St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1886-10-09
CHEAP BEEF,
A Plan to Supply New York Directly From
the West and Southwest.

CHEAP BEEF.
A Plan to Supply New York Directly From
tho West and Southwest.
In three stores in this city beef-eatera
may purchase choice steaks and roast.
ing pieces cut from cattle slaughtered
on the ranches and sent directly to this
city in refrigerator cars. 1t is the
dressed-beef problem worked out to its
logical conclusion. so that in place OF
the very convenient Chicago point Of
supply the managers of the Nationa!
Consumers Meat Company push on to
ranches in Dakota, in Texas and in
New Mexico. and draw from the
enormous meat supplies there. while
from Kansas City corn-fed beef in
quantity sufficient for an army's daily
rations may be secured at any time.
There are. in fact, five companies COM
bined in the endeavor to meet the de-
mand of the metropolis for good, whole
some animal food in abundant supply.
There is the selling company at this
end, the four companies localized at
the several ranch sections mentioned,
and finally a refrigerator car company
with plentiful supply of rolling stock
to make the five to eight-day journeys
from the feeding grounds to the con-
Stunning points. Oliver Sumner Teall
is the president of the several COM
panies and he is confident that he will
do in the three New York stores on a
big scale what he has been doing on .
smaller scale in several Baltimore stores
for some time past.
One of the New York depots is at
the northeast corner of Third avenue
and Forty-ninth street, where fine
store has been fitted up with great
refrigerators. Under the Seventy-first
Regiment Armory, on Sixth avenue. is
another OF the stores, while third
shop is on Avenue A, i'm a part of the
Concordia Hall building.
1--WE are willing to give a guarantee
that our price snail be twenty per cent.
below the rates in other shops. while
in quality of meat there can be moth
ing better in the city," said Mr.. Teall.
speaking of what his company is about
to do. He went on to speak of his
congeries Of companies and the rare
facilities given for the supply of good
beef, mutton and pork to this city
through the scheme originated by HIM
self. the Marquis de Mores and Others.
He said: THE importance of the
transportation question to the con-
sumer is its dangerous economic as
pect. Extravagant and wasteful
methods have a vital bearing on the
retail price of beef. for remember this
important fact: Every item of waste,
of loss by death or bruising, of shrink
age, of careless management, of ex-
pensive methods, is paid for by the
consumer. 1t is all added up. and
though you may not see it in the bill.
it goes on the ledger at the slaughter
house and determines the retail price.
Careful estimates reported to the Range
convention ut Denver. in January last.
showed that the weight shrinkage alone
added two-thirds of cent to the cost
of every pound of the dressed product,
or an aggregate of S18,00O.O0O abso-
lutely wasted. This is only one item
in the long list of expensive methods.
1t has long since been demonstrated
that the use of the prod alone causes a
loss in punctured hides of 100000
annually, one tanning firm estimating
q damage of $1,000 in their annual
product.
Another point" continued Mr..
Teall. lis that of seasoning the beef.
1t is certain poison in the dish when
beef is roasted before the animal heat
has been fully withdrawn for at least
two days. In recent report of the
Department of Agriculture the plan of
killing beef on the ranges is highly
commended for the reason that the
needed interval of refrigeration be.
tween slaughter and consumption is
unavoidably assur ed. In this city beef
slaughtered in the morning is delivered
to the retail shops in the same day il
the conditions of an active demand have
so far reduced the supply rs to make
the delay of two days cooling imprac-
ticable. Since it follows that the same
rcfrigerative or cooling process must
be practiced on all beef, wherever
slaughtered, before it is sold, how alb
surd is the claim that because the re-
frigerator is car in motion it is totally
different from that refrigerator which
is q dark cellar under a slaughter
house. In the first case. however. the
needed interval for cooling the animal
heat is assured, and in the second in
stance it is made wholly dependent on
the ability to keep the market fully
supplied with the stock on hand-at
one time being delivered in one day,
and perhaps again not for ten days.
Although the ten days is productive of
the best results, it is deprecated as
tying up of active capital.
'sWhat we claim, then, in our plan is
that it provides for erecting suitable
establishments in the immediate CEN
tiers of the beef-producing districts and
killing the animals in their n atural
and healthy state, bringing the meat
East in refrigerator cars. There is
economy of losses by death and bruising
in transit, economy of shrinkage in
weight. in transit, economy in quality
over fevered and diseased product,
economy in insurance and safe carriage
of dead matter over live freight, econ
omy in time of curing, refrigeration
being maintained in transit, economy
of time by speed in transit, economy in
freight of surplus product. economy in
1temS Oh atteuuauce, ioou anu HaTudSc,
and economy in saving commissions.
The company has made admirable
arrangements with the railroad COM
panies. and Mr.. Teall is of opinion
that all trouble on that score is out Of
the way. One advantage is that. draw
ing supplies from points SO widely sep
arated as Dakota and Texas. he is in .
position to make contracts with many
railroad lines without being at the
- any opo lima IF fransnOrta.