The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-10-01

| City stock yards in Harsimus Cove, little
bay between the termini of the Pennsylva
MIA and Erie railways. They are built on
piles, and extend east and west for half
| a mile, with a width of about 500 feet.
| The cattle and other animals are unloaded
into chutes, or small pens, having an in
clined gang way, and from these they are
driven to the pens, which are ranged be-
tween one central and two outside avenues.
The pens are built of rough boards, and are
foored with plank. They are provided
with hay rack and water troughs, the lat
ter being supplied by pipes connecting
with the city S water supply Many of the
pens contain sheds to protect the animals
| from the sun aud stormy weather,
The abattoirs in the rear of the yards
are interesting to persons who do not mind
the sight of blood. Farmers, who are ae-
customed to think the killing Of bullock
DAYS work, are always astonished at the
celerity of the work at the abattOirs.
The cattle are driven into pens of iron
ratings, extending through the center of
the building, while the butchers have a
large open space alongside in which to
work. A rope is fastened around the hind
leg Of an animal, aud man at windlass
draws the bullock out Of the pen and hoists
him into the air. 4 pacticed hand and
keen knife soon do their work, aud the
creature bleeds eopiously into the vessel set
to catch the blood They die with scarce
ly struggle. One is struck by the 81
lence with which the work is done.
The cattle come to Jersey City mostly
by the Pennsylvania Railroad, which
brings the cattle shipped by the Baltimore
L Ohio from Southern points. Many also
come by the Erie road. The majority are
shipped from Chicago, st. Louis and Gin
cinnati, by dealers in those places, who are
either interested with the sellers in New
York or have their stock sold on commission,
the charge for which IS generally sl.50
per head. The best bullock for beef come
IN the summer from Ohio aud Kentucky,
aud 10 the winter from Illinois and MIS-
souri,
The breeds are usually natives, or grade
Short horns aud Darhams. Illinois, Mis-
souri,, Iowa aud Kansas are the states
where the most corn IS fed to bulloeks,
and the stock from those States. therefore,
makes superior beef A great many beeves
come from the plains Of Colorado, and are
yery fair stock About forty per cent.
Of the arrivals in the summer are Texas
and Colorado half breeds They are con-
posed 10 great measure Of bone and horn,
and usually bring very low prices
As the country is more thiekly settled, the
Texas cattle become tanner and easier to
handle, bat they are still the subject OF
few stray "cuss words from droyer and
butchers The Cherokee cattle raised BY
the Indians are much like the Texans,
oaly smaller aud neater. Some dealers
bay the Texas cattle and fatteB them on
corn in Illinois, Kansas aud Missouri, and
so make fair beef Of them. Others in Gin
einuati, Chicago, Sterling and Peoria, IL
linois, aud Cynthiana, Kentucky, fatten
many cattle on dissilisry refuse or "sloPs
the grain after it has been distilled
The feed makes healthy meat Of fair quail
ity. Some say, however, that the meat Of
this kind Is softer and more habby, aud
that distiIlery fsd animal will die in very
warm weather, when a corn fed enc will
be in good condition
The cattle growing part Of the country
{ has moved west rapidly IN the last lew
ycars, as the new States have been open
/ Cd M, until now the mos, Of the stock
coming to this market Is raised west Of the
Mississippi. Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado,
/ Iowa aud Missouri have taken the bust
I ness from Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, and
mauy farmers in the latter States are
I turning their attention TO raising sheep
/ aud hogs as more profitable. Chicago is
I the great cattle depot of the eountry, and
handles about 80, ,0O0 head week, while
I New York's average was last year 1908.
mut Chicago is distributing point, while
F Cew York Is a market New York eats
/ Most Of the live stock she receives, while
I Bhicaeo has much more than she can mas
iicate, and 50 sends it away.
Live stock usually steps over several
hours in Chicago, and is again unloaded,
wa,ered and fed at Pittsburg or some other
point on the way TO New York The
trains arrive at Jersey City at all hours Of
the night The arrivals are nearly hun-
dred aud fifty cars daily.
At daylight the sales begin and last
until about l. O'Clock The buyers are
wholesale slaughterers aud shippers. When
a slaughterer has selected his cattle they
are driven up to the scales, on which about
| forty caa be weighed at once. Awell fat
ted native steer viii weigh from !, 200 to
/ l 500 pounds; occasionally they 80 as high
as 500 pounds 4 bullock is sold at its
dress weight, before it IS dressed. That
IS, a lean animal would be estimated to
dress Fifty three to ffty-fye pounds hun
dred, good one ffty-six to 6fty-nine, and
fancy ones sixty to sixty-two pounds.
Thus for every hundred pounds of live
weight the price per pound of dressed beef
is charged on the number Of pounds the
animal is estimated to dress hundred.
The hog yards for the New York Gen.
trail Railroad are situated at Fortieth
street and Eleventh avenue, where about
10000 hogs arrive and are slaughtered
every week. They are, however, shipped
mainly from Chicago, which now far
eclipses Cincinnati in its hog traffic and
which handles from 100000 week in
summer to 80, and 10000 day in win
ter. The supply Of sheep is divided about
equally between Jersey City aud Sixtieth
street. They are largely shipped from
Ohio, Indiana and New York.
Expectation of cattle and beef continue
all the time although there is little profit
in it during the warm weather. Many of
the frst-class passenger steamships leaving
New York will not carry live cattle, and
so they have to be sent by "wild cat
steamers, or those not Of a regular line.
These will carry sometimes from 500 to
l 900 head of cattle, besides sheep and
hogs. The exports of the latter, however,
are light this year on account of the high
prices in home market. The freight rates
are higher on live cattle than on beef, and
they also require the expense of food and
care on the voyage. They are usually trans
ferred from the stock boats to the steam
: ship by opening the gaugways and driving
them aboard when they are secured by
tying. :,
American cattle, dressed in England,
bring little more than refrigerated beef,
} late quotations being 81 to 7!d. for dress
ad and G tn 61d for refrigerated beef.