News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-02-04
THE BUTCHERS BUSINESS.
Row THE SALE OF MEAT rs CAR
RIED ON III A BIG CITY.
what the Various Parts OF Three-
Year-OId steer Sell fOr-Otner
Meats and TURKEYS.

this weight just striking the COLDER
mean between too much fat and too lit
tie. Larger animals are wasteful, because
too much Of the carcass is fat which
people will not eat Thin animals arc
equally Objectionable. The best steers
are usually grade animals or half Breeds,
short horns, Hereford or polled Angus,
it being a we'll known fact that the half
breed or grade, the produce of thor
oughbred sire and q native mother, is %
better animal to fatten than even the
thoroughbred. The top price paid by
the butchers for steer of this class iS
from 81 to 81 ceuts per pound, which for
a steer weighing 500 pounds would be
from $69 to $40. Let us see how the
butcher gets his money back. In New
York and Brooklyn the cutting up OF a.
steer has been reduced to a science, the
main object of which Is to make the ami
NAL yield as many good cuts as possible.
The best cuts are sold for prices that
look very high, but then a good deal has
to be sold at low figure. The choice,
cut of steer is that from
which the porterhouse steak is
obtained, and Is really the forward part
of the sirloin. OF this cut such q steer
will have 90 pounds on each side, OF
which 30 pounds will sell for % cents o.
pound and the remainder at 20 cents, or
perhaps even as low as % cents. Behind
this is the sirloin proper, weihging about
30 pounds side, and selling at 18, 20
and % cents. Behind this again is the
rump, weighing about 25 pounds side.
This is usually picked and sold at from
IL to Ia cents pound. The round and
leg, which are below the rump will
weigh about 90 pounds side, of which
about IS pounds will be good steak, sell
ing for 1S cents. The balance Is sold for
stew meat, pot roasts, or made into
corned beef. The price will run from 10
to IA cents for clear, boneless meat.
Forward of the porterhouse cuts are the
rib pieces, weighing about IS pounds
side, and retailing at from 90 to % cents
for roasts. Forward of this are the
chuck and neck. These weigh about 100
pounds side, of which about 20 pounds
will sell for 12 cents q pound for steak.
The remainder is sold for 5, and 8
cents, in fact for whatever 1t will bring,
and Is used largely for soup. The plate
and navel, weighing 130 pounds in good
steers, is too fat to be sold by the
butcher at retail and is usually disposed
of to some packing house at At cents
pound. The flank will weigh about
35 pounds and contains about 3 or
4 pounds of meat, worth 10 cents, and
the balance is fat which is sold to the
soap factories at % cents. The two
kidneys, with the suet attached to them,
will weigh about 40 lbs The kidneys
sell for 10 cents each, the suet for 10
cents per pound. The joint of the hind
leg, weighing from IL to "A lbs, Is sold
for from 55 to 60 cents, the same part of
the fore leg for 36 cents. The latter
weighs from Z to 8 lbs, and both are
excellent for soup. The liver is sold for
8 cents per pound. The head does not
come to the butcher at all, but is sold
for bologna sausage meat at cents per
pound. The result of the butchers
financial operation, provided that the
whole animal is sold at the best adyan-
tage, will be something like this:
TO lbs. porter house, at 2Sc........... 6l0 50
40 lbs porter house. at 25c........... 10 %
~ iIsI AVERAGE 2bc ....' 10 90
so lbs. rump, at I4c. 700
80 lbs. round, at 1Sc. 40
100 lbs round, at lOc. to l4c., aver
age l2c. ....................... IL w
so lbs. rib, at 2Oc. to 22c.. average
21c c.................... ~ 0O
90 lbs. chuck steak, at l2c,. ;........ 4 so
iOO ipS. age 7c.A' Observation-Disclosures a''', ~, ' 70 20
100 lbs. plate and navel, at 411lc.... 53
5 lbs flank, at 10c.,............. 50
40 lbs kidney suet, lOc .........,.. 100
Liver, heart, shank, etc. c.......-..... 20
Total ...................... 68 90
Deduct cost of animal 500 lbs, at
S19c... ...-.-................ SlVo n
Annoront prof,t t IS AZ
APfPfhrga' Pfhere RFe1 are, however, manly catue soid
in Brooklyn at a much cheaper rate than
the price indicated. The Texas cattle
are the cheapest, and they have been
known to be as low as from to cents
per pound by the carcass. The bulk of
the cheap meat sold In Brooklyn comes
from Texas cattle, although Chicago
dressed beef has been at times very low.
The price has been in some cases as low
as cents by the carcass.
The majority of the sheep sold in this
market by the best butchers come from
Chicago and are dressed there. A great
many sheep also come from Canada, and
they are we'll liked, but the long trans
portation hurts them. A good many
sheep are killed in Brooklyn, on Hudson
avenue, and a still larger number in New
York. For city dressed the butcher pays
from to u cents by the carcass, and for
Chicago dressed from 81 to cents. 1t
is not necessary to go into much detail
about the cutting up of sheep. A good
deal of the animal is cut up into chops,
at from 20 to % cents per pound. The
leg is sold for from 12 to IA cents for
roasting. With regard to lambs the best
butchers buy city dressed exclusively,
great many of which come from Canada
and a large number from Ohio. Chicago
dressed lambs are not liked, and are not
| much sold. Lamb chops are sold for 20
| cents, and the legs from 10 to IS cents
| for roasts. City dressed lambs cost 81
| cents by the carcass While parts OF the
sheep are sold at a high figure other
| parts. such as the shoulder and breast,
are sold quite low, at from to Q cents
per pound.
The best Brooklyn butchers do not
touch Chicago dressed pigs. The best
are got from New Jersey, and the favor
Ite size is from 100 to $50 pounds. Pork
of this size from an animal four or five
months old is by far the sweetest and
best and is as tender as turkey. Such
porkers cost the butchers from g, O. and
I cents, according to size-the latter
price being demanded for small animals
weighing IS pounds. sucking pigs
weighing from 10 to IA pounds cost
81. so to $1.75. The cutting up of a pig
is now very simply done, the great pnt
after the hams are cut off being cut in
long strip for bacon Belly pork costs IL
cents, the loin 8 to - cents, bacon IL
cents, smoked hams 10 cents by the ham
The lard, which forms q considerable
part of the pig, sells for 10 cents at re-
tail, or at 81 by the tub of 40 pounds.
The best turkeys come from New ler-
sey and are known to the trade as ''Phil-
adelphia dry picked" They run from $
TO 20 pounds and cost the butchers 8
cents. These turkeys have to be regu-
iarly fattencd and are not at their lest
until the cold weather sets in. Western
turkeys can be had for from 10 to l3
cents, but are not so much fancied. The
butchers say that there is not much
profit in the turkey, but they have to
keep them for their customers.
The shop in which he sells his meat is
the sma lest part of the premises of a
successful Brooklyn butcher. 1t is sur
rounded by half dozen ice chambers,
each as large as a good sized room, in
hich meat can be kept fresh in all
weathers for long time. The consump.
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