OUR PIGEONS SHIPPED NINE THOUSAND MILES, ALL ARRIVING 
ALIVE; ONLY TWO OUT OF CONDITION 
Elmer C. Rice, Esq., Treasurer, 
Plymouth Rock Squab Co., Boston, Mass., U.S. A.. 
Dear Sir: On the 20th of this month I had the pleasure of receiving the 
fourteen pairs of Plymouth Rock Homer pigeons. They were in fine condi- 
tion and had been well looked after on the voyage, which lasted fifty-five 
days, from New York to Colombo. There had been some wars amongst the 
pigeons on the voyage; and two were more or less mauled, but they had been 
kept separate and will, no doubt, do quite well. Iam very much pleased with 
them and thank you again for your kindness. 
: Yours truly, 
(Mrs.) F. I. SINCLAIR. 
Colombo, Ceylon, September 28, 1907. 
Note by E. C. Rice: With regard to the distance covered by the above 
shipment, the agents of the steamship company write me as follows: ‘‘ The 
actual nautical miles from New York to Colombo are about 8600, and the SS. 
Swazi before arriving at Colombo stopped at Algiers, Port Said, Aden, Tuti- 
corin and other ports, which brings the total nautical miles up to about 9000.” 
The following is from the Philadelphia Saturday Evening Post: 
MONEY IN SQUABS—The Government gives a practical demonstration of 
what they can be made to pay. 
It has long been known by practical breeders of poultry that there is 
money in raising squabs. Now the United States Government has given to 
this fact official confirmation, based on scientific tests. 
The record of profit reveals the great opportunity awaiting those who 
engage in this industry. In the practical experiments conducted the diet of 
the birds consisted of wheat at eighty centsa bushel, sifted cracked corn at $1 
a hundred weight, Kaffir corn at ninety cents a bushel, millet at ninety cents, 
hemp at $1.30 and peas at $1.10 the bushel. At these rates the cost of feeding 
was one-seventh of a cent a day for each bird, or about fifty-two cents a year. 
On that basis the net annual return was $1.50 a pair. There were four 
hundred and twenty-five pairs of pigeons in the flock and they reared four 
thousand four hundred marketable squabs in twelve months. 
This is a practical, conservative record, bearing the government’s bona 
fides, and may be duplicated by any one who will carefully attend to the 
requirements of the birds. : 
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