94 NATIONAL STANDARD SQUAB BOOK 
and actually convince themselves. We do not believe in 
untried hands plunging into something of which they know 
nothing, and we commend the caution of the beginner with 
squabs who wishes to feel his way and “ make haste slowly ”’ 
as the saying is, nevertheless we know it to be a fact that our 
customers who started with large flocks are making splendid 
successes, and we are not so cautious as we were in former 
books in advising a small purchase, at the start. The rules 
for breeding we have given have stood the test of time; we 
have not had it said to us that they are misleading or erroneous; 
on the contrary, our customers write and tell us that their 
experience corresponds with ours, that the books are all right, 
and our business has increased right along. When a customer 
orders two hundred dollars’ worth of breeding stock of us and 
two months later two hundred dollars’ worth more (we sell to 
some customers month after month steadily, as their means or 
their inclination permit them to buy) we are given a large 
measure of confidence, first, that people (many of whom we 
never see and who are not experts) can start with our writings 
and our breeding stock and make a success; second, that 
all we have advised about the industry is of general and con- 
vincing application; and third, that it does not take extraor- 
dinary skill to make a success with squabs. 
There are failures with squabs, even by college professors, 
because some beginners are unsuited to the business. Many 
are lured into it by get-rich-quick stories. It would amaze 
you to read the letters that some beginners write. You never 
can tell a man’s pigeon and poultry ability by his orthography 
and grammar. Letters in crude spelling and crooked writing 
frequently come from the most successful squab raisers. The 
knack of caring for animals successfully cannot be acquired 
by some. Given two women, with cooking materials and the 
same cook books, one cooks splendidly, and the other mis- 
erably. Why? Well, it is the same with pigeons. Some 
can and some can’t. However, the failures at squab or 
poultry raising seldom blame themselves. 
There are many of the naturally careless, improvident 
persons who have turned to squabs to help them out of finan- 
cial holes, and they have made a failure of squab raising. 
Many of us remember the furore over raising chicken broilers 
for market, which started a score of years ago. The fact that 
