New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-24
HUGE PACKING INTERESTS.
ENORMOUS BUSINESS DONE BY CONCERNS
IN THIS CITY.

IN THIS CITY.
The packing business has developed rapidly
in New-York and its immediate vicinity, and
within the last ten or fifteen years has become
industry Of extensive and important proper
tions. Several large plants operated, and
in addition to large business in this country.
they have considerable trade abroad
The trend Of all manufacturing business is to
get the factory as near as possible t. the source
Of supply This fact has been largely response
bic for the development Of the great slaughter
ing interests in the West The trimming. cur
ing and treating Of the killed product are
matters into which the question Of water. air
and process enters. and In which the facilities
for consumption and transportation are large
factors
This city possesses all OF the former advan-
tages and it's enormous population and unex-
cclied transportation facilities have aided In the
development Of a great packing industry. Some
idea Of the importance OF this industry may be
gathered from the fact that one OF the large
packing concerns OF the country issued state
mcnt in August last. showing that il had paid
dividends since April I. 1885, amounting to
81 ,!31. The capital stock Of this hrn on
April 81 1893 increased to Sl3WU0o It's
distributive sales from January to June lS:'S
inclusive. as compared with the same period OF
1891 show cd an increase OF over $l5WUVU.
equal TO - per cent.
The development Of the packing and slauSh-
tering industry Of the country and the progress
in the met hods OF preparing meat have been ac-
companiei by progress also in the treatment or
hides, bones. fat. grease glue and blood. In
the olden time these adjuncts to the slaughter
house did not receive much attention. being re
gartlcd as mere accessories to the business. and
they sold for little or nothing. much as
junk might be disposed Of to-day. This applied
less to hides than to the other items mentioned
but even in the matter Of hides remarkable
change has taken place
In the old fashioned days OF Strengthening
hides were taken off without any care or with
out any regard to their subsequent value as
a commercial commodity in the market. cuts
and scores were the rule rather than the ex-
ception. md the result was that dealers or tan
ners bought hides fiat" In other words. they
bought a pig in a az" took the good with the
bad ana paid n uniform price. The CROSSROADS
slaughtcrer still does his business IN this way
but general rule the whole system Is
changed. A bullock a calf Is "strippedf or
dressed" with every regard for the value OF
the hide and the result is that this important
branch of the business y now much more prOilt-
able.
In the treatment OF the other products the
progress has been rapid and interesting. Every
year gees the discovery of new methods to he
applied in the packing house. and what was
formerly considered insignificant refuse is now
put to some The manufacture or common
fertilizer has grown correspondingly with the
development Of the packing and slaushtering-
house industry, and the annual production OF
fertilizers now reaches SiOOOOOOO.
Some of the foremost chemists Of the world
are devoting their time to study OF the sub
iect with a view Of discovering processes for
reducing the cost and increasing the efficacy Of
fertilizers The farmers Of the country have
also given more attention to the question of fer
tilizers ir recent years and now know exactly
what they want IL recently predicted that
the production OF fertilizers will reach an ag-
gregate Of Sl0OC00G00 annually within the
next ten or twelve years.
While this industry represents only one or
the many which are factors of the packing ana
slaughter house industry. its Importance as
general.