GETTING AHEAD 97- 
In ordering supplies to be sent by freight, remember that 
it takes a freight shipment some time to get to destination, 
especially when traffic is congested in the spring or in the 
harvest season. Give us your order for nest bowls and 
supplies before your house is ready. ‘ 
The live breeders are shipped by us either in specially made 
pine crates or wicker coops. The wicker coops remain our 
property and are returned to us at our expense by the express 
companies after the customer has released the pigeons. These 
baskets are expensive and are fitted with large tin feed and 
water dishes. It is impossible to break them open with the 
roughest handling. The birds have plenty of room in them 
and arrive at their destination in fine condition. 
The usual fault of inexperienced shippers is that the box 
or crate is too high, and too large, giving an opportunity for 
one bird to pass another by flying over its head. If there is 
too much room between the top and bottom of the .crate 
feathers will be rumpled and pulled out, and the birds by 
crowding will suffocate one or two. A large, heavy crate 
also adds enormously to the express charges. It is not 
pleasant to buy pigeons and receive them in a cumbrous 
box weighing from twenty-five to seventy-five pounds, on 
which the express charges are more than double what they 
would be were the birds crated properly. 
If the birds are going to a point only a day or a day anda 
night distant, they need no feed nor water. For a long 
journey, a bag of grain should be tied to the crate. It is the 
duty of the express messengers to feed and water the birds en 
route, and they are so instructed by their companies. 
Do you know that pigeons are transported by the express 
companies at'the rate charged for ordinary merchandise under 
the classification in force for 1907 on? The rate is found in 
every express book (ask your agent to show it to you if there 
is any dispute over charges) now as follows: “ Pigeons, 
homing, merchandise rate.”’ Tell the agent to look in the P’s 
for Pigeons and he will find it there. 
For carrying most live-stock short distances, the animal 
rate (which is double the merchandise rate) is charged. This 
is a peculiar rule when it was formerly applied to pigeons, and 
it worked so that the buyer at a remote point got his ship- 
ment cheaper than the buyer nearer us. For instance, we 
