The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1896-12-08
EATING HORSE MEAT.
A PRACTICE THAT is GROWING AND is
WELL SUPPORTED.

Economic side of the Question Present.
ed In a Forcible Manner.
Paris and Vienna cheap restaurants
substitute horse meat for other kinds Of
butchers meat, as matter of course
Hitherto even in Paris. where the ad.
yantages of horses meat as regular
item on bills of fare have been known
ever since the siege of Paris. restaurants
hesitate to publish the fact that they are
serving it u their customers for fear of
the popular prejudice. Yet just as cleo
margarine i infinitely better than genu-
lue butter OF u poor quality, SO ordinary
horse meat J 4 he'ter for health and fla.
yor than meat from cattle sold for the
use of the poorer classes.
The poorer people abroad learn to live
largely without meat. A driver on
London omnibus. who seemed to be
man of intelligence aud thrift, told the
writer that he could afford meat only
once or twice week. The poorer classes
in Berlin and Vienna ne forced by the
high prices to go without meat In Paris
the custom Of using horse meat has made
it possible for all the poorer classes who
have to do heavy labor to Obtain suffi-
Gent amount of naurishing animal food.
Horses meat differs from beef in be-
ing slightly coarser III grain aud having
slightly richer flavor. Its quality
naturally depends on the age Of the
beast. As rule, even though it may be
| tougher, the meat is far safer to eat
than beef. While the herds of cattle
each year are producing among them
selves more tubcreulous Infection horses
have little chance to communicate tn
berculosis or any other disease to one
another, because they are seldom kept
closely together. The diet of horses its
them for food purposes even more than
COWS. and infinitely moro than swine or
poultry.
Tho business Of Strengthening horses
fer their meat is undoubtedly on the III
crease in the United States because a
large market has opened III Europe for
horse meat, especially when ii is canned.
The Germans are eating 1t, though UNI
consciously, in the form Of sausage
An unknown amount comes back to
America as canned meat and not i'm
all public or private institutions where
feeding by contract is carried on That
this industry will rapidly increase is
certain from the fact thai horses ale he
coming cheaper and more abtgldant The
farms ont west can better afford to feed
horses with thrir grain If they can sell
the horses for their meat
The result viii be that if horses come
largely into the market rs food prod
uct the younger horses Will be killed off
before they ;re . years old to save the
expense Of longer feeding them. This
Will do away with the last read reason
against the Use uf horse meat-that only
old and feeble horses are used
A great gain will be made III prevent
ing the constant production of lame or
feeble hOrst by drivers Just rs soon its
Il horse becomes IL little past his best
strength and speed the owners Will sell
them OF TO butchers, just aS ordinary
cows and oxen are sold. The horse for
driving and teaming Will be then "a
much finer animal through genuine
Survival of the tittcst.
Tho business troubles i'll the United
States and the increasing number of
men without employment ,Tc emphasize
ing the fact that every possible factor
must be utilized to make living cheaper
and better for the poorer CLASSES. Meat
fed labor cannot compete with Labor fed
on rice or maaaroni But meat fed labor
accomplishrs better work.
Few people realize how rightly the