SQUABS PAY 17 



he saw the plant above noted. The proprietor referred Mr. 

 Grice to us and advised him to start with Homer pigeons, 

 saying that, if he were to stock up again, it would be with 

 Homer instead of the common pigeons. Before leaving, Mr. 

 Grice gave us an order for one hundred pairs of our Homers. 



The number of orders for breeding stock which we have 

 received from Iowa is out of proportion to any State near it, 

 showing that these squab plants are known throughout Iowa 

 to be making money. The same is true of California. We 

 visited many squab breeders in eastern States in June, 1902, 

 noting the buildings and methods and finding out from them 

 if they were satisfied with the financial returns. All were 

 enthusiastic and said it was easy work, that squabs beat 

 hens easily and were much less care. The methods of some 

 of these breeders were extremely crude, the birds nesting in 

 old boxes of all sizes nailed to the walls of the squab 

 houses, and apparently never being cleaned. The Homers 

 were small, not being able to raise squabs weighing over seven 

 pounds to the dozen. 



Somebody has said that a squab plant of one thousand pairs 

 of birds will pay better than a farm. The contrast between 

 the hard, grinding toil of the man who works a large farm and 

 the " standing around " of the owner of a squab plant is indeed 

 a striking one. However, we do not speak of this to give you 

 the idea that money is going to flow into your lap just because 

 you buy some squab breeders of us. It is no work for a drone 

 or a " get-rich-quick " person whose enthusiasm runs riot for 

 two weeks and then cools off. Our class of trade is men and 

 women of experience and reliable common sense who have 

 a knowledge of the world and understand that things come 

 by work and not for the asking. The people who are able 

 and willing to pay us from fifty to five hundred dollars for a 

 breeding outfit, as hundreds do, are not caught by glittering 

 promises, but have money laid by through exercise of the 

 qualities of ability and shrewdness. The naturally careless, 

 improvident person, who is generally in debt, should not start 

 squab raising. It is a sensible industry for sensible people. 



The profits to be made with squabs vary with the individual 

 and with the management of the birds, exactly as with poul- 

 try. It is important to have only mated or even pairs in the 

 pens and all birds not producing should be kept in a separate 



