84 NATIONAL STANDARD SQUAB BOOK 



Squabs delivered by our customers there invariably bring 

 from one to one dollar and fifty per dozen more than the Boston 

 market. Thi s is because there are more rich people in New York 

 than there are in Boston, and they are more free with their 

 money in providing luxuries for their table than Boston folks.' 

 We do not mean to disparage the Boston market for squabs, 

 which is always good. In fact, now and for the past twenty-five 

 years, most of the' squabs sold in Boston are brought in from 

 Philadelphia and New York, as there are not enough squabs 

 raised in the whole of New England to supply Boston. 



Our advertising has stabilized the squab markets in every 

 state. Where formerly squab breeders in the West thought 

 they ought to ship to New York to get the highest prices, now 

 they get them at home. Customers in sections remote from 

 the East, such as New Mesdco, or Idaho, will stock up largely 

 with our breeders, and we find on investigating that they are 

 shipping squabs to markets near them at prices as good as 

 New York and Philadelphia prices. 



Newspaper market columns sometimes will be found quoting, 

 " Pigeons, 20 cents," or again, " Pigeons, $4 per dozen." 

 Also, " Squabs, prime, large, white; ditto mixed-; ditto dark." 

 The style of quotation varies with the periodical and the mean- 

 ing of these terms requires explanation. 



The quotation, " Pigeons, 20 cents," means twenty cents 

 a pair for common old killed pigeons. These tough old birds 

 are occasionally found in the markets and are worth only 

 ten or fifteen cents apiece. They are neither squabs nor the 

 old Homer pigeons, but are common -pigeons such as fly in 

 the streets: A small boy might get a pair of these street 

 pigeons and kill them and give them to a butcher who would 

 pay him fifteen or twenty cents a pair. These cheap pigeons 

 come into the eastern markets largely from the West in barrels 

 and are sold to Boston commission men for five cents apiece, 

 or fifty cents a dozen. They are retailed at from one dollar 

 to one dollar and twenty cents a dozen. They are in the 

 Chicago market masquerading as squabs. They have been 

 killed with guns and have shot in their bodies. If you ask 

 for pigeon pie at one of the cheap Boston restaurants, you 

 will get a shot or two against your teeth with mouthfuls. 

 After every trap-shooting contest some skulker goes over the 

 field and gathers up all the killed and maimed birds he can 



