The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1895-07-30
EATING THE HORSE
AN AMERICAN CONSUL'S UNCOu-
MONTY INTERESTING FACTS.
Sale OF Horse Meat in Germany
Nearly as Much of Il
as of Beef and Nut
ton Consumed.
HE humber varieties of the
American horse are being
thrown out of work by cleo

american horse are being
thrown out of work by cleo
@ tricity and steam, and it re-
manned for a United States Consul. Il.
w. 5. Jingle, resident at Brunswick.
Germany, to find n new use for them.
ship them to Europe, lie says, and sell
them for food.
I'm view of the prohibition of Ger
man markets to American cattle" he
says In his report to the State Depart.
ment, 1.-The following statistics relative
to the preparation and sale of horse
meat In Germany may be Of interest:
while exact statistics as TO the
con sumption OF horse meat are diff
cult to obtain, it would seem that, in
the large cities, 1t is almost as great ms
that OF beef or mutton. In the smaller
cities, where there still exists some
| prejudice against meat of this char
acter, the consumption is not so great.
being apparently about onc-thiri that
OF beef, but even in these smaller
! places 1t Is growing daily. O5serva-
ton IN any one of the larger German
cities will bring to the attention mary
meat shops devoted entirely to the sale
OF horse meat. OF course, the Gus
toners are exclusively tine poorer
classes, but as they comprise uine.
tenths OF the consumers of the entire
country, it will be seen it is of vital
Importance to understand lust what
factors enter into their food cousumD-
ton.
In the first place, with beef from
fifteen to twenty five cents IA pound.
and other tirst-class meats upon n cor.
responding scale of prices, it is only
upon the rGrest occasions that tho
average workman, earning seventy
i've cents cr one dollar dav, can
furnish his family with the kind of
meat the American workman cats rs n
matter of course. The German work
mans task Is, however, just rs exact
ing as that of his transatlantic con
temporary. He must, if he would
keep up his bodily strength, have MS
much nutriment, even if it is of n
coarser nature. The demand existing.
therefore, the supply has been found
1t is horse flesh.
I'm Germany, the prejudice against
horse meat is fast disappearing. The
workman has found that for seven
cents pound lie can procure food
excellent in every particular, and as
the knowledge grows, the demand for
horse flesh grows with it. But it is
beginning to be difficult to keep the
supply up to the demand.
Formerly, the German butcher
procured horses which were either
worn out or injured so rs to he useless
Tor working purposes for fro So TO
SO each. The supply of horses of
this character has been well-nigh ex-
hausted, however, aud he must now
pay from $l5 to So for his horses.
The consequence is, that Just us people
hayo become attracted to horse meat
because OF its exceeding cEeupness in
comparison with beef, the butcher
finds he must increase prices. Bat
the horse supply in the United States
Is practically inexhaustiblc. Horses
can be raised in the West much cheaper
than cattle. They can be slaughtered
as easily, or they can be shippe | alive
across the sea much more easily than
cattle, and can be sold either on tie
boof or dressed at price certainly
not greater than the seven cents n
pound which the German workman
has hitherto paid. Canning is ont of
the question, of course, but the meat
is consumed in Germany in both
sailed and smoked state, as we'll rs
fresh, and in either one of the three
conditions the American exporters
could furnish it.
with the astonishingly rapid dis
use of horses in tho United States.
consequent upon the building of so
many electric and cable lines, the
raising of horses, especially in the
West, Is far from being the profitable
industry it formerly was. ii the
ranchman, however, can make the
raising OF horses for food profitable.
why should he not do it?
''Ihe subject is OF twofold interest
to the American packer whose beef
and beef products are pow exclu lei
from the German market, and To- the
horse raiser whose invested caultnl
now brings him very unsatisfactory
returns. It IS true that in our own
country the prejudice against catina
horse meat is so great that there will,
probably, never be q home demand
for meat OF that kind but that is mo-
reason why American ranchmau should
/ not take advantage OF the existence OF
n different state of things iu mother
country TO found whit can be- made "a
very profitable industry an Z extensive
export trade.