Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-24

TO rear its broods in, and it asks no more
at the hands of a Texan. Through sum-
mer and winter it will skim over the
prairies and gather all the food needed
for itself and young. Under these cir
cunstanoes It would seem that almost
every Texas farmer convenient to mar
ket would have his pigeon boxes, and
that squads enough would be raised to
supply every local demand, with large
surplus to ship to the people of regions
less favored than ours with conditions
advantageous to pigeon production.
The money thus taken IN would be sim
ply so much clear gain. And yet,
strange as it may seem, one may some
times ride over the country for days
without seeing single pigeon.
We have no authority for stating that
the great meat packing establishments
now taking shape at Fort Worth would
handle squads, yet could they be offered
in quantities sufficient to justify making
the necessary arrangements, it is more
than merely probable that the concern
would take them at good figures, to be
packed away in ice and shipped to dis
tant markets. They propose taking and
shipping everything in the meat line
that can be turned to the profit of pro-
Queer and packer.
Mr.. NJ. L. Galliday, noted pigeon
raiser, has in late issue of the Western
Poultry Breeder an exhaustive article on
this peculiar class of poultry. which says
unlike the common fowls pigeons pair
off and bring up their young until old
enough to feed themselves; and unlike
the majority of birds, they breed 80
often and rapidly throughout the season
that the hen generally lays and begins to
sit again before the young ones are able
to dispense altogether with parental
care, which Is accordingly continued to
them by the cock bird, who is in this,
and other respects "a perfect model
of q father, and who attends to the
young while the hen broods over the new
eggs. So it may be clearly seen how the
very nature and whole habits of the
birds demand for each pair a double
resting place. This rule in fact is uni
versal, from the largest ''dOvecot'
tenanted by scores of the eommonest
pigeons to the most carefully planned
accommodations for the most valuable
birds; double nesting place for every
pair of breeding birds is the fundamental
condition for their comfort and thriving.
Such nesting places admit of course of
many variations. His long ex-
down to an inexpensive arrangement
that entirely fills every requirement. He
uses an ordinary cracker box, to be had
for very little money at almost any
grocery store. Cut from the side of the
box. beginning at the top edge of the
board, an opening six inches square.
Lay the bit of board sawed out in making
the opening fiat on the bottom of the
opening, and nail it there, to form a
shelf for the birds to light upon when
they come to enter the box. 1t should
project outside three or four inches, and
NAV be laid little sloping outward SO
as to cause the water falling upon it to
run from the box. Midway of the box,
inside, nail partition board coming just
up to the bottom of the opening, thus
dividing the box into two nesting places
of equal size. One pair of birds will take
possession of each box and use both
rooms. When the first pair of young
(for the pigeon has but two in brood)
are old enough to be left to the care of
the father, the hen will go over into the
other department, where nest has been
prepared, and lay eggs for the next
brood. She Will then be able to sit un-
disturbed while the male feeds the
young; and these latter not being able to
see the mother on account of the parti-
ton, Will remain in their own nest quite
contented until they are able TO man.
age for themselves. But in a common
nest box where there ia nothing
to hide the mother and other birds from
view, it is constantly found that no
sooner has the male gone away after
feeding them than they try to get to their
mother and often get out of their own
nest before they are strong enough to get |
back again. If they get with the mother |
they tease and unsettle her so much that |
her own eggs are spoiled, and if not they |
probably die from exposure. For al |
though the male will sit on the young |
birds at night, and do his best in every |
way to keep them quiet, it will all be of |
little avail If they can see the mother. |
If so arranged that they can't see her |
they seem to soon forget all about her, |
and to recognize only the one parent.
The lid of the box ought to be put on |
with cheap pair of hinges, to admit of !
raising il to clean out the nests or to take |
out tine squads.
Pigeon boxes of this character may be |
nailed up anywhere about the premises
they will suit as well one place as an
other, provided, always, that they are |
out of the easy reach of cats. You may |
have hundreds of them, If you like. |
They will suit the birds to perfection
far better than q regular pigeon house. |
partitioned off in the usual way and |
decked out in fourishes and scollups.
While the town pigeon inclines to fly |
about the country IN fiocks, it don't at
all enjoy crowdinR at its nesting place.
Some persons object to pigeons on the
plea that they devour wheat in the
fields and scratch up sown seeds. That
they might appropriate a little wheat
must be admitted, but the season of ripe
wheat does not last above a few days,
and as to scratching up seeds, that hap
pens only in regions where there Is moth
ing else to get. In a land of indigenous
seeds like Texas, they would seldom pay
mu CHI attention to sown seeds.