Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-09-06
Butehering in Belgium.

Consul Tanner, at Liege, Belgium,
sends the Department of State some in
teresting facts about meat in that
State where so much system seems to
abound In everything that is done.s
All beasts that are butchered there
must first be carefully inspected by
veterinary surgeon, and marked accord
ing to their quality, In Liege and all
Belgian cities there is a large brick
building set apart by the city to which
all beasts to be butchered must be sent.
They are carefully examined by
veterinary surgeon employed by the city,
and if they show the slightest symptoms
Of disease are condemned, killed on the
spot, and Instantly buried. If the beast
IS sound but lean, it is marked with
red mark in a conspicuous place. which
denotes second quality of beef. If it is
in the best condition a blue mark is
made on the breast, and two blue
eockades given to its owner.
One of these cockades the farmer is
glad 10 keep, and if one goes into a
farmhouse there, it not infrequently
happens that one sees the walls of the
parlOr decorated with the blue cockades.
The second cockade goes 10 the shop
where the meat is retailed, and no one
is allowed to use the blue unless the|
have bought the beef that has won it,
under severe penalties.
The city butchers the beast in the
most approved manner at a very
moderate charge This simple man
ner is the most effective in guaran-
teeing the best Of beef, because it can
be seen at a glance the inducements to
both the farmer and to the dealer in
having the blue cockade; his cattle
would not fetch as much in the market
with the red mark, nor the shop
be patronized so extensively, without
the blue cockade. This system does
more; it guarantees pure beef, and offers
sufficient encouragement for the best
qualities.
Horses are similarly examined before
being butchered, and those buying the
flesh know what they are buying, and
the laboring classes are glad to get it.
The law is severe on any one who
should butcher beast without having it
examined, and no deception is used
about the quality Of beef, nor can any
be>used. The blue cockade speaks for
itself, and a second-class shop can lay
no pretensions to having frst-class
meat.
Horse-fesh that is retailed is sold in
shops that only deal in that flesh
All beasts must be butchered at the
building set apart for that purpose by
the city,
The Consul says that on an average
about 10000 horses are butchered per
annum in Belgium. The average price
of the meat is five cents per pound If
a horse becomes helpless from age, or
is crippled, he is put in as good condi-
ton as possible and sent to market.
If we in American cities had this sys-
tenn of inspection, or, indeed, any sys-
tenn at all, it would be better for the
health of the people, and the reputation
of our packed and canned meats trade
would suffer infinitely less from prohi-
bition edicts abroad. Some day we
shall come to this, as we shall, prob
ably, to the eating of horse-fesh. That
we do not eat horse meat now is owing
greatly, of course, to the fact that beef,
mutton and pork are plentiful and COM
paratively cheap, and that they are
really more juicy and palatable than the
flesh of the horse, but it is owing still
more to the existence of ill-founded
prejudice. The horse is clearly in all
his habits, compared with the animals
whose flesh we eat, especially the hog;
his food is of the best, and he has few
hidden diseases.-PraiTie Farmer