118 NATIONAL STANDARD SQUAB BOOK 



a wound which is visible to the eye of the 

 customer. Use a knife with a long, narrow, 

 sharp blade. We sell them for Mty cents 

 each, postage paid. 



CONCEIVING NEST BOXES. Many 

 customers who do not use egg-crates or 

 orange boxes, but build their nest-boxes of 

 hai£-mch or five-eighths lumber, have written 

 us that they have used the construction 

 which we illustrate herewith and which is 

 good, because cleaning can be better done. 



The bottoms of the nest-boxes are re- 

 movable and rest on cleats, as the picture 

 shows. The cleats are seven-eighths or one 

 inch square and are. nailed to the uprights. 



When this construction is employed, it is 

 not necessary that you have a block or 

 base screwed to our nappy or nest-bowl. 

 The nappy or nest-bowl may be screwed 

 directly onto this removable nest-box bottom. 



It is not necessary to" nail a strip of wood 

 across the fronts of the nest-ljoxes, to prevent 

 the squabs from falling out. 



The squabs stay in the i^est until they 

 are ready to leave it, and it is very rare to 

 find one on the floor. It will be noticed 

 that in the cities, the street pigeons' nests 

 in many cases will be found on the open 

 cornices of high buildings, and if squabs 



stay in such nests until they are able to 

 fly, the beginner with squabs ought not to 

 be worried about his birds' nests which are 

 only a few feet from the floor. 



SQUABS IN CHICAGO. The following 

 article is taken from the Chicago American : 

 Squab Farming^ is a new Chicago Industry. 



Little Capital is Required and Persons of good 



Judgment and Care can Realize Good 



Profits from Pigeon Culture. 



If all the birds in all the pies were suddenly 

 to lift their voices in song like those in the 

 nursery rhyme, the chorus would be loud 

 and long, for raising of squabs for food is a 

 constantly growing and lucrative industry, 

 and withal very fascinating. 



A number of farms, e^,ch sheltering several . 

 hundred birds, are being conducted within 

 easy reach of the Chicago market. 



Such clubs as the Union League and 

 Athletic are always ready buyers. Plump 

 birds are readily sold for a dollar apiece for 

 breeding purposes, and their squabs at $4 

 a dozen for food. As in any field of labor, 

 the best results come from studied and 

 carefully planned effort. Utmost cleanliness 

 in food and in the little compartments to 

 which each bird comes with unerring instinct 

 to nest enters largely into success. 



Eggs of clear black or white birds are 

 difficult to hatch because the birds of those 

 colors are very restless and nervous, not 

 caring for their eggs; sometimes only one in 

 a dozen being matured. 



In fo^u• weeks the young bird is ready for 

 the market. Many of the squab farms are 

 side issues of those employed at other voca- 

 tions during the day, and bid fair to attract 

 the attention of those seeking quick returns 

 from a small outlay. 



Attention to reco^iized habits of the 

 birds, sanitary conditions and good breeds 

 for parent birds are all that is necessary to 

 success, 



ACTUAL TESTS CONVINCED THEM. 

 In Appendix A in our Manual, we tell of 

 a sale of our Homers which we made in 

 February , 1 903 , to a ship captain , who 

 intended to sail from Boston around Cape 

 Horn to the Pacific coast, with stops, the. 

 whole voyage to be made in about a year, 

 the pigeons to furnish fresh squab meat for 

 the long journey. The ship went to Florida, 

 from Boston, thence to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 

 safely, and sailed from there October 1, 1903. 



■Under date of June 22, 1904, the Captain 

 wrote us as follows from New York City: 



■ *The birds proved all you claim for them, 

 and even more. I put them in a small house 

 I built, four by eight, and fotu- by four flying 

 pen, on March 7, 1903. (This was on the deck 

 of the ship.) They all hatched before April 

 6, and up to June 5, 1904, everjr bird had 

 hatched twelve times, and one pair thirteen 

 times. I saved one pair of the first hatches, 

 that were bom about April 6, and in October 

 they hatched their first pair, and up to June 

 5 had six hatchings, which I think was pretty 

 good. I am satisfied that if the birds are 

 taken care of there is big money in them. 

 and just as soon as I can get a location in 

 New Jersey, near New York City, I will send 

 to you for two or three hundred pairs. I have 

 an option on a place now and will know 

 tomorrow. I am pretty sure I shall get it 

 and by next Monday I am in hopes to begin 

 my houses. As soon as I get them ready, 

 I will send you a draft for what birds I want. 

 As my houses are built I will order and fili 

 them and I hoi^e you will try and give me a 

 good lot of birds. I shall build for one 

 thousand pairs this summer and increase 

 next year if the birds are as good as those 



