CHAPTER I. 



THE BEST BREED FOR SQUAB RAISING THE KIND TO BUY 



ABOUT MATED PAIRS. 



The very best breed of pigeons to use for squab-raising is 

 American Homers. These product heavy squabs, full 

 breasted, plump and meaty. The American-bred Homer is 

 a hardy and prolific bird and will produce more heavy-weight 

 squabs in a year than any other breed which has ever been 

 tried. They are good "workers", that ife they breed regularly, 

 feed their young carefully and are less liable to disease than 

 almost any other breed. 



The American-bred Homer is not so pretty as some other 

 varieties, or as imported Homers, but It is a practical utility 

 bird which makes more money for its owner than can be made 

 out of any other breed. 



The beginner should never buy imported Homers. They 

 are bought in Belgium from farmers, without regard to their 

 quality, at about 25 cents a pair. They are boxed up and 

 shipped to this country and sold as imported birds which are 

 highly praised by the sellers as being just the thing. 



Let these birds alone. They must become acclimated 

 after they get to this country before they begin to work. 

 Often they will not breed for six months or more after being 

 landed, and very frequently they sicken and die when going 

 through the process of acclimation. 



Besides this, imported Homers do not produce as heavy 

 or as light-colored flesh in their squabs as do the American- 

 bred birds. If imported Homers are sold at $i.go a pair, 

 good straight, mated pairs of American-bred birds are well 

 worth $3 a pair. 



