The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1926-06-04
MAKING MONEY
RAISING SQUADS
FOR THE TABLE
Harold Foreman and Noah
Burfoot Establish An Uni
que Enterprise Here

rum ldlSillS idiiNy PiS@Oii"
as a hobby for diversion, two
Elizabeth City young men may
have founded what is to become
an important Industry in Pas
quotank County, the raising of
Jumbo squads for market.
There is money in Jumbo
squads, but nobody in this sec
ton ever thought much about
it before.
With the passing of game from
the menus Of hotels and restaur-
ants hotel men and reStauranteurS
have found game substitutes in the
guinea hen and the squab. SQUAD
are in good demand and bring from
50 OO to $l2 a dozen Oh the Eastern
markets. Here at Elizabeth City
Harold Foreman and Noah Bur
foot, Jr. have developed a squab
farm with 25O pairs Of pigeons that
are beginning TO turn in handsome
profits for their owners.
NleSsrS. Foreman and Burfoot
ship from two to three dozen pairs
Of SQUADS each week to New York
and Philadelphia. getting from 50
to S12 a dozen for them. They sell
for Scventy-fivc cents each retail
on the Elizabeth City market. which
is equivalent to 50 Il dozen. Eliz-
abcth City not having learned to
eat squab yet.
From eight to ten pairs of squads
are produced each year from one
pair of pigeons. They lay two eggs,
and these hatch after II days. Four
weeks from the time these eggs
hatch they are ready 10 come off
the nest. and the squads are killed
the day before they come from the
nest. if they arc to be sold for the
table. A squad that once has left
lis nest and exercised It's legs ana
wings is Il squab 10 more, but
bird OF tough sNews, thet any
cpicure would diSdain.
II costs little to feed pigeon;
they are great foragcrs and require
but moderate amount of mixed
grain. The accounts Of the Fore
man-BurfDot Sduab Farm show the
cost of feeding to he five cents per
bird per month.
But Harold Foreman is more, OF
II pigeon fancipr. tham 4, sqhab farm
or. Raising squads for market
is just an incident grown out or
his hobby for the birds themselves.
While he has go pairs Of working 9:
birds on a ten acre farm near the
city. he has 81 varieties of birds
at the FOreman-BladeS Saw Mill
nearer town where he can study
them at all times. He has gathered
these varieties from all parts OF
the United States: from as far
West aS Kansas City. as far South
as Atlanta and as far North and
East as Boston. Among them are
Pouters, Oriental Frills, Fantails,
Parlor Tumblers and Giant Runts.
The tumbIcrS are the most inter
csting of the pigeons. One variety
GENES off its nest, struts a few PAGES
and tumhlps over and over like a
drunken thing on the ground. Still
another tumbler soars aloft anu
does his tumbling IN mld-air.
The male pigcaon is loyal TO his
mate and sticks TO her thru a lie
time Of eight or ten years II man
doesn't meddIe. But meddling man
can take a male from his Self-chosen
mate. put him in coop with a gid
dipr female for a week or ten days
and he'll never go back to his old
love again. The male is consider
ate of his mate and sits on the eggs
for her from eight o'clock in the
morning until four o'clock in the
afternoon, to enable her to do her
shopping, lunch out and attend a
matinee. The rest Of the day is his
to dispOrt himself in ways that
please male while hsi wife sits
on the eggs from four o'clock in the
afternoon until eight o'clock next
morning. They are much like hui
mans after all, the male considering
eight hours a work day for himself
and sixteen hours a work day for