West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1905-01-05


want our meat chewed. There is no waste
in sausage and cheap sausage means much
to the poor Before American sausages
were excluded you could buy a good artl.
Gle Tor iSH cents pound. The same
thing now sells for 81 cents a pound. and
other kinds OF meat are proportionately
high. We used to have a great trade in
American livers. but the Agrarian inspec-
tors are keeping them out and they exclude
all American fresh meat by delaying the ex.
Animation OF the meat until Il spells. The
result is we dare not ship IL. There is a
great deal OF fuss now about the use of DO
racic acid as preservative. and altogether
everything is done to keep our meats out
OF the markets.
Nearly all the cities of Germany own
their own markets. They have their own
cattle yards and their own slaughter
houses. the animals being killed under the
eyes Of the inspectors. I went out the
other day to see the cattle yards OF Berlin.
They are situated on the edge OF the city
and are easily reached by the ringbahn.
They cover many acres and have cost
about q, oooooo.
During my visit the yards we're filed
with cattle, sheep and hogs There we're
about 1900 sheep in one SET OF stalls, ard
was told that 10000 sheep are brought in
every day. Accommodation are provided
In one hall for 1000 cattle. and there are
arrangements so that other thousands can
be handled at the same time.
The cattle we're roaring like the bulls of
Bashan when entered the hall; across the
way the sheep were baaing and there was
such bleating Of calves that 1t fairly
drowned my ears.
wish could show you the hogs. There
were thousands OF them and the cleanest.
prettiest hogs | have ever seen Each
porker had evidently been scrubbed before
he had been brought in. His bristles
shown like frosted silver and his skin was
as rosy as the cheek OF a baby. The
drovers in long white coats we're moving
the pigs from one part OF the yard TO the
other, and as they did so the SUI poked his
rays through the silver bristles and made
them look like painted hogs. Each animal
was marked with stamp showing that the
Inspector had looked IL over and passed
upon II for killing and later on / saw that
every piece of meat was likewise stampe
There are altogether about 400 inspectors
employed, of which los are women micro.
scopists. The inspectors were going over
the cattle while I was in the beef hall
The examination was thorough. although
many OF the animals were fierce. The
bulls were led through the yard with their
eyes blindfolded.
Leaving these halls visited some OF the
slaughter houses. where horses are killed
for food and also where the meat is sold
Not only in Berlin. but In almost all the
great cities OF Europe horse meat is eaten
by the lower classes. There are great
slaughter houses in Paris which kill thous.
ands OF horses every year. In Vienna
more than 75 900 horses and a number OF
donkeys are annually killed, and Berlin
eats horse meat by the thousands Of pounds
every day. Such horses are inspected
both before and after killing. and every
piece OF meat must be stamped as healthiuI
by the inspectors.
Have you ever seen a piece of hores
Aesh1 1t Is redder than beef and looks
for all the world like venisou and tastes
not unlike IL. There are 400 butcher shops
In Paris which sell nothing else. | saw il
sold side by side with beef in the butcher
| shops In Switzerland, and have no difficulty
in finding horse meat chops here. In
Berlin the meats advertised as horse meat
and there is no chance Of having horse
steak passed of upon you as venison or
beef
One Of the shops which, visited in the
poorer quarters OF Berlin had steaks. roasts
and soup bones nicely dressed and ready
for sale. Tho meat was black where il
had been exposed to the air, but red when
fresh Cut.
Upon the walls hung horses sides half
cut up, and on hooks from the selling hung
horses hams smoked and dried. On one
wall we're long strips OF little sausages.
black as lax, speckled with bits OF white
fat Each string weighed pound. and
the barearmed butcher behind the counter
told me that IL was made Of ground horse
| flesh, and sold for "a cents pound He
said good lion steak cost cents and the
| best steak 10 and - cents. He showed me
| pile OF Hamburger horse steak at lower
| price, and also some yellow horse fat,
| which he says the poorer classes use as
| cooking butter. He says that horse fat is
as good as goose grease to cure a cold. and
| that horse oil IS excellent for rheuma.
| tism.
This mans family was a. dinner when /
called, and upon my asking IL he ate horse
meat himself he took me into his dining.
room, where his wife and children we're
deyouring plates OF soup made from horse
bones. The children looked healthy. ard
he told me that their bodies we're largely
made OF horse flesh
lie asked me TO sample bit Of the meat
and did so. II tasted like tough deer.
with a slight gamey flavor I dontlike IL.
but that may be owing TO prejudice. or IL
may be that the bite I took was from an
old street car plug tougher them ordinary.
| have visited several Of the horse sisugh-
ter houses The FIRST one was like a big
barnyard surrounded by low stables and
fenced IN az one side with long buildings Of
red brick. AZ the right OF the gate stood a
group Of butchers. their shirts sleeves
/ rolled up above their elbows and their
bare. brswny arms covered with blood
Each butcher had a leather apron. we'll
/ shattered and looked altogether rather
/ repulsive than otherwise. had permit
to see the establishment. and IN addition
| gave small fec to one OF these men. so
that everything was thrown open 10 ne.
The FIRST room we entered containde the
horses that had been killed that morning
/ There we're sevefsl score Of them hung
I like beeves from the rsfiers. with their
/ heads downward a splendid bay horse
| which bad just been killed. was being skin.
ned. and an inspector was going over the
/ various cuts hung from the rafiers and
I stamping them.
| Leaving this room was taken TO another