lO 



National Standard Squab Jiouk. 



tliu bag.s pile up and ilifii M/ml [Ik'ir bauk 

 lu UH ill a Ijurieh. We iin.' pa.[-iirula.r to s^ave 

 ijut only tilt; manure in (lif unit pens, but 

 in the sorting and mating cages and coops. 

 We cover the floors oli these cages with bur- 

 lap, not tacking the burlap down, but 

 stretching it over three finish nails tacked 

 at the backs of the cages and two nails 

 tacked at the front of the cages. The 

 manure cakes and dries on the burlap as it 

 would on the floor. When there is a layer 

 about half an inch thick, all tramped hard, 

 dry and odorless by the constant hammering 

 of the feet of the birds, we take the burlap 

 off the nails and stretch it outside, bottom 

 up, then sprinkle water on the back and 

 the manure drops off in large cakes. The 

 burlap then is dried and replaced. This 

 method saves an Immense amount of time 

 which otherwise would be consumed in 

 scraping the floors of the cages. We have 

 lOS of these cages at the farm and in our 

 Boston shipping room, each capable of hold- 

 ing from 12 to 2i) pairs of birds, and we liave 

 burlap carpets on all of them. We use a 

 large amount of burlap not only fur this 

 purpose but for small grain bags to go with 

 nrdi. I's iHr breeders to distant points, and 

 al. n iiir the floors of our shipping basliets. 

 Wr 'i-uy this burlap in large rolls weighing 

 ISO pounds and containing from 300 to 320 

 square yards. We do not hem it or sew it in 

 any way for the cages, simply cut U and in 

 stretching It over the nails fold the raw 

 edges under. 



Having read the Manual. >ou Ivunw that we 

 do not use sand or sawdust in our squab 

 houses, so we are able to deliver manure 

 which is absolutely pure. The tanneries do 

 not like to get lots ol" impure manure and 

 of course pay more for the unadulterated 

 article. It is just as easy and more business- 

 like to keep this by-product pure. 



The manure In the houses has no odor, 

 but when we have got it scraped up and 

 banked In the manure house. It gives forth 

 a pungent, ammonia-like smell. As the 

 manure house Is entirely out off from the 

 squab houses by the slide In the passage- 

 way, this pungency does not trouble any- 

 one. It is not a nasty smell, anyway. 



We have had customers from as far off 

 as Illinois write that they were quite 

 charmed with our story about the manure, 

 and that they were saving up bags of it to 

 ship by freight to the American Hide and 

 Leather Company at Lowell. Mass. This 

 tanner:.' is a branch of the Leather Trust, 

 wb if'h has other tanneries, so use your wits 

 anf^ find out which tannery is nearest you, 

 and ship to that one. If you can find a 

 tannery not In the trust, sell to that, if you 

 wish to. If you sell to a trust tannery, the 

 check which pays you will come from the 

 New York office of the trust, same as ours 

 (jo VCf rrr-nnimend our New England cus- 



tomers to fillip to Lowell. AVo liavc alWoL>s 

 found the Icatlier people square in measuring 

 the manure, in fact they have given us credit, 

 on two or three occasions for more than we 

 thought we had. They pay after you have 

 sent your bill of lading and the report of 

 the measurer has gone to the New Vork 

 ofllce. You need not be afraid of swamping 

 the leather trust with pigeon manure. They 

 will take all you can scrape up. They use It 

 to take the Jiair olf the raw hides, and It is 

 said to be the only substance which will do 

 this job thoroughly without injuring the 

 hide. riiemicals which are used as substi- 

 tutes when pigeon manure cannot be had are 

 &aid to be Injurious to the hide. 



We write the above to help you sell tlie 

 manure from your squab houses. Do nut 

 ask us to advise ^'ou further on this point, 

 for we cannot. IT you cannot find a tannery 

 within siiipping distance, try the florists. 

 We are informed that the florists' exchange 

 in New York city is a good place to sell 

 pigeon 311 an u re, and customers near that 

 citv have told us that they are selling there. 



SQliADS IX THR POULTRY PRESS.— The 

 magazines devoted to poultry are beginning 

 to take up squabs on account of the in- 

 creasing Interest shown by poultryinen in 

 the subject. In the Poultry Keeper for Nov. 

 l.'^ith, llioi;, appeared a contribution by A. P. 

 Spllier. After giving the general arrange- 

 ments for caring for the birds, he says: "At 

 about four weeks of age the squabs are 

 i-eady for market. Some markets require 

 them dressed, others only hilled. Good 

 breeding pigeons will hatch and rear from 

 six to eleven pair of young a year. The cost 

 to keep a pair of breeders, Including the rais- 

 ing of the young, at the present time is 

 about eighty cents a year, this, of course, 

 varying some with location and cost of 

 feeding stuff. Wild game birds are becom- 

 ing more scarce each year. The properly 

 raised squab pigeon comes nearer taking the 

 place of these wild birds than anything else. 

 That they make fine eating, those who have 

 eaten them can not deny. There Is always 

 a ready sale for good plump squabs at 

 hotels, restaurants, markets and private fam- 

 ilies, prices ranging from $2,50 to $4.50 per 

 dozen, depending upon quality and season. 

 "When one begins to raise pigeons it is better 

 to try to secure strains from some reliabit 

 breeder who has stock bred along profitable 

 lines. There is a dilTerence in regard to 

 breeding and feeding qualities and results 

 obtained which warrants the paying of a lit- 

 tle more at the start in obtaining more 

 profitable stock. The writer is in favor of 

 the straight Homer, carefully selected as to 

 size, shape, breeding and feeding qualities, 

 as it is well known that the Homer pigeon 

 is one of the liest feeders and breeders of 

 any varlr-ty. and the numbers (hey will pro- 

 duce in !i yeai" more than balance any slight 



