Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-05-09
USED UP OLD PLUGS.
HOW A BELVlpERE CONCERN c.s-
POSES OF WORKOUT HORSES.

POSES OF WORKOUT HORSES.
"Mecca" For Superannuated Equines
Where the Animals Are Killed and Re-
duced to Fertiiizing Powder-C Cattle Also
Used, but Cows Are Left For Beefsteak
They have at Belvidere place that
is facetiously alluded to as the Mecca"
of superannuated horses. It is so called
because when wornout plugs have ex-
ceeded their days of usefulness in that
vicinity and elsewhere they generally
reach there to give up the last pound of
bone and flesh in the interests of man.
kind. 1t is almost madness to calculate
the value of horse at the ridiculously
low price of So when it is considered
that blooded thoroughbreds rate up in
the thousands, but when the average
horse degenerates from spirited animal
of strength and speed to an old jade that
can neither trot nor work unappreciative
man, as a rule, has no further use for it.
But the Belvidere mecca" is the place
where all the earthly troubles of old and
friendless horses are quickly brought to
an end and their carcasses afterward
transformed into variety of articles of
utility much more valuable than the
animals intact.
The concern that deals in old horses
is in the business of producing fertilizer,
and the moro horses available the better
it is for trade, for this is an industry
that has always prospered despite hard
times and business depression. The con-
Germ stands ready to purchase all the
horses that can be procured. The price
paid is 81. so and So per head. They are
worth nothing to the owners, and when
it is considered that about 500 pounds
of fertilizer is procurable from each ami
NAL it can easily be seen that a good
margin of profit is made. If the supply
holds out, they kill ON an average three
horses day all the year round at these
works, and as the business is of long
standing it is estimated that enough
horses have been disposed of to supply
large standing army. The ages of these
infirm brutes range from l 8 to 25 years,
and their condition depends largely upon
the life they have led. Many of the ami
mails look as though they hadn't seen
oats since they were colts, and others are
spawned, sprung at the knees and blind.
The manner of disposing of the ami
mails is this: When led from the pen,
the horse is tied to post and the
''black cap' placed over its head. The
executioner then strikes it blow across
the forehead with an ak, and the animal
falls helpless to the floor. It's throat is
then cut, and life vanishes. This done,
the process of dissection and separation
begins. The hide is first removed and
the carcass boiled, if it contains any fat
The grease is carefully gathered togeth-
er by skimming and is designated as
''horse oil" ?" The lower bones of the
limbs are boiled, and the fat extracted
from them is called neatsfoot oil When
the flesh of the carcass has been thor
oughly boiled and the grease skinned
off the surface of the vat, it is thrown
into the cellar and allowed to remain
there for over three months, all the
while being subjected to the influence
of potash and gypsum, which is mixed
with it, and which rots it.
At present the remains of fully 2GS
horses are undergoing the fertilizing
process. The bones pass through two
crushers, the first Of which reduces
them, and the second grinds them into
powder. Several chemical ingredients
are then mixed with the bone dust.
This preparation is what is commonly
known as bone fertilizer and is probably
the best artificial commodity used in
agriculture. The horse hides are dis
posed of to leather manufacturers and
bring more than was originally paid
for the entire animal
But not horses alone are used i'll the |
production of fertilizer A great many
cattle go that way, too, and, as for
bones, those of any animal are valuable. |
The concern at Belvidere does not draw |
the line on live animals. Dead ones will |
do, provided they are not too ''old. 1t |
is strange &incidence that but very |
few COWS are disposed of in this way, |
and that may explain where much of |
the tough beef comes from. The car
casses Of cattle go through precisely the
same process as those of horses, but |
their horns, being too hard, cannot be |
crushed, and in consequence are disposed |
of to dealers, who convert them into
buttons and combs.
Several qualities of fertilizer are pro-
duced from animals, it all depending |
upon the amount and quality of the in
gradients used. Various vegetables and |
cereals require fertilizer of certain
strength, and while a certain quality |
will produce good resultson one kind of |
vegetables it will destroy another. The
price per ton ranges all the way from |
$40 to $35.
The product of this one plant is dis
posed of direct to the farmers, and about |
1000 tons are sent out annually. The |
works are capable of turning out three |
tons per day. The present executioner of |
horses has been identified with the works
ever since they were established, about |
IA years ago, and during that time it is
estimated that he has put to death 8, 900 |
animals. New York World.