The Washington times., 1895-04-21

OF the wire inClcsure, strew the floor with
sand and fine gravel, provide couple of
feed basins and eaTtheDware water bowls
and nail against the barn wall little boxes
or fit into wire frames, fastened on the net
ting, earthenware cups, as profferS for
nesting.
Behold the pigeon house swept and gar
niShed, into which the first inhabitants
should he shut fer at least twenty -four
hours. Pigeons are Iatulal ooionists and
yet obstinate hCme lovers, for where they
find the conditions in the least comfortable
and kindly there they VIII Settle down in
content 10 rear their young.
II a kitchen gaIceB les rear this new
made cote, or there is an aggressive farmer
friend whose outlying coin iieids are over
looked by the st able winGows, have no fear
OF complaints from mar3uding hiTGs from
the loft. Pigeons eat only what they find
lying on the surface of their feeding grounds
and DO not dig, as Go the p rate cock and
hen, for the secIcts OF the sower. In fact
if carefully fed IN their own lott they rarely
venture farfroni the barns caves and roofs
Vary the prepared diet with only such
grass seeds and inFects as tempt we'll salts
fled appetites.
PIGEON FOOD.
Cracked Indian com aid wheat serves as
good regular diet FOR them, and a handful
OF hemp seeds makes them so tame that
when at intervals OF two or three days it is
offered all the birds, with cooings and coax
ing gestures, will cluster fearlessly about
the feeder.
She who is their owner can teach them to
gather at her feet, on her shoulders, arms,
| and head by personally visiting and inspect
ing their loft every day. She will have it
cleaned ard freshly GIaveled at least orce
in ten days, taking suCh precautions against
| vermin as are followed in a ohicken-house
! Every day fresh food should fill the feed
! basins from which ali the corn must be
| turned out, clean water provided for the
| bowls, aud when pair of SQUADS have been
! disposed of the old nesting straw ought to be
| burned ard fresh lining supplied. 1t is by
| these simple precautions that the pigeons
are kept healthy, for barn birds ere usually
| stronger than any of the ancy fIeedS that
| are certainly beautiful. but are more trouble.
though they hatch more Profitable progeny
| than the common kind.
The barn pigeon broods four, five, or six
| times in ts-ve months, lays two eggs in
| nest she makes Of Just a whsp ofstraw in
| box or bowl and with the aid of her mate
matches her eggs, in about eighteen days.
The parents see to the feeding of their
| young, who grow rapidly, and in two
| months, or three at the most, are ready for
market. In five months squad is looking
out for mate and six months after hatch
ing u pigeon is not fit to eat, so tough has
| it become.
A FORTUNE, IN THE BUSINESS.
One woman who began a few years ago
on Long Island to raise pigeons in connec-
tion with her poultry farm bought half
dozen pair of common fowl. To neigh
boring hotel and swell to-do residents OF
the country side she sold her year batch of
squads, clearing $50. The next year
she Invested in six pairs of handsome fan
tails and tumblers at $150 per pair.
The expense and trouble for caring for these
was scarcely greater than for her first
birds, since she only enlarged the nesting
capacity, provided ground oyster shells for
the daintier palates OF her new guests and
gave them prepared food of Indian corn,
Canada peas, wheat and millet. She let
these birds fly freely with the common
pigeons, and as good fan-tails will breed as
many as eight or ten pairs of squads year
her income exactly trebled. Just now the
poultry farm is in course of active trans
formation into pigeon farm. Her inten-
tion is to breed common pigeons for trap
shooting. Gun clubs pay as high as fifty
five and sixty cents q pair for birds five
months old and will take as many as 100
| pair at time. From the harder breeds
of tumblers, pouters, fan-tails, turbots,
| ETC., she will raise birds for market,
and is cheerfully confident that there is
NO more agreeable, lucrative employment
| yet found for women than working among
these flocks of Iuffled, cooling, gentle
birds. FANNIE ENDERS.