The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-08-23
EXPORT PORK INSPECTED
How the Law of the Last Congress Is
Carried Out in Detail.
DR.. Parsons Organizes the Corps of Microsco-
pis,s in This City-Meat Expectation
CRAFTY Stimulated.

Dr. F. E Parsons of the Bureau of AMI
NAL Industry. which Is under control of
the Secretary of the Department of Agri-
culture. is in the city to organize the meat
inspection CORDS at Kingan's packing
house. The governments bears the total
expense of sueh inspection. and pack
era desiring a foreign market can
not ship unexpected meat The Kingan
corps Is the first to be organized In this
city. and will be in charge of Dr.. A. w.
Brayton. He will have six young ladies as
his assistants, who. under the law. must
bear certificates of graduation from q high
school or veterinary college.
The inspection of meats" said DR.. Par
son last night, began june % 1891. In Chi
cago. It was thought the best way to give
foreign countries definite knowledge OK
the new law, and thus 10 open their mark
cts. Ii happened that Germany raised the
embargo on Sept l. and the
was received on Sept. 5. During Septem-
Der $50 900 pounds OF inspected meats were
sold, and In October there were l.O0O,UOO
pounds OK ported. In November there were
1900 600 pounds sent abroad. and by Jan;
] of 1892 the total amount of inspected
meat exported was 15.000.O00 pounds. The
total up TO this month 10 over 10000
TOO pouDds' This demand is growing
enormously and has already exhausted the
surplus of swiDe meats. Hogs are ranging
higher in price, with an increasing de-
maDd.
beside Germany, France. Italy. Spain.
Austria Hungary and Holland have lifted
the embargo. The inspection has given
n cent q pound than uninspected meat.
The farmer is the great beneficiary OF this
law. which was passed by the Fifty-frst
Congress. but every body Is benefited far
49,
sor the the Which
20 about 2 cents per hog.
Even in England. which had no
embargo. the inspection has stimulated the
demand for our pork meats. at one-half to
q cent higher per round than the unin-
ppected. The same thing is true of the
American market in many places"
For what purpose Is the inspection.
Doctorf' asked the reporter.
ii 10 TO discover the parasite trichina,
which causes the hog no disease or lncon-
venienee, but ordinarily Is fatal To human
beings Trchin8 infected meat is abso-
lutely harmless to mankind. IL thoroughly
Booked. but in foreign countries this is not
understood. and under interested infiu-
ences, the cmbargoes were laid. Our
experience has shown that about per cent.
OF the hogs have trichin8. The first source
or cause of the parasite is not known.
Whenever, thus far, We have particularly
bad consignment of hogs we have been I'M
eble to'trace down where they were raised.
he parasite 10 not visible to the naked eye
1t requires about week TO learn to nse
the microscope. prepare the films, etc. We
take from each hog three specimens, from
the muscle OF the neck. the tenderloID and
the pillar of the diaphragm. If the hog
has trichln8 ans where they will be found
In these parts sof the body. The hog
is tagged and the specimens put
spond. If the flesh is fonnd free
from the parasite, the fact is certified by
the examiner. LII infected. this fact is certi-
fed TO an of bearer called the 'tagger,' who
certifies that he personally saw the hog
carried out"
Are women specially adapted to this
work. was askeu.
They make very careful and reliable
examiners but the chief reason for
their selection perhaps was I'D the fact that
women make the meat inspections of Ger
many. and 1t was the German market
that We were striving for first. There are
not over a dozen men, believe, employed
IN the business of the bureau
What does this new law cost the govern
mentf"
"lnspection corps have been organized in
Chicago Milwaukee. South Omaha. Kansas
City, Ottumwa. Cleveland. Pittsburg and
now Indianapolis. and the appropriation,
which has long been only $500 600. Is now
believe. to be doubled. By far the most of
the work was done within the amount of
the old appropriation
NDab VI llsc-Dcol lubpcCtlOu.
Besides what has been done pork our
bureau has inspected between 10000 and
<OO. 900 head of cattle for export Each COW
and steer IL tagged In the car with brass
plate having q number. Men work
at tagging IN cnntes aud be-
come very quick and expert. BY
means of the number the bureau
keeps track of the cattle until slaughtered
IN the old world. Indianapolis was made
. port of export through the efforts of DIR.
Armstrong. who is the local representative
here of the bureau. and more cattle are
shipped from this point for export than
from Cincinnati or Pittsbnrg As IN the
case of hogs. the inspection of cattle has
Increased the foreign demand for American
beef, and prices have been higher. The
foreign consumption will increase at a
rapid ratio. because the populacc can now
buy meat much cheaper than they have
ever known IL before"
DR.. Parsons will remain in the city the
rest of the week. special building will
be set apart at Kingan's for the inspection
rorps.