APPENDIX A 



145 



ments of the feed and water dishes, which are 

 valuable. The express messengers get their 

 instructions not from guesswork or from 

 written notices or tags, but from a board a 

 foot square on which is printed in bold type 

 the necessary directions. This winter (1903) 

 we have shipped every week to California. 

 One order of 200 pairs for Santa Ana, Cali- 

 fornia, filled seventeen baskets. Of the 400 

 birds, ojily one turned up dead, but as we had 

 sent along four more pairs than the order 

 called for, we were seven birds ahead on the 

 count. Another large shipment to San Rafael. 

 California, in January, 1903, brought back by 

 retima mail the following letter, which we 

 print exactly as we got it, word for word, and 

 altogether it is one of the best recommenda- 

 tions for us to people who live at a distance 

 that we ever received : 



"Yesterday a.m. (January 20) at 8.30 we 

 received your letter advising us of the ship- 

 ment of 100 pairs of Extra Mated Homers, on 

 January 14; advising also that the pigeons 

 would reach us before the letter. Well, they 

 did not arrive until 4,30 today, January 21 (7) 

 seven days on the road. "We notice that seven 

 days are also required to get your shipments to 

 Los Angeles; and when you assume that they 

 will reach here at or before the receipt of no- 

 tice of shipment we think you are mistaken. 

 Nevertheless, be this as it may, the birds 

 reached us tonight at 5,30, every bird in first- 

 class shape — every individual one being in first- 

 class shape; giving evidence of being shipped 

 in perfect condition and having plenty of feed 

 and water en route. Your feed ran short, as 

 evidenced by charges of 40 cents made by 

 express company for feed provided by them, 

 which we are only too glad to pay, and at 

 same time shows care and attention of express 

 company messengers — a good fault. Every 

 bird in the lot is bright and active, and they 

 come into a first-class home, a fine house and 

 flying pen, plenty of feed and a galvanized iron 

 pan 6 inches deep with water 4 inches deep 

 running constantly. Dimensions of pan, 4 

 feet 6 inches by 2 feet 10 inches, guarantee- 

 ing plenty of bathing facilities. They were 

 liberated after dark, but the early morning 

 will afford all the ■ bathing facilities they will 

 need, and we prophesy they will embrace the 

 opportunities afforded at first opportunity. 

 We wish to compliment you on your prompt 

 methods of doing business, and on the suj^erior- 

 ity of the birds shipped us. They were Indeed 

 high-class birds, in fact, Mr. Rice, they are 

 better stock than we expected to receive. Your 

 sending us four extra pairs above order was a 

 graceful act on your part, one which we fully 

 appreciate, and thank you right here for it. 

 Your shipment was nearly a week before we 

 expected it, but by extra exertion we got all 

 ready in time and they have a fine home. 

 Express charges at $14 per hundred Boston 

 to San Rafael, 270 pounds weight of shipment, 

 amounted to $37.80 plus 40 cents for feed, 

 $38.20 total, at merchandise rate. Still at 

 rate given in your circular $4 for 24 birds (12 



pairs), this is too much by a margin. $4 rate 

 to San Francisco per 12 pairs is not just cor- 

 rect, still we are not kicking, for the difference 

 is not very much. Note this, 201 birds came 

 out of those baskets. Now we are sure, abso- 

 lutely sure of the count. Two people kept 

 count as each bird was liberated and 201 birds 

 came out of the crates. If 100 pairs are 

 mated, what will we do for that poor lone 

 bird? We wait for suggestions; pretty 

 tough on that lone bird, 3500 miles from home, 

 but he or she is here sure. In conclusion ^\'e 

 thank you for your promptness, your honesty 

 and your fair, square dealing and will keep 

 you posted as to o\ir progress as per your sug- 

 gestion. We thank you for the crates; they 

 are fine. We wrote you yesterday and look 

 for reply in accordance \vith your usual 

 promptness," 



We sent the above letter to Mr. R. H. 

 Dwight, agent for the Wells-Fargo Express 

 Company in Boston, and he was quite as 

 pleased as we were. Through Mr. Dwight's 

 co-operation our through western shipments 

 by the Wells-Fargo have been a remarkable 

 success. The only difficulty we have ever 

 had on account of long-distance trade came 

 when we were shipping in crates, not baskets. 

 We sent a large order into San Francisco and 

 on the way four of the crates were broken into 

 by rough handling and forty-two birds got 

 away. The Wells-Fargo Express Company 

 settled with us for the loss of those birds and 

 we made good to the customer, sending the 

 missing birds on, and the customer was out 

 not a cent for further express charges, for the 

 Wells-Fargo people carried the birds dead- 

 head. 



The baskets in which we now ship cannot 

 be broken open except with the aid of an axe 

 and they can be thrown ten feet across a 

 depot platform without being injured. 



There is a minor criticism in the above 

 letter in the ma" er of express charges. Ac- 

 cording to the figiires which .we. give in the 

 circular headed " Express Rates," the cus- 

 tomer should have been asked to pay about 

 $33, instead of $37, as he did pay. We be- 

 lieve the figures which we give to be correct 

 in every case — the slight variation which 

 may come as it came in this case is due to 

 the fact that no two persons will weigh up 

 the same lot of goods exactly the same, and 

 that, of course, the birds vary in weight. 

 The weight when the shipment starts is less 

 than when it finishes, because at the end 

 the bottoms of the baskets are covered with 

 maniire. (The grain which we send for feed 

 is not we^hed in and charged for transpor- 

 tation.) It the waybill is lost or delayed, 

 and the agent at destination weighs the 

 shipment, he will get a greater weight, and 

 consequently a higher rate, than the express 

 employee who weighed the shipment here in 

 Boston. 



We wish to say further that if you think 

 we have figured the express rates to you too 

 low, send us money which we claim to be 



