The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-31
HORSE MEAT AS FOOD
WE SHALL LEARN TO LIKE 1T, SAYS
HERR wALDENBURGER.
Representative of n German Horse
Meat Cannery Will Establish
Branch House in Chicago.

That the American people can be edu-
Gated up 10 accepting horse meat as an
article of regular diet is the belief of Max
Waldenburger, who arrived here yester-
day from Frankfort Germany. Herr Wal
denburger admits that there is prejudice
here against the eating of horse flesh, but
he thinks that time will overcome it, and
he is prepared TO meet the future demand
by putting on the market the flesh of mans
best friend. fresh from cold storage, made
into tasty sausages or canned.
Herr Waldenburger represents the Frank
fort Horse Meat Cannery Company, and
his objective point is Chicago. when. if all
goes WELL he purposes to establish a horse
meat factory. Herr Waldenburger is sure
that success awaits him, and is enthusiastic
on the subject of horse meat in general
"Of course" he said, IT am aware that
there would be at first a strong prejudice
to overcome before business of this kind
could be placed on paying basis, but time
would surely dispel that feeling. If the
opportunities are favorable we shall start.
only, OF course, in a small way at first as
an experiment but no amount of money
VIII De spared to make a substantial sue
cess OF the business. Your country is
big one, and you Americans are, perhaps,
the greatest beefeaters in the world Why
not make you become a nation of horse
meat eaters, too? In Germany horse meat
can now be purchased in nearly every large
butchers shop in the big cities throughout
the country: the poor being the chief con-
cheaper than bullock beef and equally
! strengthening. A tenderloin horsesteak
Tor instance, costs only seven cents. That
| Is six cents less, or almost half the price
/ that would be charged for bullock steak
| of the same cut
SOME PREFER HORSE.
"Since our factory was established, ten
years ago, in Germany, thousands of the
| poor have come to prefer horse meat to
| any other. In order to destroy old preju-
dices against the meat we at first distrib-
uted it freely among the poor, both in
the cities and country towns. The meat is
very tender, and the rich are also fast be-
coming very partial to it. With the excep-
ton OF our own people, the Parisians are
our best customers. 1t has been calculated
that nearly $1,000 people eat horse meat in
Paris every day, and throughout my coun-
| try about 100000. Great quantities of the
meat are also sent to China and Japan. In
| China especially the meat is becoming very
popular. the Chinese being adopts at chop
ping nss tn &c meat up into savory dishes: Thou
4 purchased by the German government for
| the army and navy. The Emperor himself
! long ago openly declared himself in favor
| diers especially should make themselves
| accustomed to eating it while in barracks,
so that they will have no prejudice against
| 1t If they should in time of war find them
| selves in a position where it would be found
necessary to kill horses for food. For the
| army and navy the meat of course, is pre-
| becomes tough and stringy like the other
| meats. The meat. fresh or preserved is a
| little salter and darker in color than the
| bullock meat, but the sadness is so slight
| that has to salt in eating III
There is. too, very little fat in horse meat.
About five, should say, out of every
| dozen horses slaughtered at our factory are
made into sausage. The sausages are high
| ly favored and it would take an expert to
tell the difference between them and the
best pork sausages. The sausages for ex.
in tins containing preserving oil We
| ship them to all parts of the world nearly
| cases-each case carrying twenty-four
tins-from an American firm-no, l will not
| mention the name. The firm, / will say
however, is one of the largest meat packers
in this country.
THE ANIMALS USED.
1.-The horses killed for this meat are espe.
cially fattened on bunch grass. and no ami
NAL above the age of eight years or suffer
ing from disease is used. Every horse to
be slaughtered is first carefully examined
by a veterinary surgeon. The law regard.
ing this examination is most strict, and the
penalty for violating it is a fine of 5000
We buy most of our horses from the farm.
ing districts throughout Germany at S. a
head. great many Of them are ponies
and quite a large number of Indian ponies
or cayuses are imported from the ranges fr
Washington and oregon In this country al
$3.50 a head, but the freight expenses brine
them up to about the same price as the
ones we buy at home. We prefer these
range horses because their flesh is more
1xo- he fnx ,ff he f~io
I'VE slaughter on an average 200 horses
every day. except Sunday, in the year. The
method of killing is the same as employed
in dispatching the bullock only a fiat
headed axe, instead of spiked one. ]:
used. Three blows, properly aimed. will
kill a horse every time where 1t will re-
quire sometimes five or six to dispatch a
bullock.
mot single portion of the animal i.
lost. Our business is conducted on eco
nomcal lines Only the hams s and h tn,
meat, are corned, except what is to be solo
on the block. The hams and tenderloin:
put in barrels and tb SEande
The barrels also bear the branded sign Of
horses head as trade mark Nothing
is done to deceive the public. The tails
! tories. All that remain-head legs, hoof:
and all, even the blood-is saved. The
refuse is boiled in big watts and a good lu
bricating oil extracted. The residue il
pressed. dried and ground for fertilizer"
Herr Waldenburger said that he ex
pected to meet with much opposition IL
establishing a horse meat factory in Chi
cago.
I'm Germany" he said. "the butcher
} and large beef packing houses wer
strongly opposed to the erection of on
plant on the ground that it would in tim
| greatly damage their trade. but, of course
there was no law to prevent our goini
} ahead, as the business is a legitimate one
!. The fears of the packers, however, wer
| certainly we'll founded, for the growth o
| our business has undoubtedly taken
great deal of custom from them, especially
as l have said. among the poor. But tn
| packers need have cause for alarm yet
Horse meat, / do not think. will becom
: so popular during the next forty or fft
years. at least, to drive any of then
out of business altogether, although it
> increasing favor will most assuredly com
pei them to make a material reduction il
the price of their meats within a muc
shorter time. If | cannot get a suitabl
location in Chicago L will try 10 secur
some isolated place in either oregon o
Maine"