Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-10-13
MARKETING ENGLAND,
A Pleasant Picture Of English, Nnnnerf
and Customs.

ana Customs.
lCap. Maync Reid ID New York Tribuuel
The stock market is held generally ont.
side the town, or in a thinly inhabite
surburb Its insignia are q onc-storicd
shei-like building, for shelter, should it
rain and contiguous to or surrounding
il, n large space inclosed by iron hurdles.
A portion of this inclosure is further sub
divided into pens for sheep and pigs, the
remainder left open for the cattle. Most
of all sorts are disposed OF by auction,
the local auctioneers or any others having
the carriage of sale. The commission
charged Is at the usual rate, 3 per cent or
a shilling in the pound This does not
include the market toll, which must be
paid on every animal that enters the en-
closure, whether sold by auction or pr-
vate sale, and whether sold or not. The
sheep are disposed of first, because,
likelicst to suffer by prolonged absence
from their partners after them the pigs
and lastly the cattle. Among these fat
beeyes for the butcher will be in the ma
jority, and young stock to be kept over.
Mich cows are also brought to market,
but rarely one without calf at foot, and
often not her own calf, though represent
ed as being SO. The creatures she gave
birth to six or eight weeks beforc--since
fatted and killed-may at the moment be
hanging up in some butchers shop
while the staggering Bob, tiounderlng
and bawling by her side is but foster
calf, which till that morning or the even
ing before has never drawn milk from hei
teats. But why all this? the innocents
may ask. Simply to make believe that
the COW has but lately calved and so is
more valuable from having all her milk
yet to come. Her largely distended ud-
der will be contirmatory of this belief to
those ignorant of the fact that she has
not been MIXED on that day or the pre-
cedng. The morality. or rather the i'm
morality, of this transaction does not
very forcibly affect the ordinary English
caltledealer, and | am sorry to add many
| farmers make light of it, some having
been even known to boast chow neatly
they did the trick.
| At the stock market held Just before
Christmas there is always an unusually
large Offering of fat cattle roast beef
being universal Wand of the English
Christmas day dinner. On that day the
poorest people make an effort to have Il
Joint of it on their tables, and the butch
ers vie with one another in showing Il
well filed shop; the meat, beef or NUT
ton, systematically arranged upon the
stalls and fcstooned over with eyergreeus
Prize cups, silver OF plated, are awarded
To those who bring the fattcst and best
bccvcs to this market the donors being
either auctioneers who have the sale o
them, or the purveyors OF cattle-food'
and condiments, each by way of adver
tising his own special commodity, and st
obtaining other customers for it. All ol
these odd doings are duly chronicled
in the local papers. where two or three
columns will he devoted to II description
of the butchers shop, with details of how
they are decorated the animals slaugh
tered and hanging up in them, with theil
weight, condition, price and pedigree, moi
omitting who bred and fed each ant
every one of them. For it is n feather IL
the butchers cap to have it known that
his beef has been browsed on the pas
lures Of some county magnate, all thi
better if titled one, and his muttoi
fattened by some noted flock master
| About the same time, close preceding
Christmas, there occurs another specialt.
of market, known as the ''big poultry
market, also Il provider for the Christmas
festivities. 1t is held either in the tow
hall or corn exchange over the floor o
which stand tables arranged i'll rows, bu
apart, rs in Il restaurant, each grooming
under load of turkeys, geese, ducki
and barn-door fowls. dead of course, ant
dressed i'll the most attractive styles
Presiding over the tables are middle-age,
danes i'll their Sunday attire with man,
| yplluppr ones got lD I'm Grand tlp, |