The National Standard Squab Book - Preface - Chapter I. hapter 11. Chapter 111. Chapter IV. liaptcr V. Chapter VI. hapter VII. hapter VIII. Chapter IS. Chapter S. Chapter S T . hapter AWI. Questions ancl Xnslvers Supplement Appendix A Appendix B Squabs Pay . iln Easy Stv-t CONTENTS. The Cnit TIouse . Sest Ron-1s and Sests Water and Feed . Laying and Hatching Increase of Flock . Killing and noling The hlar1ets . Pigeons ilihnents . Getting Ahead . Page . 11 ILL USTRA TIONS. Portrait of the Author Frontispiece . A Well-Built Nest . Thoroughbreds . How a Back Yard may be Fixed for Pigeons . cheLp but Practical Nest Boxes . How City Dwellers without Land may Breed Squabs Unit Squab House with Passageway and Flying Pen Nest Boxes Built of Lumber . Best Nest Box Construction . Interior of Squab House Showing Perches . A Pretty Squab House and Flying Pen . Multiple Unit. House . Interior of Multiple Unit House . Multiple Unit House, Ten Units, Built according to Our Nest Bowl, Bqth Pan, Drinking Fountain, etc. . Berry Crate to Hold Nesting Material . Scenes on the 96200,000 Farm of One of Our Customers Eggs in the Nest, Squabs Just Hatched . Squabs one Week Old, Squabs Two Weeks Old . Squabs Three weeks Old, Squabs Four weeks Old . The Mating Coop Pigeons in St. Marks Square, Venice . Killing Squabs with the Hands . Killed Squabs Hung to Cool . Three Dressed Squabs . Squab House Built of Logs . Pair of Homers Billing . How We Ship Pigeons . Self Feeder for Grain . Machine for Killing Squabs . Sprayer . Nest Boxes . Mating Coops in Mating House . Pigeons in Corner of Flying Pen . Interior of Mating House . Part of South Side of One of Our Houses Dowel System of Feeding and Watering . Pigeons Bathing . Page . 8 . 14 . 18 . 22 . 24 . 26 . 28 . 30 . 32 . 36 . 38 . 40 Plans . 42 9. . 46 . 50 . 58 . 64 . 66 . 68 .. . 70 . 74 . 80 . 82 . 86 . 88 . 90 . 98 . 108 . 114 . 116 . 117 . 134 . 138 . 142 . 146 . 150 . 152 PREFACE. This Manual or Handbook on Squabs is written to teach people, beginners mostly, not merely how to raise squabs, but how to conduct a squab and pigeon business successfully. We have found breeders of squabs who knew how to raise them fairly well and took pleasure indoing so, but were weak on the business end of the industry. The fancier, who raises animals because he likes their looks or their actions, or because he hopes to beat some other fancier at an exhibition, is not the man for whom we have written this book. We have developed Homer pigeons and the Homer pigeon industry solely because they are staples, and the squabs they produce are staples, salable in any market at a remunerative price. The success of squabs as we exploit them depends on their earning capacity. They are a matter of business. Our development of squabs is based on the fact that they are good eating, that people now are in the habit of asking for and eating them, that there is a large traffic in them which may be pushed to an enormous extent without weakening either the market or the price. If, as happens in this case, pigeons are a beautiful pet stock as well as money makers, so much the better, but we never would breed anything not useful, salable merely as pets...