The Irish standard., 1886-10-09
THEY FEEL NO PAIN.
How the Progressive Butchers OF
To-day Kill Cattle.
The Old Style of Slaughtering on the
Farm Contrasted with the Modern
Ways killing Sixty Oxen a Minute
How Pigs Are Dressed.
[Cincinnati Times.Star.l

cOuld not eat chlcken at ali, remarked
lady not long ago.
s'Why, not!' asked the writer. surprised
after seeing her splendid appetite for them
now.
Because I once saw my brother kill a
chicken so cruelty that it sickened me,
but now 1 have been living in the city for
a long time, and since hero have bought
my meat dressed, never witnessing any o1
the killing process. and in consequence the
feeling has passed away and relish a
good piece Of fried chicken now as we'll as
anybody"
There are few who can not remember
S'hog killing day. on the farm decade OF
SO ago. How the old husbandman would
take his old butcher knives from the pork
barrel aud kind:ing box and whet them
up for the eventful day! They were
butcher knives and appro opliately named.
Every body can recolEect how grand
mother had to look up all Of the old case
| knives IL scrape of the brlstles with; and
then when the eventful day would come a
| half-iozen OF tho neighbors with clubs as
big a mans arm would be on hand TO
! chase and knock down the unfortunate
swine. In those days the hog was stuck
with the old rusty knife and given half
hour to suffer- bleed and die. Then to
butcher a half-dozen hogs was a big days
work.
/ Most people eau also remember how
beef cattle were slaughtered; led out into
the barn lot that the other stock might SEQ
| the execution, and it was either knocked
in the head with an axe Or club unit! it
was stunned enough to fall or else it was
fired full of shot from some old gun that
would scarcely kill squirrel, when its
throat would be cut that it might bleed to
death. This sort Of a performance would
usually take the afternoon, aud was never
accomplished in less than an hour: sheep
and other animals were butchered in
much the same awkward and brutal man
ner
It is gratifying to know. however, that
the improvement time has wrought upon
every hand has in a great degree wiped
out the farmers barbarous treatment of
the dumb and helpless animals whose 0esh
constitutes much Of the food chat gives
health and vigor to the word.
In order to obtain as near all accurate
statement as possible as to how far the adj
vance i'll this direction had extended, the
writer asked Mr. i. ". Luley, who was re-
Gently here in attendance upon the Ma
tional Butchers Association, if butchers
made it an object to xiii their meat ami
mails with as little pain as possible9
eve certainly do" quickly responded
than that, can almost safely say that it
is done without particle OF pain This
latter is especially tluo of cattle"
What is the new process for killing cat
tle?'
''Ihere are two ways that it eau be done
without suffering. In this country. where
they have tue appliances, a number OF
bu!loc!Ss are fastened in a row Of small box
stalls just large yh for them to stand
in with dimensions Of about two and a ,
half by eight feat. Then the butcher who
knows exactly where to cut, goes through
with knife the shape of dagger only
much larger and with one stab sewers the
spinal cord just back of the head on che
neck. The animal is Instantly killed, and
never knows what struck it.'
'sIs one animal allowed to sse another
kil}ed?"
Under no circumstances. These stalls
that I speak Of are six feet high and are
-
cruelty is avoided"
s'In this manner how rapidly are cattle
butchered?"
AT the rate of about one per minute
for each man; sixty i'll all hour, if you
wished.''
$ How about hogs?''
:'They are killed and dressed more rap.
idly than any thing else. In frst-clsss
they are stretched up by
the hind leg and fastened to pulley that
uns the length of the room, and are run
,long on that, the workmen being sta
,ioned certain distance apart, and by The
line q hog gets to the end. which only
akes about minute, it is Lutc.lered,
calded, scrsped, cleaned and cut up. The
nan that sticks them handles about six
very minute. $50 an hour or s. $40 a day.
il this way you SEQ but little time for suf-
ering is given"
How are 70 wis killed?"
S'Turkeys have to be dressed with their
eads on, but all expert can cut their throat
rom the inside so that they will die in g
cry short time. Chickens are beheaded
y machinery as fast as you could count.
'ut there is less Improvement in the butch
ring of fowls than any other that know
f''
sWhat kind Of animals are killed with
he least pain?"
"Well, I should think that cattle are.
hey are killed instantly: and can't see
nat there can ever be much improvement
n the present process In Germany they
70 killed in different way, but about as
spidly and with as little pain. There they
re fastened in stall, open in front, and
le butcher goes along to their heads with /
mall and sharp steel instrument that !
3 drives through their frontal bone and
le brain with q single blow; causing in :
ant death. Then, of course, they are :
ed by cutting the throat.'' :
II suppose there will be constant adj 8
for a long time to come inyour /,
1siness, will there not: Mr.. Luley2''
sob, yes; like every thing else; there is L
ways something to learn about it, We
i'll never be perfect, and yet we hope to \
'ep apace with the world and stay right '
ong with the procession until everv a
,st:ge of cruelty is driven from our busi :
.ss." &
Four Generations of Prices. 5
[St. Louis Republican, y