The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1880-06-26
Beef and Bullooks.

pound Of fresh beef GU single fat bullock
was exported from America TO Graat
Britain, as it had been thought, up to that
period, these products could not be placed
there in it condition for the coasump-
tion Of the faslidious islanders. More
over, for some time the value Of meats of
all kinds had been 80 near alike on both
sides Of the Atlantic as to preclude the
idea Of expectation at profit But pri-
ces then began 10 advance rapidly in
Great Britain and the neighboring coun-
tries of Europe, from which she had long
drawn ample supplies for her wants over
aud above her own productions, while a
depression took place to some extent 10 |
America. This prompted few Of our
enterprising dealers 10 fresh beef aud fat !
bulloeks to make the experiment of expor-
tation thitber. These, at first, owing to
the imperfect refrigeration Of the compart-
ments on board ship for the preservation
Of fresh meat, and lack of comfortable
accommodation for live cattle, together
with some other causes, more often result
ed in loss than profit. But the pioneers
in this business perseyered with the ae-
customed American pluck, rapidly intro
ducing one improvement after another,
I'll! the expectations increased during the
past fiscal year, ending June 80, 1879, to
54,025,S32 pounds Of fresh beef, valued
at 81 ,8S3, ,Os0; and l36,720 bullocks, val
ued at ss,379 Goethe whole product
being 81, 1862 ,2sO.
Had It not been for the British Orders
in Council, prohibiting considerable i'm
portations Of live cattle, on account Of
supposed disease, American expectations
would have been much larger, and we
have every reason to believe they will be
soou doubled, if not trebIed. They GER
tainly will, if nothing uutoward occurs in
this new business. In fact, il promises so
largely and proftably in the future, that
ships are now fitting up expressly for the
transportation of fresh meats and live ami
mails Of all domestic kinds, not only TO the
United Kingdom, but also To France,
Belgium, Holland, and Denmark, and in
due time the expectation viii probably be
extended to other parts of Europe.
The introduction Of fresh beef from
America into England met at first with
great opposition on the part of many
there, and especially Of the butchers, who
like the silversmiths Of Ephesus Of old,
saw "their craft in danger" Provoking
accounts Of this have appeared in the
English papers; but the following, from
correspondent Of the London Times, being
rather amusing, copy it to show the
American reader how he was treated by
his butcher and grocer:
"Some time since large quantities Of
American beef began to be imported, just
at a time when English beef was reaching
almost tautiHe prices. | know a family in
this town, of good position, who, after
much anxious thought and weighing all
the chances of being poisoned, ETC., timor.
ously resolved one day to try this Ameri
can beef Unfortunately the servants
heard Of the great experiment The
joint--a fine one--was duly served; the
family ate and like it. (They are still
aliye.) But would you believe il, sir, not
one Of the four servants would touch il
, Let us not be too hard on the servants.
would not try il myself for more than
| year after the first importations. Every
= body knows that we can get as good ,
: joint in New York as in London, but
feared the voyage might injure it.
, "a few weekslago We had undoubted
: evidence Of our butcher sending US Amer
can beef, charged at the price Of English
, | had paid him all winter eleven pencs
, per pound all round; after which went Il
t American stores, and got similar joints al
! eight pence halfpenny per pound. had
been charged fourteen pence per pound
for bost Wilshire hams, when, in fact, the
| same were subsequently found at sever
pence per pound at American stores"
, In addition TO the above paltry trick o.
, selling good American beef at the exor
bitant price then ruling of English, tn,
, butchers resorted to the still more repre-
, hensible one Of selecting any which hap
! pened to be Of an inferior quality, OF
{ slightly damaged on the voyage across the
Atlantic, and offering such at lower prices
| and as the best American. To put an enc
, tothe nefarious transactions, the importers
decided on having public sales OF their
meat. This brought it directly to the
knowledge Of the people, who upon trial
finding il equal to their own, steadily
increasing market sprung up for it, aud
now fresh American beef, mutton, pork.
and poultry sell as freely abroad and at as
high prices, as the choicest European.
As none save the choicest quality Of
/ beef and bullocks can be shipped to Eu.
rope at profit, l now come TO the con
sideralion of the breeds Of cattle best fit.
ted for the purpose. OF these place the
] Shorthorn (sometimes also called Durham
) in the highest rank. The reason for thil
is that the flesh is of superior quality
) and there is more Of il generally in pro
portion TO the bone aud offal Of the car
cass, aud he attains a greater weight fol
the quantity Of food consumed, and ma
lures earlier, than any other breed Of the
bovine species. This consequently make
! him the most profitable Of all to rear b.
the erazier, and to fatten by the feeder.
Short-horn steers can easily be mad,
fully ripe, and TO weigh from 200 TO ],
500 pounds, at eighteen to twenty .foui
months old, and these are found the mos
, profitable ages to bring them to market, a
they make more rapid growth, and la,
on greater proportional weight Of hesl
up to these periods, than can be done b,
feeding them longer, and il is then O
extra quality. Still, In some instances
these bullocks can be kept till three year
old, and pay fairly for the food consumed
but rarely beyond this, if properly bred
aud fed from birth up. They may then
attain weight of 1000 pounds or more
Out Of curiosity, aud to make great
show, an animal has now and then beeu
fed on till five or six years old, attaining
the enormous weight Of 5000 to nearly
1000 pounds; but doing this is usually az.
tended with considerable loss to the owner;
and the beef does not prove Of 80 tender
aud savory a quality as when brought 10
the shambles at an earlier age.
In all.our unimproved cattle il requires
iiye to six years to bring them up TO the
weights Of Short-horn steers AZ teighteen N