250 AMERICAN SQUAB CULTT/iRB 



at any time or at the end of the year, know just what it costs 

 him for feed, how much it cost for labor, general up-keep of the 

 plant, etc. 



This will enable him to manage more successfully the busi- 

 ness, and by having such information at hand he can economize 

 and manage his business in such a way that greater profits 

 can be made than could be with a plant running haphazardly 

 and without a knowledge of the expense of the different branches 

 of same. 



With a large plant, at least ten per cent of the building and 

 equipment should be charged off annually to profit and loss for 

 depreciation, and 15 to 20 per cent of the annual cost of breeding 

 stock should be charged to profit and loss, as the actual life of 

 a breeder is not more than five to eight years. 



One might be losing money right along and not know it, or 

 his birds might be bringing him a fairly good return for the 

 investment and probably he would think that they were un- 

 profitable. Therefore, even if one has but a few pair, it is ad- 

 visable to open up and keep a profit and loss account, which 

 will prove more valuable than the time spent in keeping it. 



CAUSES OF FAILURE 



There are failures in every business. There are people who 

 fail at most everything they undertake and then there are peo- 

 ple who succeed at most everything, yet might fail in some cer- 

 tain line of business. 



There are many causes of failure in the squab business. As 

 a rule, however, they can be traced to two or three reasons, viz.: 

 lack of care and attention to business or over-estimating the 

 possibilities of the business; under-estimating the knowledge 

 and care necessary to success and lack of confidence. 



While squab producing pigeons are very prolific there is a 

 limit to their possibilities. Some people over-estimate the num- 

 ber of squabs they can raise and the rapidity with which a 

 flock can be increased and then be disappointed because their 

 expectations were not realized. 



An investment of $200 or $300 cannot be expected to yield 

 several hundred per cent profit, yet the average person entering 

 the squab business will calculate on starting with a small num- 



