National Standard Squab Book. 
January, 1903, we received the following let- 
ter from the manager of the squab depart- 
ment of a commission house in Washington 
market, New York city: 
“Your name and address as raisers of fancy 
squabs was given me-by Mr. Howes of De- 
troit, Michigan, who was over to your place 
a few days ago. As I have heard of your 
plant before and have tried to get your ad- 
dress so as to write to you for squabs, I hope 
this letter will mean some business for us 
both. If you have any squabs to ship, I 
would like to get your output, and can use all 
you can ship at full. market, and make you 
prompt returns day received and sold.- This 
week I am returning the following prices: 
Squabs weighing ten pounds to dozen and 
up, $4.50 per dozen; eight pounds and up, » 
seven pounds and up, $3.50; six and one-half 
pounds and up, $2.60; dark, $1.80 per dozen. 
If you will prepay charges, account of sales 
will be sent you same day goods are re- 
ceived, less-five per cent. commission.’’ 
Letters like the above come to us from all 
parts of the country, and’ squab breeders 
whom we have ‘supplied get similar communi- 
cations. The .poultry and game dealers in all 
sections are after squabs all the time and 
could sell a great many more than they are 
now able to get hold of. The above letter is 
written notwithstanding the fact that in New 
Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania alone are 
today four or five thousand squab breeders, 
many of them with large flocks of over one 
thousand pairs of birds each. In the town of 
Moorestown, New Jersey, to take only one 
case, are from 200 to 300 squab breeders. As 
we say in our Manual, people in these sec- 
tions keep hens for their own use, but not for 
market, for they know that squabs pay better 
than hens. Poultrymen in other sections of 
the United States are fast finding this out 
and are putting in squabs along with poultry, 
or giving up poultry altogether. In spite of 
the large output of squabs from the 4,000 to 
5,000 breeders in New Jersey and Eastern 
Pennsylvania, which go into the Philadelphia 
and New York and Boston markets (for the 
squab raisers in New England supply only 
about one-tenth of the Boston demand), there 
is all the time a scarcity of squabs, as the 
above letter proves. This letter comes to us 
because we have the reputation for dealing 
in a fancy product. There are breeders 
of squabs who send to market an inferior 
product from’ small and cheap Homers, and 
such squabs are not the kind which commis- 
sion dealers are anxious to get. Be sure you 
are able to breed a fancy squab by getting 
your breeding stock of us. Some beginners 
are anxious as to express rates, not compre- 
hending that they can ship squabs long dis- 
, tances at a trifling cost. The express rate 
from Boston to New York is $1 per 100 
pounds. This means that an express team 
will call at our door, get a box of squabs 
3 
weighing 100 pounds, transport it to New 
York, and in that city deliver it by team to 
the commission dealer for $1. In the case of 
a box of our squabs weighing twelve pounds 
to the dozen, about eight dozen and the box 
would weigh 100 pounds. If we delivered 
them in New York at the price quoted, $4.50 
Per dozen (or $36 gross), we would net, de- 
ducting his five per cent. commission and the 
$1 express charges, $33.20. The commission 
man would resell the squabs to his trade for 
$5 to $8 per dozen. By a dozen squabs we 
mean in this case and in all cases. where 
prices are quoted, twelve squabs. We do not 
mean one dozen pairs of squabs. We mean 
six pairs of squabs. Squabs are always 
quoted at so much per dozen, not so much 
per dozen pairs. 
On January 8, 1908, the New York squab 
buyer above quoted offered the following 
prices for squabs: For squabs weighing ten 
pounds to the dozen and up, $4.75; eight 
Pounds and up, $4.50; seven pounds and up, 
$3.60; six and one-half pounds, $2.75; dark 
and No, 2 squabs, $2. 
On January 25th, 1903, he offered the fol- 
lowing prices: Ten pounds and up, $5.50 per 
dozen; eight pounds and up, $5.00 per dozen; 
seven pounds and up, $4; six and one-half 
pounds, $3; dark and No. 2 squabs, $2.10. 
On February 6, 1908, he offered us the 
Same prices as last quoted, adding that he 
would pay $3 to $3.75 per dozen for squabs of 
average weight and grade. In this letter he 
said: ‘‘As I have been getting quite a few 
letters from some of your squab customers of 
late, I want to thank you for same,’ and 
hope to get some of their birds and prove to 
their satisfaction by the prices large fine 
birds will sell at, that squab raising if prop- 
erly carried on is a very profitable and pay- 
ing industry.. The demand for squabs in “on 
the increase and will be from now on, as 
the game laws of all the states are such as 
to prevent much small game from reaching 
the several markets, where there has been a 
big supply of. such at low prices that _squabs 
will now take their place; so ,that new, be- 
ginners have nothing to fear from a ‘glut. by 
over production of good-sized squabs. a This 
we have proven to our own satisfaction when 
we introduced the large or royal squab to our 
best hotel and cafe, trade in this market, dur- 
ing the past season, and it now looks as 
though our demand will be greater this com- 
ing season.- The buyers of these large 
birds see they are worth the difference , in 
price, that they have a better call for them 
once they introduce them to the sonsumer, 
Encourage all your buyers to invest in birds 
that produce large, plump squabs. It will 
Pay them best in the end and make a better 
demand for their grade of birds.’ : 
On Feb. 16th, 1903, he offered us the fouow- 
ing prices: Squabs weighing ten pounds to 
the dozen and up, $6 per dozen: nine pounds, 
