Ans, No, only the perpendicular, 



Ques. Why not use a wire across the front 

 to keep nappies from falling out? Ans. Not 

 necessary; would hinder cleaning. A nappy 

 is seldom pushed put. 



Ques. How many squabs are packed in a 

 basket or box when shipping to market ? 

 Ans. As many as will make a package eas- 

 ily handled by one expressman. A box 2 ft. 

 X 2 ft. X 18 inches is big enough, 



Ques. Will a male mate with two females 

 at the same time ? Ans, No. There may 

 be exceptions, but we have not observed any, 



Ques. On Page 23 you say: "When squabs 

 are two weeks old . . . the nest with oc- 

 cupants are transferred," etc., and a few 

 lines further you say: "You get rid of the 

 -dirty nest," etc. Do you intend to say that 

 the old nest is entirely thrown away, or only 

 the dung in nappy outside o£ nest ? Ans, 

 Throw the old nest away and in the new, 

 clean nappy place a handful of nesting ma- 

 terial (straw and grass) . Then place the 

 pair of live squabs on top of this new nest. 



Ques. Instead of shingling the squab house, 

 would it not do to make the sides and ends 

 of good flooring, put on right, that would be 

 air-tight? Ans, Yes; we prefer shingles 

 because neater. 



Ques. I believe I will build a wire netting 

 fence eight feet high and leave the top of the 

 flying: pen open. Ans. You must keep the 

 birds wired in completely, otherwise they will 

 fly back to us. Birds which you hatch and 

 raise you may allow to fly loose. Not know- 

 ing of any home but yours, they will not 

 leave you. 



Ques. In the case of a long squab house 

 with difEerent flocks, would not one large fly- 

 kig; pen answer? Ans. Yes, but the birds 



would not be under your control so well. 

 You can keep watch of them better. 



Ques. When you pluck, do you draw the 

 entrails out of the bird? Ans. No. 



Ques. Please describe killing the squab 

 more fully, Ans. We can, but it will not 

 make It clearer. Wait until your first lot of 

 squabs is ready to be tweaked, then we war- 

 rant you will teach yourself by actual prac- 

 tice In five minutes. If you avoid the wrong 

 way of holding your hands, as illustrated, 

 there is only one other way of holding, and 

 that is the right way, as told. 



Ques. Are the flying (carrier) Homers the 

 same breed of stock as your squab raisers? 

 Ans. Yes; a carrier is a Homer that has 

 been trained. 



Ques, Do the nest-boxes face the door ? 

 Ans. No ; they face the south wall of the 

 squab house. 



Ques. Is It necessary to completely cover 

 the yard of the flying pen with grit? Ans. 

 No; one correspondent writes on this point: 

 "For grit we give oyster shells and sometimes 

 pound up glass for them." 



Ques. Ts Kafflr corn considered corn; and if 

 so, should it be mixed half and half with 

 cracked corn ; the two forming the mixture 

 considered the one-part corn, to two of wheat; 

 for summer feed, as given in Manual, page 

 33 ? Ans. No ; we call Kaffir corn a 



"dainty." By "mixture," we mean wheat 

 and cracked corn. That is the staple, the 

 others are dainties. 



Ques. Are the mating coops mere bird 

 cages, or as large as a flying pen? Ans. 

 They are small, but not so small as the ordi- 

 nary canary cage. A good size is 4 ft. x 

 2 ft. X 2 ft.j with removable wire partition 

 In the middle, giving each bird a space 2 ft. 

 X 2 ft. X 2 ft. 



Ques. I would like to buy half a dozen 

 pairs of Homers. Provided I kept them In 

 the house and flying pen until May 1, do you 

 think they would leave If left out in the 

 open after that date? ' Ans. Yes; you must 

 keep them wired in all the time, or back 

 they will come to us. 



Ques. On page 51, a sentence at the top of 

 the page says, "In the case of young birds, 

 the first mating does not amount to much, 

 the eggs being undersized and the squabs 

 lacking in vitality." Now Is it best to let 

 the birds hatch the first eggs, or would It 

 not he best to destroy the first eggs, and let 

 the birds mate again, or is it best to let them 

 hatch and learn to feed their young? Ans. 

 It is best to let them hatch and learn to 

 feed their young, 



Ques. Does each pair of birds have two 



78 



