MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS II3 



returns to the purchaser. The average yearly price 

 for squabs per pair in 1904 was 60 cents; in 1905, 62 

 cents. The cost of feed for a year will add another 

 $1, making the cost $1.60. To this amount must be 

 added a fair figure for the necessary time and labor 

 in selecting and catching the mated birds, making 

 records of their numbers and the value of the eggs or 

 squabs in the nests at the time of sale. Selling the 

 mated birds at $2.50 a pair does not give a large 

 profit. It will not permit large advertising bills, if all 

 the above steps are considered. If they are not, no 

 man can guarantee mated birds. Buying birds at, say, 

 $1 a pair and selling them a little later as mated birds, 

 when in fact they are not, at $2.50 a pair, will leave 

 a comfortable margin of dishonest profit. 



Dark-skinned squabs. — It is the aim of every 

 breeder to raise all light-skinned squabs, or as few 

 dark-skinned ones as possible. Many correspondents 

 have asked where they can secure White Homers, 

 thinking they can get birds which will always produce 

 white-skinned squabs. The color of the feathers has 

 nothing to do with the color of the skin ; but the color 

 of the skin will very often be indicated by the color 

 of the legs. In purchasing, reject all dark-legged 

 birds, unless an examination of the skin under the 

 feathers shows it to be light colored. 



A bird of solid black color seldom gives a dark-skin- 

 ned squab. "Pink," our faithful helper, who is shown 

 in Fig 23, and who has done all our picking for sever- 

 al years, besides doing a great deal for other breeders 

 in this vicinity, says he has never seen a dark-skinned 

 squab from a jet black pigeon ; but has often noticed 

 dark-skinned ones from birds of pure white plumage. 



The kind of feed has some effect on the color of 

 the skin. Peas have a tendency to make a whiter 



