APPENDIX G 



383 



o-SSy I BUILT LARGE FROM A SMALL 

 STA^T, by W E. Blakslee. Many times we 

 tail to realize that the things we do for a pleas- 

 ant pastime may become most important later. 

 About three years ago I thought it would be 

 an enjoyable and interesting way to spend my 

 spare time to have a small flock of pigeons, and 

 make a study of raising both breeders and 

 squabs. At that time f little realized what 

 It was gomg to mean for me later. 



My first move was to obtain the National 

 btandard Squab Book and study up what 

 information I could derive from that. I 

 found It to be a great aid to me for the " know 

 how, and what to do, in getting my place in 

 proper shape for keeping birds. As I advanced 

 m my experience I appreciated more and more 

 what the Manual taught. 



1 fixed a place at the start for a good number 

 of birds, and also a good-sized rearing pen. 

 My first order to the Plymouth Rock Squab 

 Company was for only three pairs of birds. 

 It was my intention to go slow and sure, and 

 let my knowledge increase as my birds in- 

 creased. I can see what it means to me now 

 in_ being able to handle any number of pigeons 

 with perfect ease. 



After I got started imder way, I found my- 

 self getting more and more interested. There 

 seems to be something very attractive in it if 

 one once gets fully interested. The growth 

 of the squab is a fast and wonderful develop- 

 ment._ Any lover of nature cannot help being 

 astonished by seeing it. After one has raised 

 a nice lot of selected breeders, he certainly has 

 done a work to be proud of. 



As I advanced in raising my flock, I added 

 now and then a few birds from Mr. Rice to 

 mix in with my own raising. I had such good 

 success, and increased so fast, that many 

 times I found myself wishing I could devote 

 my whole time to them. I little thought then 

 the time would come so soon for me to do so. 

 My birds have done well and proved a perfect 

 success from my start, and I have a fine large 

 flock at present that is a good investment for 

 me. I have had the misfortune to lose my 

 health and have had to stay in a higher altitude 

 than my own home all the summer, leaving my 

 home and birds to the care of my wife and 

 daughter, who have kept everything right up 

 to good success and standard. This proves a 

 family might be left in worse circumstances 

 than having a good, profitable flock of pigeons 

 to help out. My condition has made it neces- 

 sary for me to give up my home in the valley 

 for one in the mountains, so I am having to 

 give up my position in the manufacturing line 

 and do what I am next best fitted for, and able. 

 If it was not for my squab experience, I don't 

 know what I would take up, for I am prepared 

 for maintaining myself only in a mechanical 

 life. It now looks as if the squab business 

 came to me for a good purpose. I now have 

 nearly a thousand pairs, all Plymouth Rock 

 stock. I am getting fine squabs, very few less 

 than ten ounces, most twelve to fourteen 

 ounces and very often I find a few fifteen, 

 sixteen and seventeen ounces. 



i.*5S^._^^ '^^ A LOFT OF FLIES AND 

 MICE, by H. J. MoeUer. We are Hving in 

 the trade center of this state (Wisconsin), but 

 the game laws extend over such a wide range 

 of time, that it is a hard proposition to have 

 our squabs bring the right market prices. 

 At present (JviXy) we are receiving three dollars 

 per dozen for squabs weighing eight to nine 

 pounds per dozen, while the same are being 

 retailed for four and five dollars. The prices' 

 of grain, however, are reasonable, thus afford- 

 \^S U-3 one advantage over the low prices paid. 

 We have arranged to have always about fifty 

 extra nestbowls on hand, so that when the 

 squabs are taken from the soiled ones we can 

 quickly take them out and replace with clean 

 ones. Then if the time does not permit we 

 can put the dirty nestbowls aside and clean 

 them later in the day. After the nests are 

 cleaned we scrub them with a solution of Hme 

 and carbolic acid. We also use the crystal 

 form of carbolic acid as a disinfectant around 

 the coop, placing it on different parts of the 

 floor in cans with the tops perforated. This 

 is a quick way to rid a loft of flies and mice, as 

 neither of them can bear the odor. For nest- 

 ing material we use nothing but tobacco stems 

 in the warm months and marsh hay in the 

 winter. Our loft is given a good cleaning 

 twice a year, and painted a good heavy coat 

 of whitewash. The floor and nests are at- 

 tended to weekly. 



I have just finished the job of whitewashing 

 my pen with a very good whitewash made as 

 follows: Dump a bushel of lime into a water- 

 tight barrel and add water until it is slaked, 

 at the same time adding cup by cup, while 

 the slaking is going on and the mixture is very 

 hot, common kerosene oil until you have 

 added a gallon. If added in this way the oil 

 forms a curious chemical combination with 

 the slaked hme. The product when mixed 

 with_ water to form a whitewash of ordinary 

 consistency gives a smooth, hard finish, brilliant 

 whitewash. Fill the barrel up with water 

 after the mixture has cooled, when a small 

 amount of the uncombined oil rises to the 

 surface and protects the wash against deteriora- 

 tion. Any unused residue keeps for years. 

 Put the wash made as indicated above on the 

 outside of everything that you wish a brilliant, 

 durable white. On the inside use the same 

 whitewash, modified by adding a third of a cup 

 of crude carbolic acid (purchased at drug 

 store) to the water bucket of the wash. The 

 carbolic acid reacts with the lime, making 

 carbolate of lime, which is the basis of most 

 of the li ce powders. This is an excellent white- 

 wash to put on the nestboxes and walls on the 

 inside of the squabhouses. — ^H. M. Mayhew, 

 California. 



Cameaux come not only in red splashed with 

 white, but also yellow splashed with white and 

 solid yellow. These colors are liable to come 

 out at any time, just as several colors come from 

 Homers. 



