Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 164, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 July 1918 — PRICE OF SQUABS NOT CHANGED BY BIG WAR [ARTICLE]

PRICE OF SQUABS NOT CHANGED BY BIG WAR

There is one kind of meat —and, so far as anybody has been able to ascertain, only one—that has not increased grehtly in price. That one, before the war, was considered a luxury within the reach only of persons with exceptionally fat purses, but it has maintained practically its pre-war price, and is now little, if any, more expensive than other choice meats. That meat is squab—young pigeon. At last squabs appear about to come into their own as an important source of meat supply. This transformation is due, in large measure, to the energy and patriotic action of the American Squab Breeders’ association. The influence of that association extends to about 10,000 squab breeders!, and is estimated to affect, in one way or another, not less than 50,000 persons who raise pigeons for meat. Until within the past few months it was thought that squabs had to be fattened on wheat—-and it took a lot of wheat to make.A good squab. But when It became, apparent that the world’s available* supply of wheat was not sufficient to meet the world’s pressing need for bread and that the success of the allied armies depended largely on saving it, the association of squab breeders began a systematic effort to eliminate wheat as a pigeon feed by substituting corn, kaffir, sunflower seeds and -other concentrated forms of vegetable protein. The effort has.been crowned with success. One squab breeder writes: “I hnve fed no wheat in the past six months, using whole corn instead, and have certainly had good results.” Another who had substituted wild grass seeds, a feed that formerly went completely to waste, says: “I have had good results and do not intend to use any wheat in the future.” The United -States of agriculture, co-operating with the federal food administration, has given careful thought to the subject, has furnished such literature as it had pertaining to the subject,.and has issued some new matter, all of which is available to persons divho may be interested In extending their squab-breeding operations or in entering thn business.