other fellow’s pictures, and probably sell at more reasonable prices. One advertisement in each class of magazines should furnish sales outlets for production from 6 to 24 females, depending upon your choice of magazines and size of your advertisements run in each, the outdoor magazine bringing the larger portion of sales. Advertising rates are usually in proportion to circulation. Later, if desired, one may advertise in the medical and laboratory journals.
HAMSTER LITERATURE: The hobbyist may hardly afford to have extensive special literature printed for himself. Whatever one has printed or mimeographed should be of the best quality obtainable at a reasonable price. Warning: Do not copy anything from circulars, magazines, or books that are copyrighted. In 1948, a professor in a large eastern university copied from one of this author’s copyrighted publications and began selling such stolen material in mimeographed form through pet shops. At once, the material was recognized and presently the professor made out-of-court financial settlement with this author. In 1949, another person, one in the northwest, also smart enough to know better, followed a similar course and paid more for copying a few lines without permission. If you give essential facts as to your age-weight prices on breeding stock by pairs, trios, etc., and your terms of sale, you thereby furnish the data desired by most inquirers. To laboratories and hospitals, you may quote animals by the dozen, or by 25, 50 or 100, as you like, and state whether you prepay or sell f.o.b. your address. Such essential prices and terms may be typed, mimeographed or handwritten during the early stages of your hamstery development, using either printed or mimeographed lists later on. Carefully study price lists circulated by others to learn what others in the same field are doing.
CIRCULARIZING PROSPECTS: Study the prospects as to hospitals, laboratories, schools, taxidermists and pet shops in your territory, a radius of 100 to 300 miles, depending upon density of population. Mail them some impressive and honest but economical literature on hamsters, and include your laboratory animal prices. If you know your laboratory or hospital prospect already uses hamsters, no literature need be sent except a post card carrying your prices and terms together with a brief statement of your ability and desire to supply him or the institution with well-raised, healthy hamsters. The main reasons for a hamster user changing his source of supply are (1) To obtain better animal service— quality, promptness, etc. and (2) To obtain the same animal service, but nearer at hand or at a lower price. "Nearer at hand" is advantageous in special usage wherein animals are not housed at the institution but are, procured only for immediate needs as scheduled. Such are good markets for the hobbyist, also highly interesting.
One may write a laboratory or hospital not known to use hamsters, and courteously inquire: Do you use laboratory animals? Have you ever used hamsters? Then state that you would be pleased to furnish a few free of charge, upon their request, for their convenience in evaluating the hamster's worth to them in their laboratory requirements. Such a venture may bring a steady customer, and may be worth two or three hobbyists going in on together if one has too small production to undertake the matter alone. Whether you offer to furnish 6, 12 or more free ani-
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