Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1898-07-07

In a report 10 the state department
Mr., Du Bots. United States Consul
General at ST. Gall, Switzerland, makes
some interesting disclosures regarding
the general use of horsefesh as an ar
ticle Of food in Europe. He says the
Swiss press is giving considerable at
tention to the following statement:
IAN American horse meat company
has been organized In Kearny, N. Y.
whose object is to prepare horse meat
Tor the European market in the form
Of sugar-cured horse hams, smoked
horse tenderloins, picked horse ribs
and sailed horsefiesh. This meat will
be sent in boxes marked distinctly
horse meat and each shipment is TO
De carefully inspected and accompan-
led by a certificate that it is pure horse
meat and in a wholesome condition"
Mr. Du Bots comments on this state
ment as follows: Il cannot find any
town by the name of Kearney in the
state of New York, and the item looks
like one of the kind that the European
journals, jealous of American trade,
take pleasure in circulating. But
whether there is truth In this report or
not, there is certainly a demand for
good, wholesome horse meat in some
of the markets Of Europe. In many Of
the towns are to be found well-stocked
markets where nothing but horse meat
Is sold--fresh, sailed, smoked and In
sausage form. The prices range from
cents to cents per pound, according
to cut, and a large amount of this meal
is purchased by the poorer classes. Inc
horses used are old ones, or those XIII
ed by accident. The people who puy
this meat claim that they prefer 1t &c
the tough COW meat that is sold lol
from to IL cents per pound. 1t Ii
sweeter, more tender and quite as
| wholesome, according to their state
ments. The shops where horse mea
Is sold always have horse meat mar
ket" sign conspicuously displayed, g
that no deception is possible. If the
purchaser buys horse meat and eats 1t
he does so knowingly. In this respec'
the municipal inspection is thorough
A butcher licensed to sell beef, II founc
selling horse meat, would be severely
and promptly punished"
Gradually we are shaking off thu
yoke of superstition. We have regard
ed it as almost sinful to eat the fiesf
of the horse, but we eat the flesh OF thu
hog without thought. The food of thu
horse is always clean grain and hay
food clean enough to put into our owr
mouths could we but digest 1t, while
the food of the hog il swill and scav
enger food quite generally. There Il
! no reason why we should not make {
practice of shipping horse flesh to for
eign countries if they desire it, and de
sire it they do. If we could work off 3
few hundred thousand poorly bred
horses in this way it would be a goot
thing for the American farmer, ever
if he had to sell them without profit
,.ot much financial gain could be ex
pected, but to dispose of them fol-
something would be better than shoot
ing them and leaving them to the
crows. 1t has been frequent occur
renee to shoot even young horses wher
they could not be sold. We remember
of one man that few years ago ship
ped a carload of horses to the Kansas
City market. They did not bring tn,
freight and he was lamenting that h,
had not taken them out into the bacl
lot and shot and buried them. Poorly
bred horses should be disposed of a
the first opportunity.