PREPARING SQUABS FOR MARKET 189 



the country that do not even know what squabs mean, and 

 many more who do not know that there is a difference in the 

 size and flavor of squabs. Their impression is, that a squab is 

 a young pigeon such as are raised by boys, or fly loose in the 

 barnyards of the farmers. Squabs, therefore, do not appeal to 

 them very forcibly, but if such people were actually acquainted 

 with the real commercial squab of today, they would be eating 

 it and singing its praise. There is great room for development, 

 therefore, along the line of education in all towns and cities of 

 the country. 



There are many families in every community who would buy 

 squabs at good prices at regular periods, if they but knew the 

 delicious food value of high-grade squabs. One thing that has 

 been a setback to squab eating, is the practice of cheap restau- 

 rants and hotels in serving poor, inferior squabs,- or even old 

 pigeons as squabs, and this, I am sorry to say, is often not con- 

 fined to the cheaper restaurants and hotels, but it is sometimes 

 practiced by high-grade places. The public is not sufficiently 

 educated to know what they should get when they order a 

 squab. They see it on the menu, order it once, do not find it 

 to their liking, and forever after are firm in their belief that 

 squabs are not very good to eat. But if these same people could 

 be induced to try a real squab of good size, killed at the right 

 age, they would be surprised at their past ignorance in this line. 



About the best way for a small producer of squabs in an out- 

 lying district to establish a good squab trade, is to make a 

 special effort to get some of the best families in the community 

 to try a few of his squabs, even if it is necessary to give them 

 the first supply. The fact that the Orthodox Jews do not eat 

 pork, make them splendid squab customers. They are particu- 

 larly fond of ducks, geese, and other fowls that carry considera- 

 ble fat and take readily to squabs. Then, as a rule, the Jewish 

 people in small towns and villages are fairly well to do, and 

 can afford to pay good prices for what they desire to eat. In 

 working up a private trade for the sale of squabs, therefore, 

 it is well to go especially after the Jewish trade. 



Another good means of creating a squab trade, is to dress 

 them real nice, and leave them at a local market to sell. If 

 the market will not buy them outright, leave them there on con- 

 signment, with instructions that they be sold to the best and 



