THE NOVICE 15 



try-town lot of loox 150 feet, facing the south, 

 there was a mixed flock of 1,100 pigeons of va- 

 rious breeds ; thoroughbred to start in with, but 

 allowed to cross-breed among themselves. They 

 were in one narrow house built the full width 

 of the lot (100 feet), against a high board 

 fence, with one fly-pen the same length and forty 

 feet wide. 



There were no squabs in the nests, and I was 

 told it was because it was the moulting season. 

 This is not true ; a well-fed, well-housed pigeon 

 will breed the year round. These pigeons had 

 had nothing but wheat, wheat, wheat — and 

 white wheat at that — from one day's end to an- 

 other, dumped into large, old-fashioned feeders, 

 allowed to get sour and filthy in damp weather. 



There was a shed on the east end of the yard 

 and I built a corresponding one on the west, fill- 

 ing both with modern nests. Then I built a 

 thoroughbred pen. As there were no squabs to 

 disturb, and as I had decided to confine my 

 plant to two breeds and their crosses, I caught 

 up all the thoroughbreds and sold off all but 

 the runts and homers, which were compara- 

 tively few. 



As, even then, I felt chary about the homer 

 for the Western market, I bought in a few Mal- 

 tese hens and more runts, and no runt-hen 



