Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-05-31
CANNED HORSE MEAT.
\ CANNERY HAS BEEN ESTAB-
llSHEO AT THE DALLES.
portland Making Il Test of the
Product-Samples Sent to the
Large Citie>-It ResembIes Reef
In Appearance and TnSte

Large Citie>-I Resembles Beef
in Appearance and Taste.
The canning OF horse meat for do
mestic and foreign consumption has
been inaugurated in the Northwest.
Mr.. NJ. Herrick of The Dalles who
owns salmon cannery, has converted
part OF his establishment into a horse
meat cannery. He has canned i'm all
seven horses, and they have yielded
an average of 300 pounds OF flesh.
Mr.. lierrick has disposed Of a num-
Der OF eases Of canned meat in this
city, and they have been eaten here.
Patrons OF the establishments where
five-cent meals are served probably
could account for some of the meat,
and if so they never have made any
complaints about it. A number of
cases have been sent East, and it is
expected that quite market will be
found for horse beef inside the United
States.
The flesh resembles beef in appear
ance, and cannot be told from it by
taste. The grain of the flesh is fine,
and upon opening cans it certainly
looks good enough to eat. Dozens of
people have sampled the canned
horse, and are unanimous in pronounc-
ing it good, though there was not one
of them but confessed to a prejudice
against the eating OF horse flesh.
The only trouble Mr.. Herrick has
met with in canning is that the flesh
cannot be packed into cans tightly
enough by hand. The difficulty will
be overcome by using machinery such
as is used in packing corned beef
The first horse killed made six cases
OF forty-eight pounds each, but the
others ran little under that amount.
Mr.. Herrick has samples in several
OF the larger cities and is confident
that there will be good demand for his
meat. He expects, if the demand ex-
ists, to commence business in earnest
at the close Of the salmon season and
will be able to handle carload OF
cases or 100 horses day.
Arrangements will be made for
utilizing all the waste. The hides
bring q good price, and the bones and
feet and waste will be made into fer
tilizers.
Mr.. Herrick's enterprise has been
followed in Portland by the incorpora-
ton of the Western Packing and Fer
tilizing Company, which proposes to
60 into the business of horse-canning,
and has now in operation an expert
mental plant. The company consists
of Ben Selling, NJ. Sichel and NJ. Kins-
men, all well-known citizens of Port
land. They have already bought
5000 horses and are negotiating for
more. Their operations ale to be con-
Quoted on large scale, and the plant
will have capacity of 100 horses
day. 1t is estimated that there are
100000 horses now running wild in
Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Mon
tana, and they can be bought at prices
ranging from 81 to IS each. With
reasonable economy. horsemeat can be
made from SO to Is per cent. cheaper
than beef.
The great point which the promo
ters of this scheme have to solve is.
Can they find market for horseflesh
canned, or dried and smoked? The
hides, hair, oil and bones of horses
will realize enough to pay for the
animal and for slaughtering him, and
if the meat can be sold there is a
chance for profit. 1t is we'll known
that horseflesh is eaten in France and
Germany by the poorer classes. but it
is furnished to them in fresh condi-
ton, and no one has tried to put it on
their markets, canned and dried. OF
course. it is impossible to find out to q
certainty without practical test, but
the parties interested have been we'll
convinced that the output can be
sold.