138 



NATIONAL STANDARD SQUAB BOOK 



dark, $2.10 per dozen. Would like to have 

 all the squabs you can get. In case you 

 have any good customers that are starting 

 in, I wish you would send me a complete 

 list of that trade, so that I can write to them 

 occasionally, and post them on the condition 

 of the market. 



To our answer we received the following 

 letter from the above firm : 

 Plymouth Rock Squab Co., Boston, Mass.: 



Gentlemen: Your letter of the 1st duly 

 received, and 1 am glad to hear from you so 

 promptly. I have received quite a number 

 of letters from small shippers who, judging 

 by the way they write, must be beginners, 

 and know but very little of the business. I 

 have tried to make things as plain as possible 

 to them, and encouraged them all to start 

 in and increase the size of their purchases 

 from you to such an extent that it will pay 

 them to ship. Of course we are obliged to 

 take these small shipments, and encourage 

 them along as much as possible, but very 

 often after we have got a man started, he 

 would have made a pretty fair shipper, but 

 some one gets hold of him in the meantime 

 and makes him believe that he can do 

 better than we can, which is one reason that 

 I object to helping these small shippers alnng. 

 As above stated, as soon as they get started 

 they begin switching around, and the man 

 who starts them has very little for his trouble 

 and pains of putting them in the way of mak- 

 ing money, 



I wish if you have any shippers' addresses 

 in the West or in Wisconsin (which seems 

 to be quite a squab country) and also in 

 either Illinois or Minnesota, that you would 

 send them to me. They seem to be doing 

 pretty well in that section, and are satisfied 

 with the fair prices they get from our market. 



on account of the poor prices they get in 

 Chicago, or elsewhere nearer home. 



At the present time, squabs are very scarce 

 and very high. We are even returning more 

 money than the last quotations I sent you, 

 in order to get enough birds to supply our 

 trade. So if you can put me in the way of 

 increasing our squab supph', I "would greatly 

 appreciate it, and try in some way to recip- 

 rocate for same. Thank you for the infor- 

 mation you have given me thus far in regard 

 to shippers. 



Under date of January 30, 1904, we have 



the following letter from a commission firm 

 in St. Lotiis, showing that the demand in 

 that section is becoming extraordinary : 

 Plymouth Rock Squab Co., Boston, Mass.: 

 Gentlemen : We are in the market for 

 squabs and if you have any customers in 

 this vicinity who are seeking a market for 

 their squabs, we would be glad to be placed 

 in correspondence with them. We will pay 

 the highest market price for them, and feel 

 confident that the service we will render 

 your patrons will prove advantageous to 

 you, to them and ourselves. Please let us 

 hear from you. 



We do not give the addresses of these 

 firms, and other good squab buyers, until 

 we have sold breeding stock to the cus- 

 tomer. Commission men in all the cities 

 are getting letters from curiosity seekers 

 who are merely " looking up " squabs and 

 to such letters the commission men pay 

 scant attention, for lack of time, and as 

 there is no money in it for them. Any one 

 who doubts the genuineness of the letters 

 we print should come or send a friend tc 

 our Boston of&ce to see the originals, 



