Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-16
THE MEAT INDUSTRY
Next to Textiles Our Largest Manu-
featuring Product.
CURRENT REPORTS REGARDING BEEF
Prot. Atwatsr Accounts for Part of
the Compliant.
INT REPORTS REGARDING BEEF
\ Ut RIMENT DISCUSSED

gate annual business exceeds S5opp0
| recently requested the Secretary OF Agri-
culture TO obtain from Prof. w. O. At
water, the physiological chemist Of Wes-
leyan University and SPECIAL agent of tho
Department of Agriculture in charge OF
nutrition Investigations, a summary OF
statements which he has lately made 10
the Department OF Agriculture and to the
war investigation commission concerning
the commercial am nutritive values Of
American meats and 10 give this summary
to the public.
rms the Secretary has done the more
willingly because cf similar requests from
meat producers aud because of the mag
nitude of their interests. The farm value
OF cattle, sheep ana swine in the United
States in lS.lS was 1915 millions
The Importance OF the meal Industry ~
the United States Is much larger than is
commonly supposed" yH.s Prof AtWater.
Il am Informed by MIR. Carroll u. Wright,
tied States comm ssf0uer of labor and
lately superintendent Of the census of lSsO
that meats make our largest manufacturing
product except textiles. The value of the
annual products OF Strengthening and meat
packing has been rapidly rising for several
decades until in 1880 it had reached In
round numbers, SJ1i5. OtEp OVO: that Of textiles
OF All kinds being s722.o0a.go. Next TO
meats come Touring and milling products
at So!4ovo@0, iron and steel at 3l,UoOtoO
ana lumber and other products from logs
and bolts at S40Oo00,ooO per annum.
Injurious Effect on Trade Abroad.
The Secretary Of Agriculture believes. and
this opinion is shared by men prominently
connected with the commercial phases of
the subject that the current reports Of the
inferior quality of American meats, incIud-
ing earned meats. are doing serious injury
both at home and abroad People are very
sensitive about their food. and even if they
40 nOt believe SpnSa flpnll t. no
are deferred from using even the best prod
ucts when the wholesomeness or nutrittye
value Is called in question. This has an
important caring upon the export OF meats.
The Secretary Of Agriculture estimates the
value Of the annual export of American
meats to Europe and other foreign couu-
tries in 1897 at nearly S127oooooO. In ISIS
II mad risen to $l56,nDD,Opp. Meat producers
D. European countries are making great
efforts to prevent the importation OF Amer
lean products. UnfaVorable reports OF the
quality OF these products, however I'M
founded, are taken up, magnified and cir
culated there and used to their detrment.
L have passed a number of years in Eu-
rope as a student Of physiological and agri-
cultural chemistry, and had frequent op-
portunlty Of conference with prominent men
OF science and government officers about
these and kindred subjects. and can testify
to the harm done by such statements, es-
pecially if they seem to have any official
Endorsement here. l have ii from high
thority, within few days, that statements
now being circulated in the public press In
the United States are being used by for
eign governments in defense OF the restric-
tons they have attempted to put upon the
importation Of American meats and that
the injury done to the trade is very great.
Nutriment in Canned Beef.
GAS to the food value Of American meats,
and especially the relative amounts of nu-
triment in the fresh and canned products.
the accurate investigations made up to the
present time are not numerous and COM
plete as are needed Those which have
been made include analyses OF some hum
dreds Of specimens as found in the great
Strengthening establishments and in the
markets, and a small number of tests Of
their digestibility.
Comparing canned with fresh beef, tho
canned products, such as boiled,
roast and canned beef, as ordinari-
ly sold in tin boxes, contain, pound for
pound, more nutriment than fresh beef
The reason for this is simple. In the pro-
cess Of canning the fresh meat is boiled or
otherwise heated, and part of the water is
driven out, whIe extremely little OF the
actual nutritive matter is extracted. The
bones are also removed, that the can
contains the real nutriment of the fresh
meat, Invested of the bone and part of the
water. The heating Of the meat in the
process destroys the bacteria, which would
cause it to decOmpose and sealing the cans
Theoretically prevents the bacteria from en-
tering. Hence canned meat made from
good material well put up, keeps indeti-
nitely without spelling. What | have just
said about the nutritive values is borne out
by all the chemical analyses now available.
Those made under my own direction, as
well those which / have been able to
collate from other sources, show, without
exception, a considerably larger quantity
of nutriment in canned than in fresh meats.
The digestibility Of canned as compared
with fresh meats has been tested by only
a few accurate experiments. and the most
that one can affirm is that the facts at hand
imnlV that there is little
difference between the two This is per
fectly natural when we reflect that canned
meats. like other meats as we have them
on our tables. are SIMPLY cooked meats.
The Flavor of Meat.
"The favor of meat has much less to do
with its nutritive value than is commonly
supposed, still 1t is a thing we prize. Peo-
pie sometimes complain that canned meats
are insipid, that they lack the favor and
aroma of fresh meat This is certainly
true when the fresh meats are roasted or
broled. When meats are cooked In hot
oven or over fire the heat brings about
chemical changes. and compounds are de-
Veloped which would give the peculiar
aroma and flavor. but If the same meat $
put into water and boiled ii lacks these
qualities and We use salt pepper, mustard
and other condiments to give the favor We
desire. Ordinary earned beef is similar 10
boiled beef in this respect. L lay especial
stress upon this subject, because l am
persuaded THAI part at least of the COM
beefs is due to the fact that they have
been used by soldiers who had not the
facilities for preparing them for the table
or the condiments which are needed to give
them the desired flavor.
Lack of Understanding.
1T is very unfortunate that the value OF
meats and of other food products for nutri-
ment is not better understood. To bring
the needed knowledge, two things are nee
essary. One is careful scientific inquiry,
the other is that the knowledge should be
popularized; that it be distributed so that
the public may have II and use Ii. With
this knowledge people would select and
use their meat and other foods much more
wisely and with great advantage to health
and purse. III IL had been available the
present troubles would not have arisen. IL
the charges brought against American
meats had been made against American
iron or steel, they would have fallen fat.
People know about iron and steel, not sim
ply from practical experience. but from
careful Investigations and tests by chem
lists and engineers. The knowledge is avail
able everywhere, but with meats the case