The butcher business was a good business. Everybody bought a lot of meat, because they had big families. For a while my dad was the only butcher around. Then there was one in Suisun, Charlie Kock. People did slaughter their own animals on their ranches, but they could only do in November and December when it got cold because they didn't have refrigeration.
Refrigeration is the main thing.
If you take care of meat right, you never get bacteria in it. You've got to keep it cold. When the farmers would butcher in November, December, they'd be able to keep the meat cool during the night. In the morning before the sun came up, the farmer would wrap the meat in blankets to keep it cold. It works on the same principle as a thermos bottle.