National Standard Squab Book. 63 
likewise, but when you pluck the feathers off the flesh is either a pure 
white with a tinge of yellow or dark like a negro’s skin. 
Quotations -for squabs as found in the market reports in the “news- 
papers are always lower than they really are. The writers of the market 
columns in the daily papers see only the commission men and cater only 
to them; they smoke the commission men’s cigars and believe what the 
commission men tell them. They do not see the producer at all. ‘he 
object of the commission men is to get the squabs as cheap as they can. 
When you are breeding squabs make up your mind to get from 25 cents 
to $1 or more per dozen than you see quoted in the market reports. At 
the same time the report quoted above was printed in the New York 
Tribune a breeder in Mauricetown, N. J., was getting from $4.25 to $4.50 
a dozen for his squabs. (This was the last week in January, 1902.) You 
see, it does not pay to trust wholly to the market reports in the news- 
papers. The motive of the city men is to get their goods as cheap as they 
can. It is your motive to get as much as you can, and don’t ‘be fooled by 
second-hand information. Go direct to headquarters yourself in person 
and iearn the truth. If the middleman tries to hold down the price to 
you, go to a consumer and make your bargain with him at top prices. 
A breeder in New Jersey writes that there are several squab breeders 
in bis town, all of whom give their regular time to other busingsses. He 
continues: ‘‘I am now (February, 1902), getting 32 cents each as they run, 
no sorting, for what few squabs I am now raising, and they are sold to 
a man who calls every 'uesday for them. When I have enough, I ship 
direct to New York by express. ‘They sort them in New York.” 
This is doing extremely weli for unsorted squabs. It is only another 
hit of evidence which proves the money-making condition of the New 
York market. (The above correspondent’s breeders are not first-class, he 
admits, saying he has been breeding for seven years and his flock has 
run down.) 
The Kansas City market does not yet know what a fat squab is. The 
only things obtainable there are the squabs of common pigeons, which 
are quoted low, as they are all over the country. A correspondent in 
Atchison writes: “I wrote to the Kansas City dealer again, telling him I 
thought his prices were pretty low for Homer squabs. He replied that 
they had so few Homers offered that they did not quote them, and they 
would be worth from $2 to $2.50 per dozen. He quoted common pigeon 
squabs at $1.25 to $1.75 per dozen, as I wrote you before. That is better, 
aud I want to try raising them as soon as I can get into a place where I 
can handle them.” Sait 
Fact is, the squabs that bring from $3 to $5 a dozen east of the Missis- 
sippi will bring that (and more) as soon as the wealthy trade of Kansas 
Ci a taste of them. , 
Find. out for yourself whether your market wants squabs with the 
feathers on or off. We do not know such details about the saua eee 
in every city in the country and cannot advise: you accurately on this 
point if you write to us from a distant town or city. 
