Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-02-15
The American Meat Trade.

p. Shelton, as published in the Journal
Of the English Agricultural Society, on
the meat trade between the United
States and Great Britain:
There seems no ground whatever to
assume, although temporary fuctua-
tons in the exports during hot weather
have occasionally taken place, that the
American dead meat trade will not rap
idly increase, and before long become a
very important one. The regular trade
commenced in October, 1875, with a to-
tai for the month of $4,000 TBS, and
went on gradually Increasing until, for
the month of April, 1877, it reached the
large total Of S,57S,213 lbs, from the
two ports of New York and Philadel-
phia. The monthly totals during the
interval represent the American trade
only, but there was also a considerable
expectation of both dead meat and live
animals from Canada. AS the Summer
came on in the past year, the American
exports of dead meat declined in guam
tity, not because it is difficult to send
the meat over the sea in Summer time,
but because the trade in this country
being depressed, the demand fell off, and
prices diminished, so that the margin of
profit left to the exporters caused them
to send diminished quantities. The
trade must always be subject to these
influences, and it will find its level just
as other commercial enterprises do; yet
[ think that the trade, shortly after the
commencement was heralded by a greater
flourish of trumphets than there was
need for. 1t remains a fact, however,
that the meat can be senr wei the sea
just as successfully, though somewhat
less cheaply, in Summer as in Winter;
but on its arrival in this coutry, the
means of continued preservation, and
the method of its distribution over the
country, have hitherto been so imper-
feet that the trade has necessarily been
attended by serious loss-to the retail
er more particularly-and it has been
found altogether too risky in hot wealth
er. In time, however, large refrigerat-
ing stores, after the manner of that un-
der the Cannon Street Railway Station,
will be erected at Liverpool, and in
some of our larger cities, and more APP
propriate rams for conveying the meat
by rail will be built. These arrange
ments complete, the meat will be land
ed and sent at once to the shore rcfrig-
Grating stores, from which it may. be
distributed over the country as the re-
quirements of the trade may dictate, or
it may be safely kept in them for any
reasonable length of time.
The ultimate effect of the trade on
the price Of food and on the agriculture
Of fh,c ocuntrx- ic ItHinnIt 70 fo,ncan
1t is, however, more than probable that
the %eXtravagant expectations of Ameri-
cans and Of ourown public, and the panic
caused among our agriculturits, will be
found to be without solid foundation.
The rapid increase of our population,
and the growing tendency towards a
larger consumption, of animal food
per head of that population, will pro-
vide a better demand for home-fed beef
than our alarmists imagine, however
great the trade in Transatlantic beef
may eventually become. But, in truth,
the trade will never become so great as
ada might seem to dictate as possible.
In those great countries the means for
the production Of beef and mutton are
indeed well-nigh l~imitless, but produc-
ton is not the only great factor to be
considered. For some years the out
freights from this country to America,
owing to the heavy tariffs imposed on
our manufactured goods by the Ameri-
can Government, and to the depression
of trade in the States, have been gradu-
ally declining, until at length the ship
ping companies have not only been com
PEELED to lay up some OF their ships, but
are unable to procure remunerative out
cargoes for those still running across
the Atlantic. Such being the case they
depend alone on in-cargoes for payment.
Now it will not pay our shipping COM
panies to run more ships than are abso-
lutely necessary, while depending only
a one-way freight; hence it follows
that the freight IN meat must i%nevita-
bly, advance, unless the export trade
from England to America greatly re-
wives, and Of this there is but a remote
hope.
With Canada the case is different.
The tariff on English goods arriving in
Canada is much smaller than that i'm
posed by the United States, and conse-
quently the shipping companies to Que
beck and Montreal can obtain paying
out freights to Canada, besides which
they are now bringing we large guam
titles of Canadian cattle, and are max
ing prcparationg to bring increased
numbers, at a freight Of e. per head.
Upwards 300 cattle have already been
brought over in one ship, and after a
time, as many as 400 or 800 will be
brought. In this trade the companies
have good profits, whilst the exporters
are satisfied with the profits on the cat
tie sent. These cattle are in Summer
time more valuable alive than dead, as
they can be held over until they are
wanted for slaughter but in Winter
time, so far as | can see, the dead meat
trade will supersede that in fat cattle,
whether cold stores are or are not ulti-
mately built in this country.
1t is probable that the American and
Canadian meat trade will stimulate the
production of meat in this country if it
should lead to the prohibitation of live
cattle from those foreign countries
which are the homes of the contagious
diseases that have for so many years
seriously interferred with this branch
of English farming. When the corn
laws were abolished English farmers
had still another string to their bow-the
production of meat and as corn growing
became less remunerative, our farmers
turned their attention more to breeding
and feeding sheep and cattle. BY
change Of front they were en-
abled to hold their own though with in
creasing difficulty, owing to importation
of cattle plague, pleuropneumenia, and
ot-ahd-mouth disease. But now they
are again in danger of being IN ertremiis,
and this time the remaining string to
their bow is to obtain adequate security
the importation of foreign dis
eases, coupled with greater freedom in
tha cnltiuatinn Of the land and in tho