The Portland daily press., 1895-05-02
A PIGEON FAR RMER.
A Fine Business Opportunity for Clever
Woman.

Any young woman whose time is not
wholly occupied by more serious duties,
who can beg or borrow the use of rain
proof stable loft, and is able to venture
S5 OF So in an experimental investment,
can find a charming and profitable in
dustry in pigeon culture, says the st.
Paul Pioneer-Press.
The charm of it lies in the birds them
selves, graceful, gentle, cleanly, harm
less, noiseless creatures, who futter
down at the call of a friendly voice, arch
their necks bumbly at the touch of car
essing hand and lend to barnyard that
air of prosperous domesticity the sleek
house cat gives to bright tireside.
But the modern enterprising young
| woman who goes in for things is apt to
ask where is the silver lining to this rosy
cloud? She can find out for herself by a
trip to the city markets where the de-
mand for fat squads always exceeds the
supply, since game has become less plen-
tiful and white fieshed poultry fails to
satisfy the exacting palates of we'll fed
Americans.
The year round a brace of squads
! fetches 50 cents in the mark cts and where
| game is all but an impOsslbllity to Sc
cure, fine squads sell as high as rs cents
per pair.
This simple listing of prices that pre-
vail in all the cities and big towns. sug-
gests in itself a possible golden future
| for whoever gets barn loft and a few
| pairs of pigeons and sets. about raising
the healthy birds.
| They ask but few requisites to thrive
and multiply and are very much less
trou ublesome and expensive than chick
ems. One young girl who will supply
herself with little practical information
| beforehand can manage cote of hun
dred pigeons by devoting one hour in
twenty -four to their consideration.
If she is at all clever and energetic
person she will soon of her own volition
multiply her hour and interest two or
three times and feel it not labor lost,
| but pleasure and money gained, for their
very presence and the opportunity to
study them is growing delight, while
| the quick return in money for time and
capital invested will inspire her to great
| er effort.
However, as in all initial ventures, il
| is best to begin on small scale. Let
woman who can command the requisites
basket full of full grown, healthy barn
pigeons or common pigeons" as they
are generally known.
| Markings make little difference provid-
ed the birds are clean, in good condition
and about six months old. They should
| not cost more than bO or ~ cents apiece.
Before even this step is taken is is wei
to find your market. That is, consider
where you will be able to make steady
sales of the squads. Anyone living
within an hour by rail of Boston, New
York, Philadelphia, St. Louis or Chicago
can depend on disposing of their produce
at the city marekts. Summer hotels are
excellent depots for sales, or in neigh bor-
hoods where there are many country
summer houses a cliar tele of regular
patrons will not be hard to secure, fixing
the price at 40 or so cents per brace.
The barn loft referred to is the place
of all Others in which these birds will
most readily set up permanent house
keeping and to put loft or corner of one
into condition for pigeons is both easier
and more inexpensive than attempting
to build separate house. In corner
six feet square fifty birds will live most
contentedly. This roof must be rain
proof and the floor and walls fortified
against rats and cats.
| Where corner is to be utilized enclose
| it from floor to roof with wire netting of
the sort used in chicken yards and car
pet the floor with sheet tin, carrying
this up two or thrse feet ale ng the walls.
In the barn wall shape out two rows OF