SQUABS PAY i7 
he saw the plant above noted. The proprietor referred Mr. 
Grice to us and advised him to start with Homer pigeons, 
saying that, if he were to stock, up again, it would be with 
Homer instead of the common pigeons. Before leaving, Mr. 
Grice gave us an order for one hundred pairs of our Homers. 
The number of orders for breeding stock which we have 
received from Iowa is out of proportion to any State near it, 
showing that these squab plants are known throughout Iowa 
to be making money. The same is ‘true of Calfornia. We 
visited many squab breeders in eastern States in June, 1902, 
noting the buildings and methods and finding out from them 
if they were satisfied with the financial returns. All were 
-enthusiastic and said it was easy work, that squabs beat 
hens easily and were much less care. The methods of some 
of these breeders were extremely crude; the birds nesting in 
old boxes of all sizes nailed to the walls of the squab 
houses, and apparently never being cleaned. The Homers 
were small, not being able to raise squabs weighing over seven 
pounds to the dozen. 
Somebody has said that a squab plant of one thousand pairs 
of birds will pay better than a farm. The contrast between 
the hard, grinding toil of the man who works a large farm and 
the “ standing around ” of the owner of a squab plant is indeed 
a striking one. However, we do not speak of this to give you 
the idea that money is going to flow into your lap just because 
you buy some squab breeders of us. It is no work for a drone 
or a “ get-rich-quick ” person whose enthusiasm runs riot for 
two weeks and then cools off. Our class of trade is men and 
women of experience and reliable common sense who have 
a knowledge of the world and understand that things come 
by work and not for the asking. The people who are able 
and willing to pay us from fifty to five hundred dollars for a 
breeding outfit, as hundreds do, are not caught by glittering 
promises, but have money laid by through exercise of the 
qualities of ability and shrewdness. The naturally careless, 
improvident person, who is generally in debt, should not start 
squab raising. It is a sensible industry for sensible people. 
The profits to be made with squabs vary with the individual 
and with the management of the birds, exactly as with poul- 
try. It is important to have only mated or even pairs in the 
pens and all birds not producing should be kept in a separate 
