The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-04-04
MEaT.PACKING INDUSTRY.
American Canned Goods Our Chief Ex-
port Product.

port Product.
Fbsn Lesiis-s weekly
The packing and preservation OF meat
food products rs a business was carried
on in a small way In the United States up
10 is69. since which time it has assumed
large proportions, making its great
growth In company with the develop
ment OF the Central West and its rail-
roads, receiving a great forward impetus
by the perfection OF tie refrigerator car
and the artificial ice machine.
The building Of the railroad systems
furnishing quick transportation for live
stock and rapid distribution OF products,
made conditions favorable for tie es-
Enlistment Of broad livestock markets
al the larger railroad certers. where
Eastern buyers could procure stock for
shipment on the hOof TO their abattoiTs.
At these primary markets were quickly
established slaughtering houses for tire
packing OF staple pork products, The so
called offal being thrown away as Of no
value. This was the condition OF at-
fairs in 1S65 In Chicago and Milwaukee.
Buffalo and Cincinnati then and for
some years afterward The main hog-pacI-
ing centers. But little was being done in
a large way In the shipping Of fresh beef
products any great distance, dried and
corned beef being about the on y arti-
cles from beeves sufficiently preserved
TO safely ship.
Late in 1850 men Of economic tendencies
began the manufacture of CLUES. oils, &c,
from some OF the waste. and early IN
the seventies the blood and other pOr-
lions Of live stock not USED for food.
glue, soap. or leather we're manufactured
into fertilizer ingredients. These saw
ings enabled the progressive s.aughteTers
10 not only pay more for their live stock,
but To uudersell their competitors who
did not utilize the waste. During the
early seventies the preservation Of meats
In tins was successfully introduced.
With the perfection Of the refrigerator,
50 that fresh meats could be kept for a
reasonable time, came the development OF
the Tefrigera tOC-car, enabling fresh meat
To be transported from the Ice-DOX OF the
West TO the iCe-bOX of the East in the
ice-box car. A man with sha p pencil
soon figured il out that il WAS a Saving OF
money 10 Kill bceVCS in Chicago ana ship
the edible parts East rather Than to snip
the cattle alive 20 the East with the
large shrinkage, risk, and freight or the
portions not good for food. A more com
plete utilization of the formerly wasted
portions was then perfected. The world
was the market Of distribution. The prO-
duct could be sold by energetic merchant
dising. The packers bought an the live
stock shipped to these central markets.
and asked for more. Livestock growing
Was being rapidly put on a sound basis.
Instead of having 10 take his chances on
finding a prompt market for his stock.
and often having to wait "A week or so at
heavy expense and shrinkage before dis
POSING Of his herd. the livestock grower
found that he could market any grade OF
stock any business day of the year for
cash and without delay.
The Mississippi Valley corn-fields were
overlooking with corn, the pTairies OF the
West were carpeted with nutritious grass
es. 1t was a safe business venture TO
feed cattle in large numbers. for they
could be sOld-Stability had been given 10
markets In 1872, 2O2,S19 cattle and 5.9l9Sll
hogs were slaughtered at four packing
centers In 1895 3.S000O0 cattle and %,
200 900 hogs were packed. The value Of the
product in 1898 was estimated at S45O,0l0,-
600. employing directly nearly 100-
COO laborers, and indirectly half as
many more in addition to the
large number employed on the
farms and ranges. One house I'm Chicago
alone annually pays out S59O0,000 in wages.
Lines of refrigerator-cars are run. ice
houses and icing-statiOns are maintained
In an export way so 295.Go0 pounds OF ba-
con ard hams, 00.357,000 pounds of pork,
and 1898 600 pounds of lard were eX-
ported from the United States during the
wear ending July /, 1898