The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-06-07
Butchering Beeves.

New York, Brooklyn and Jersey City
consume in round numbers 9,0OO beeVes
every week, besides great numbers OF calves,
sheep and hogs. The supply comes mostly
from Illinois and Kentucky, Chicago being
the distributing point in the cattle trade
of the West. Few State cattle are slaugh-
tered there. These beeves will average
in price from SIS to 500 per head,
fine Christmas animals ranging from 500
to $3.50. They will weigh from 800 to
1900 pounds gross, and will generally net
from Ga to 6s per cent. of their live weight
A bullock is useful from the tips of his
horns to the end of his tail. No part OF
him is wasted, but all is put TO some use
and given a commercial value. Most OF
slaug htering is done along the East river,
between Forty-third and Forty-seventh st.,
and it is interesting to observe the progress
of an animal from the time it reaches the
Strengthening house until it is ready for the
cook. In the locality named the weeks
killing amounts to 5000 head, besides
about $4,000 calves and sheep. The
slaughtering is done by the Jewish method
all the slaughterers are Jews, who fol-
low the business for life, and who perform
their duties under special license from the
Synagogue. No Jew can kill without Ii
cense. The old Mosaic law is carried out
to the letter, its principals being the avoid
ance of torture and the freeing of the car
cass of all blood The method is as follows:
The animal is driven into small pen or
enclosure into which opens a door from
the galows or windlass. A rope from the
gallows is dextrously fastened about the
left hind leg, above the hook joint, and
passed in front of the right leg. A turn
of the windlass tightens the rope and draws
the animal backward into the open door,
gradually raising its hind feet from the
ground until in it struggles to get its right
foot over the rope, and unable longer to
resist the sideways pressure, it falls over on
its left side, its hind parts suspended in the
air, and only its head and shoulders remain
ing on the floor. The butcher then comes
with murderous blade of the finest steel,
two inches wide and two feet long, square
pointed, and as sharp end as keen as a "a
zor. He grasps the now passive Animal by
the nose, and by sudden movement turns
the head over till the tips of both horns
rest on the floor The position is such
that the throat is stretched and the animal
cannot turn back its head. With single
stroke of the knife the head is nearly
severed from the body Another turn is
given to the windlass and the dying animal
hangs there until life is extinct and every
drop of blood is drained from the body.
1t is skinned in the usual way, and once
more the Jewish slaughterer assumes con-
troll. 1t is his duty to "open'' the carcass
and test its quality. When an aperture is
made he inserts his hand and arm to feel
if the lungs. liver and heart are in their
proper places and in good condition. The
lungs may be grown to the ribs, the liver
may be swollen with gall, the heart may be
diseased, but he can tell instantly their con-
dition. If all is right inside he pronounces
the animal 'sCosher" and places leaden
seal upon it: if otherwise, he calls 1t
sTrafer," and it goes into the scale as sec
ond or third class. No strict jew will buy
beef that has not the leaden seal upon 1t,
and he never eats the forequarters lest some
DlO0Q may remain IlleIc. "OhehSS ohN NV
so particular.
When the intestines are removed the
fat. lower joints and head are cut OFT and
the carcass is sawed in half down the back
bone and hung in the salesroom. These
halves are then carefully trimmed, the
coating of fat, called the ''rail, is stretched
over as much as possible and held by wood
en- pins driven in the flesh. The thin It's
sue of flesh over the ribs, outside, is carved
with fancy figures, leaves, flowers or lattic-
ed, and the natural contraction, caused by
cooling curls up the edges. This part of
the beef goes to the retail dealers. The
head is skinned and boned, the tongue is
cut out and sold, and all the flesh that can
be cut off is used for sausage. The bony
part goes into the manufacture of fertilizers
and is turned intp ground bone. The horns
are converted into combs, umbrella tips,
horn jewelry. whistles and toys. The Slug, "
or inner surface of the horn, is used for
!. making glue and fertilizers. The feet are
- l' ,lso nsed for making glue and meats foot
'',D "o""' veryone knows what becomes Of the
The negro ZEN, & %dh- Lr;r which comes
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