APPENDIX F 253 



CLAMORING FOR SQUABS IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON. 



The squab market in the Northwest corner of the United States at this 

 writing (1909) continues to be wonderfully strong. Our attention is called 

 to this from time to time by correspondents in the State of Washington. 

 Apparently there is no limit to the demand there, as in the other great 

 States. We were surprised in September, 1908, to receive the following 

 letter from the president of a hotel company in Seattle, proprietors of one 

 of the best hotels west of the Mississippi river : 



Kindly send me a half dozen of your pamphlets, covering the growing of squabs. 1 wish 

 to send these to the small towns contiguoios to Seattle — that is to the Chamber of Commerce 

 of each town, to be directed to the right parties who would want to engage in this business. 

 Quite a number have expressed their desire to do so. We are anxious to receive nice squabs 

 and will pay a good price. . Thanking you in advance for the pamphlets. 



We thought it surprising that a hotel man should be inquiring for squabs 

 in such an insistent manner and asked him for details. He replied under 

 date of September 26, 1908, as follows: 



I am in receipt of your treatise on squabs, likewise the booklets. I have advertised in a 

 number of country papers where the farmers are liable to take up this matter, informing them 

 that they can increase their income and to write me and that I will send them a booklet. 1 will 



send you later on a copy of the advertisement. There is no reason that a number of farmers 

 should not take up this work, as I should think the extra grain they would have around for 

 food would practically cost them very little. 



Under date of October 9, he wrote us again the following letter: 



Inasmuch as your circulars have all been used, we "would ask you to send us about a couple 

 of dozen more. We are advertising in the papers, as per enclosed clipping, and have received 

 many responses, which we think should bring you results. 



The newspaper clipping showing how this hotel man was trying to stimulate 

 the squab production was as follows : 



WHY DON'T YOU RAISE SQUABS? 

 You have enough waste feed to do so 

 without extra cost. We will tell you 

 how and buy all you have — it will add 

 largely to your income. 



In a letter dated October 24, he explained his intentions more fully as 

 follows : 



In response to your recent favor, I beg to state the only object that we have in securing 

 persons to raise squabs is that we may get sufficient to meet our demands. At the present time 

 we find it difficult, just when we want squabs, to receive as many as we have a demand for. 



My idea in advertising this in the paper was to not alone derive a personal benefit, but to 

 help the coimtry along in general. We should all be up-builders, particularly in the West. 



We give this correspondence here the publicity it deserves and hope that 

 bur friends, old and new, in the State of Washington, will take hold ener- 

 getically and give this hotel man, and the other squab consumers in Seattle, 

 the Pl3nnouth Rock squabs for which they are so eager. Evidently the State 

 of Seattle is so prosperous with big enterprises that squab raising has to wait 

 its turn and now is a sort of spare time money-maker. We feel confident, 

 however, that there must be a large number of people in the State of Wash- 

 ington who are not too busy to overlook a good thing of such promise, and 

 they will be encouraged to go ahead after reading the above correspondence. 



