The National tribune., 1885-09-24
LONDON MEAT.
The Business of Shipping Fat Cattle to Eng
land.

The difficulty of shipping live cattle to Eng
land in good health and in fine condition seems
TO have been surmounted at last by the i'm
proved method of transportation adopted by
Mr.. Moreton Frewen. the head of the Powder
River Cattle Company of Wyoming. Hereto
fore, Western cattle have been brought to a
seaboard shipping point, from the pastures on
which they were grazed and fatteued, all the
way by rail, often for thousands of miles The
greater portion of these found their way first
to Chicago. thence to New York, Baltimore,
Philadelphia or Boston. The hardships of the
journey, the want of proper food and water and
attendance combined, close packing in the cars,
and the feverishness attendant upon it, invari-
ably reduced them in flesh and sometimes in
health. and altogether untitled them for under
going the further hardships of the ocean voyage
1t was the broken con9i ton in which they were
landed at English ports, aud the fear that they
brought with them the germs of infection, that
led to the PRONUNCIATION of orders from the
Priyy Council that all cattle on their arrival
should be made subject to examination and
detention by veterinary surgeons, and not un-
frequently to immediate slaughter. Mr.. Moreton
Frewen has, however, overcome most of the
difficulties of land transit by an arrangement
which has enabled him to ship to London 100
head Of fat cattle actually ready for market
and capable of competing in quality as we'll as
in price with the best English live cattle fat
tened expressly for the London meat market"
1t appears TO have been the first consignment
of American cattle that has met ali the condl-
tions prescribed by the orders in council. These
cattle, brought young to Wyoming and grazed
and fed there until they were I'll for market,
were forwarded by rail to the head of Lake
Superior, being carefully fed aud watered at
stations established for the purpose along the
line of route. In grounds fitted up for the
purpose at the head of Lake Superior, they were
taken out of the cars and rested and fed until
they had recovered from their long travel and
had received the last finish in the way OF fat
tening. They were then put on board vessels
at Superior City which took them to Buffalo
thus substituting the easy transit by water for
the hardships they would have suffered in
closely packed railway trucks. From Buffalo
they were forwarded by rail to New York, and
shipped thence to London where they were
found, according TO London paper, to rival at
all points the best cattle fattened by the Eng
lish graziers. Their appearance at the live cat
tie market-long since removed from Smith
field to Holoway-seems to have been sur
prise and has raised the question as to whether,
after all, prime Western cattle cannot be
brought TO England in such a condition as to
challenge comparison with the English STALL
fed cattle that have hitherto heen regarded as
beyond competition. THE experiment." it is
said, will be awaited with great interest on
both sides of the Atlantic" Cattle taken to
England on the hoof always command higher
prices than the dead meat, which is sent there
in large quantities from the United States and
the success of the Wyoming experiment. it is
hoped, will lead to such modification Of the
orders in council as will allow of the landing
OF similar cattle, subject only to single in
spection at the place of debarkation. There
seems to be no reason why the same care should
not be taken for the comfort, the feeding.
watering and resting of all cattle sent by rail
to the Chicago market for domestic consump-
tion or for export as Mr. Moreton Frewen has
given to his fine Wyoming cattle. The method
of crowding cattle in cars, keeping them
packed together during the transit. sometimes
leaving them for considerable time without
food or water, and often cruelty maltreating
them, is in the highest degree barbarous, and
ought to be speedily changed to one more
humane and considerate.