Evening star., 1903-12-26
HOW LONDON rs FED
VARIOUS SOURCES OF THE GREAT
SUPPLIES OF FOOD.
Wheat and Flour From All Quarters
Of the World-Meat
and Fish.
From tho London Mail.

From the London Mall
The most marvellous feature Of the life
OF London is probably the provision, day by
day, with the regularity Of q machine. of
food for its six-and-a-quarter million inhab-
itants. From every county in the kingdom,
and from every country on the globe, flows
in q stream Of eatables, on a scale so vast
as to be almost inconceivable.
In an average year over 4,O0O, 600 sacks OF
-four and 25O0, 900 quarters Of wheat come
in by rail and sea: one-sixth from our own
lands, about one-sixth from Canada, Aus
tralia and other colonies. and four-sixths
from the United States, Russia and India.
Enough Of this is retained in London to
make close on 1000, 600 600 pounds of bread.
giving about 800 pounds to every man, wo-
man and child.
To grind the wheat London has 1,6O9
millers and mill hands. while there are
Ii, 622 bread, biscuit and cake makers. and
II, ,516 sellers of bread and confectionery.
1t is said that two pounds of bread per
day Is sufficient to support life, and conse-
quently these 1000, ,0OO,0OO pounds consti-
tute nearly half of London's food.
But quite as important is meat, the
muscle maker.
Hometown Beef.
Only one-third of the meat used in Lon
don Is homegrown. Each year we In
crease our dependence on foreign coun-
tries. Beef we get from the United States.
Argentina, Queensland and New Zealand;
mutton from New Zealand. New South
Wales Argentina and Holland: bacon from
Canada, the United States and Denmark
tons of rabbits. while most of the foreign
poultry comes from the northern parts OF
Russia.
Altogether London receives. alive or dead.
100000 hundredweight. or 1.00S.OOO.OOO
pounds. Beef is the largest item. amount
ing to 100000 hundredweight; mutton and
lamb the next, totaling 3.4O0, 900 hundred
weight. while the remaining 1,60O,OOO hum
dredweight Is made up Of bacon, pork,
hams rabbits, poultry and game
II all this meat were consumed in London
every inhabitant would have 100 pounds
per annum: but much of 1t Is distributed to
the provinces, 30 that LOndon's real con-
sumption is about 125 pounds per head,
London.
To deal with the supply of cattle, sheep
and dead meat London has 278 slaughter
ers, 947 provision curers, 1857 butchers.
9. 422 provision dealers. as well as ls6 cat
tie, sheep and pig statesmen. and 316 drov-
ers. These are the figures for the county
Of London only.
The Fish Markets.
OF fish the supply is immense. At Bill
lingsgate market over 10000 tons, or 403,-
200, 900 pounds, are disposed of in year.
ShadweM deals with 1900 or $4,000 tons,
and a large quantity is sold by statesmen
by private contract. Then there is the
fresh water fish, some 10000 hundredweight
of salmon. principally from Scotland and
Ireland, being sold at Billingsgate, and
large quantities otherwise disposed Of.
There are 36OOO,OO0 oysters from Whitsta-
BILE, Burnham and Southhead, and ten or
more millions Of foreign oysters. And there
Is vast quantity of timed salmon, sar-
dimes, ETC., to be added.
Totaling up all sorts Of fish 1t Is found
that Londoners eat seventy-flve pounds per
for the whole population.
The fish is disposed Of by 77S curers, 6692
fish and poultry dealers and several thou
sand costermongers, carriers, porters, etc.
London. and II we add the cheese and but
ter to this, probably London takes the
produce of three-quarters of million
milch cows. One-third Of a pint of milk
each inhabitant. But multiplied by 365.
and then by the population, 1t amounts to
the enormous quantity of 600 gal
Ions. This includes the 100000 gallons
land counties, the 100000 gallons that
come by road from the surrounding coun-
try, the 5000, 900 gallons drawn from Lon
don's own cows. and the vast quantity of
condensed milk which comes principally
from Switzerland.
Mighty Butter Bill.
OF butter, London consumes $4,000, 900
pounds year, which gives every man,
woman. and child fifteen pounds-two-
thirds Of an ounce per day. With the ex-
ception OF the condensed variety, all our
milk comes from English cows but of but
ter London gets 90 per cent from foreign
countries-Denmark, Normandy. Australia,
Canada, the United States and the Argen-
tine republic.
Cheese shows a better complexion, for
six Of the twelve pounds which Londoners
eat per head are made at homo. The other
six pounds come mainly from Canada and
the United States, but the higher class
cheeses, Gorgonzola, Camembert. Brie,
ETC., come from the continent The total
consumption of cheese in London Is 75.-
OOO, 900 pounds.
Then there is margarine, Of which It is
estimated that London people eat five
pounds Ter head in It's own name, with
probably as much more under the name of
Dorset or Brittany butter. say 6O,OOOO 600
pounds, total consumption.
The number of eggs eaten is not ascer-
tainable. Each Londoner Is supplied with
eighty eggs by Russia. German. Belgium.
France, Denmark and Canada But what
numbers come In from our own farms IL
unknown If we put 1t at eighty more
then the total consumption of eggs is
1000 100000. Placed end to end, they
would circle the globe nearly three times.
Fruits and Vegetables.
The thousands Of tons of vegetables con-
sumed are incalculable. At least 16O
pounds Of potatoes are eaten per head, or
total of 1000. 100000 pounds. most OF
which come from Cambridge, Huntington
and Lincolnshire. Over million bushels
Of foreign onions are discharged at the port
Of London, but all are not kept for con-
sumption. II we add the cabbages, tur-
nips. carrots beet-root, peas caulifowers,
artichokes. etc.. probably not far short of
one million tons of vegetable food is eaten
or wasted In London.
OF apples. oranges lemons, grapes, plums,
ra3sins, currants. nuts and other fruits.
226.OO0 tons are imported Into London, be-
sides tho immense home supply.
Lastly. there is sugar, of which London
consumes 600, 900. 900 pounds: tea, of which
1t uses to the amount Of 38 00O, 600 pounds;
coffee. 100000 pounds, and cocoa 100000
pounds.
And for the disposal Of these and other
similar foods we have 488 sugar refiners,
4,758 jam and sweet makers, 939 cocoa and
chocolate makers, 1859 makers Of vinegar
TALL 10