The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1920-09-22
PIGEONS FROM BROOK
HAVEN TOST. LOUIS
Prios Drug Company, The Rexall store,
win start Them on at 10
A. M. Saturday.

Local interest has been aroused to a
high pitch in the Rexall Pigeon Derby
to be flown at st. Louis on Sept. 25th,
next, and in which pair of homing pig
cons, to be released by Price Drug Co.,
the ReXali Store, of this city, will par
ticipate. with the expectation of Mana
ger Afford and his force that one of
them will win the golden prize. The
two birds, representing the Price Drug
Co. and Brookhaven, will be turned loose
in front of the Price Drug Co.'S store
at 10 a. m. Saturday, Sept. 25.
In all 5000 homing pigeons are to take
part in this race, each having been bred,
hatched and trained in the Rexall Pig
con Lofts, st. Louis, the largest in the
world.
These lofts were built especially for
the birds that are to compete in this
race. More than 500 homing pigeons of
the best strains obtainable were pur-
chased and established in the lofts as
breeders. From this nucleus the young
er birds have been bred until, today, the
lofts boast more live pigeons than any
other in the world.
| Scores of married men who have Wis
1
have had revealed to them by this feath-
cred clan some beautiful examples of do
mesticity. The most pronounced trait
in the character of the homing pigeon
of course is his love of home His
birthplace, the loft in which he is bred.
reared and trained, is home and no 9TH
er spot on earth. no matter how alluring,
has any interest for him. He may be
carried off, miles from home, and tossed
into space Eventually he will return
home. 1t may take days, or it may be
only a matter of few hours, but no
anxiety is felt on the part of his mate,
for she knows that he will be back,
sooner or later. Devotion to mate and
their young, and love of home is SO DOM
inant in their natures that they are OBJ
livious to all else.
There are no slackers in these fam
lilies. Both male and female do their
part toward making a home. The male
hnds the materials of tobacco stems,
and the female sets herself to the task
OF actual nest building. Once mated,
| pigeons remain mated for life They
never Waver in their constancy and 10y
| atty to and love of mate. At the age
OF three months the young pigeon looks
ABOUT Tor his wife, and once he wins
her. after the most ardent Wooing. he
is hers till death and he slaves for her
and their progeny from dawn till dark.
A large corps of trainers and attend
ants are required to care for and train
pigeons, and to this end the United
Drug Company has spared no expense
The cost attending the feeding of so
| nip
item of cost.
The race will be confined to RexaIl
druggists doing business within a five
hundred mile radius of st. Louis. Each
OF these druggists will enter a pair Of
pigeons in the race, the birds being
shipped to him from the st. Louis lofts.
The birds will be released for the speedy
hight to st. Louis at a specified hour
handlcaps as to distance having been
carefully worked out, and the first bird
TO trap in at st. Louis lofts will re-
ceive the golden prize.
In each town, as here, a local pro-
gramme will be arranged in connection
with the release of the pigeons.
Here Mayor r. s. Butler will speed
the pigeons on their way with a writ
ten message beneath their wings for
the Governor of Missouri who will greet
the little racers upon their arrival.
The occasion of this race is for the
amusement and entertainment of the s.
OOO or more Rexall druggists of the Uni
ted States who assemble in st. Louis on
September rs for their annual conyen-
tion' made especially interesting this
year because of the inauguration of the
new $4,OO0,O0O factory the United Drug
Company has just completed in st,
Louis for the manufacture of Rexau
products.
or course pigeon fanciers, the world
over are focusing attention upon this
race and the pigeon Section of the Sig
nal Corps, U. S. Army. will officially OBJ
serve the race and keep close check
on the time made by the RexalI Pigeons.
Frank P. Lucks, president of the Inter-
national Federation of American Homing
Pigeon Fanciers, will be one of the
judges of the race and he is keeping
close watch on every step of progress
made in its preparation.