SALT CAT FOR PIGEONS

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 271, 9 June 1888, Page 3

SALT CAT FOR PIGEONS

Pi.khu\-> some of our pigeon fancieis know hoy, good '" salt cat" is for pigeon?. Wo confe-s that ha\ iiiir recently ported our «cl\ c* up in thomy-terie.- of the manufacture of thi-, delicacy of the pigeon loft, we feel tnat Me have added a brand new chip of knowledge to the great pile we aheady pressed. We lnuf thought cats disagreed with pigeons, although we knew that pigeons agreed with cat^ possessing oidinary healthy digestive systems. But cats— live cat- — ue knew by experience were bad foi piireons. When we first saw the heading oe "Salf Cat for Pigeons" we thought the w liter of the article was facetiously inclined, and meant to convey that the more salt cats thero were the more dead cat* there would be, and therefore the fewer lhe ones would be left to devour pigeons. But we di-cov-ered that the ingenuity of this joke was all our own. and that -alt cat is a genuine thine:, which, according to a coriesponJent of the Southern Fani.hr, is a nece-sity in every m ell regulated pigeon loft. For the benefit ot readers of Tin: Fakmkk we quote as follows :— Amongst the most important articles that go to complete the requiienunts in a hijrh-bred lott, and which I deem indispensable to success in breeding: fancy pigeons to then highest state ot perfection, is a " cat," and lor the benefit of the fraternity and younger fanciers, I will give a recipe for making what I term a "genuine aiticle." After year.- of .study ami experiment, and by caiefully noticing the result. I find this lecioe to contain ever\thin<_' that, is required to ptomote health am! condition, and «urpa^e-eveiy-thincr that T have tried iv the way of a alt cat. Recipe— ' r o one peck of puie jellow clay earth, well puherized, add oiv -half peck of clean one-half peck ot stale -lack lime, "one-half peck of bone ine.il, onehalf peek of ground oy-tei and one half peck mannlnrcd cnaicoal. Add to the nbo\e one-fourth pound each of thcfollowing seed- • ani-e. corianda, cumin and coiawav, well biui-od. Mi\ rhe \« hole together thoiou'/hly, and to each half gallon of the mixture add one pint of water, in which ha- been di— ol\ ed a -mall handful of salt and two table-poon-fnl of Douglass" mi\tuio : beat the w nolc into a stifl^mortar. aid la> aw ty to dry and season. Thi- qnant.it v i-^ -ufKcient to last a good f-i/ed loft thiongh the -oi-on. Is can be rea V.v bioken up, a.id be kept in a box or fee .ing hopper, lixed so ta to pi event the bird* from getting into and fouling it or scattering 1 it.