St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-13
A Better Quality Needed, Says the
American ARriCuIturjSt

A Better Quality Needed, Says the
American AgricuIturist.
The question. "When shall we get
better beef?" which was discussed In a
recent issue Of the American Agricult-
urist, is one that comes home to the
teeth and stomachs of all the people.
The evils complained of are more wide
spread than the public generally be-
lieve. Why are the herds of tine United
States in bad condition? Why
is their health doubtful? Why
is poor meat salable? The
herds of our country represent, In the
aggregate, quantity. not quality. Their
ers are sh0rt-Sighted and look for the
ready profit rather than the greater but
more distant gain. Poor meat is sal
able because the demand for it exists.
The masses prefer sirloin steak
and rib roast from WORKOUT oxen
and diseased Texas steers to
TANKS and chucks of healthy
corn-fed grade beeves. Why do the
masses prefer to feed on meat little bet
ter than carrion? Because of their ig-
norance. Cbucks and TANKS, to be
profitable, must be scientifically cooked,
and American housewives are too much
nui1lCu W S1fC d Stuu1Cu CdEC W COOk--
ing. The price of good beef vexes
the soul of the economical house
keeper and raises the anger of
the retail butcher. In Great Britain.
where tons and tons of American re-
frigeratOr beef are annually consumed
in the pOpulouS districts, TANKS and
chncks are higher than in America, be-
ing in active demand, while sirloins and
roast ribs are cheaper, the value of the
entire carcass being more equaliZed.
The suggestion OF improving pastures
and breeding better beef cattle is in
itself excellent. but the field is so wide
that many influences mustbe brought to
bear upon it before more than very
gradual improvement can be looked for.
Many causes work together to render the
cautious buyer doubtful Of the sanitary
condition of our meat supply. The
native grasses South and southwest fur
nish the germ from which arises splenic
fever. This caused the underwriters
during all OF last summer to refuse to
insure American herds during ocean
transit. save from three states: Ohio,
Virginia and Kentucky. Distillery feed
ing develops lump jaw" disgusting
disease, which cannot be detected after
the head has been severed from the body.
We believe that our fiocks are i'm the
main healthy, and. although the de-
crease of 10000 900 in our sheep within
this decade is a step backward, the quail
ity has been much improved, and good
mutton and well-fatted lamb are plenty
in our large markets. 1t would be
general blessing if local production kept
pace with local demand. 1t would save
consumers from the ill effects attending
upon fevered and bruised meats. Herds
slaughtered in Western centers for
Eastern markets travel thousands of
miles by train; herds slaughtered in
our Eastern states travel hundreds of
miles by train; in neither instance is
there sufficient time allowed for healthy
recovery. This Injuries the flavor aud
renders much of our meat distasteful to
the fastidious. The lover of sausage
meat would have his gastronomic pleas
ares seriously interfered with it he
,new and observed the sources from
which flow his tid-bits. The consumers
# these savorY morsels pay well for
old oxen and worn out dairy cows.
These latter sell at 81 to S12 per
u nd and at one to two and three
.ilrter cents per pound. The former
IS down as low as two cents per