The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-02-01
How Boston Poultry House IL booming
Trade In Ottawa-An Interview
with Mr.. NJ. N, Allen.

OHe year ago MI. VI. N. Alicii, d
Boston gentleman representing the
house of Dryden & Estabrook, the
largest poultry house in the bean-eat-
ing city, came to Ottawa and began
making inquiries as to the feasibility
of creating a market for Ottawa in
the poultry line. He managed to do
considerable business, shipping some
30, 600 pounds in about ten weeks. He
returned again last fall, and without
the usual accompaniment OF drums
and cymbalS, so common to the pro-
motors of new industries, began, in
his quiet way, to make permanent
poultry market OF Ottawa. Having
an inkling of his motive, FREE
TRADER reporter called at his hotel,
the Clifton, last evening, and ELECTED
some astonishing facts.
"Mr. Allen" the reporter asked,
"can you give the FREE TRADER an
idea of the scope and nature of your
business in Ottawa?"
"With pleasure. The work / have
lnnugurated here is yet In its infancy.
| started out from Boston ABOUT
year ago, without a definite neld IN
view, stopping from place TO place
until | reached Hudson, Mich. l soon
found the ground already occupied Dy
eastern parties and came away, with
the idea of running over into Iowa.
While coming down from chicago l
saw many corn fields in this vicinity,
and remarking that where there was
corn there must be poultry, stopped
off at Ottawa to investigate. started
in on the first of December and IN
about ten weeks had shipped about
&c. 900 pounds of dressed poultry to
Boston. The house wanted me to try
again this season and, reaching here
late in November, | have shipped
so, 600 pounds to date. go to Boston
in a few weeks and Will close the
season with about 100000 pounds"
"What prices are you paying, Mr..
Allen?"
when | came to Ottawa the
farmers were receiving cents
pound for chickens or taking anything
they could get, and selling their
turkeys at cents. We are paying, q
cents for chickens and 10 cents for
turkeys, live weight"
GLOW do you purchaser"
eve send men out through the
country and then buy of the men, who,
of course, purchase of the farmers.
We also purchase direct from all VINO
bring poultry to our place OF business,
corner of Main and Clinton streets"
What is your method or cleaning
and shipping?"
"The birds are dry picked and
drawn. The heads are also removed.
They are then placed in boxes, holding
about 100 pounds, and shipped direct
to Boston. Chicago and New York
buy poultry with only the feathers re-
moved, but that would never 90 IN
Boston"
"Rather fastidious down there, are
they?" :,
Eyes. Western stock is usually
quoted below eastern stock at Boston,
but the Illinois goods are so fine that
we place them on the market as east
ern goods"
"Shall you make Ottawa a perma-
nent market?"
eyes. | calculate to make this my
headquarters. We have received goods
this year from all over La Sale
county. as far north as Leland and
Worthwhile. We also received goods
from points in Livingston county.
The business here can easily be doubled
and quadrupled. | like Ottawa as a
shipping point. We get better express
and freight rates here, and should /
establish an agency in Iowa, should
clean all stock here"
"How do you usually ship"
"We ship by express up to the close
of the holiday season and then by
freight"
"fIow many pickers doyou employ
eve have employed as many as
twenty, but our average has been about
fifteen during the season. We have
already paid out over 5000 for stock
and for getting it ready for market
Have you any competition here"
"Mendota is my only competitor.
There are three firms there, handling
some 100000 pounds per annum."
"Then you look to Ottawa as a mar
ket of much prospective magnitude?'
81 certainly do. Farmers will not
be slow in finding that pound Of corn
will make just as much turkey and
chicken at 6 and 8 cents as it will beef
and pork at and Scents. The farmers
are not fools, by any means. We
handle more stock than any other
house in Boston and can purchase un-
limited quantities Of poultry without
difficulty. | should be pleased to buy
5O,O 900 pounds of poultry Tomorrow"