National Standard Squab Book. 69 



high and too laise giviug an opportunity for oae bird to pass another by 

 fly ng over ,ts head. If there is too mnch room between the top and 

 hot om of the crates feathers will be rnmple.I and pnlled out, and the 

 birds by crowding, wdl snffocate on. or two. A large, heavy crate also 

 adds enormously to the e.xpress charges. It is not pleasant to buy pigeons 

 aiid receive then, 11, a cumbrous box weighing from 25 to 75 pounds on 

 which the expre.5s charges arc more than double wliat they would be were 

 the birds crated properly. 



If the birds are going to a point only a day or a day and a night dis- 

 tant, they nee.l no feed no- water. If the destination is more remote, 

 two tin cups, one for grain, the other for water, should be tacked to the 

 mside of the crate. For a very long journey, a bag of grain should be 

 tied to the crate. It is the duty of the express messengers to feed and 

 water the birds en route, and they are so instructed by their companies. 

 Do you know that live stock i.? transported long distances by the express 

 companies at the rate charged for ordinary merchandise? For carrying 

 live stock short ilistantes, the animal rate (which is double the merchan- 

 dise rate) is charged. This is a peculiar rule, and it vi-orks so that the 

 buyer at a remote point gets his shipment cheaper than the buyer nearer 

 us. For instance, we can ship a crate of pigeons to Chicago from Boston 

 cheaper than we can to Buffalo. All the express companies doing busi- 

 ne.ss in the Truited States and Canada have the same rule, which is, that 

 between points where the single or merchandise rate is $2 or more per 100 

 pounds, live animals, boxed, crated or caged, are charged for transporta- 

 tion at the single or merchandise rate. Between points where the single 

 or merchandise rate is less than $2 per 100 pounds, live animals are 

 "jiaiged the animal rate (which is double the merchandise rate). In order 

 to obtain the lowest rate of transpoitation, the value of each pigeon must 

 be stated by the shipper at $5 or less. 



We have seen breeders who have been shipping live stock for years 

 and they never heard of the above rule of the express companies, and also 

 we have seen scores of express agents who did not know of their own 

 rule, but always charged the animal rate on animal shipments. But the 

 rule is found in every graduated charge book of every express company, 

 and the experienced express men and experienced shippers know all about 

 it. If the agent in your town is ignorant of the rule, ask him for his 

 graduated charge book and you will find it under the classification "Ani- 

 mals." Evei-y customer of ours entitled to the single or merchandise 

 rate on his shipment gets a card from us in our letter to him with the 

 rule printed on it. JIany express agents at local points seldom handle a 

 l?Te animal shipment and do not know how to chai-ge for it, 



A live animal contract release, to be signed both by shipper and express 

 agent, is needed in all cases where the value of the shipment is over $5. 

 If pigeons which we ship are killed in a smash-up, we can recover from 

 the company. M'e have no hesitation, therefore, in guaranteeing the safe 



