The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-09-25

Of beef the demand Is constant,
though 1t is doubtful whether the
present large consumption Of beef
might not be increased In Washing
ton IL the quality was improved.
There Is no question but that the
beef found in the average butcher
shops In Washington during the late
winter and spring months is Of In
ferior quality. Now, while the but
cher gets the benefit OF the criticism
for selling poor beef. he is in fact
often not to blame, as IL may be al
most impossible to find cattle In con-
dition for killing. Not ! per cent OF
the beef cattle marketed in Washing
ton would class as prime beef cattle
in the fat stock markets OF the mid
die west. Very often the cattle
slaughtered In this state during the
winter season are losing In flesh and
the meat from such animals IL al
ways tough and lacking In juciness
and flavor. The tenderness and flavor
Of beef depend largely upon the way
in which the fat and lean OF the meat
are mixed. The highest perfection IL
found in the meat from those beet
animals that have oeen Kept in good
condition from birth and have never
lost their calf fat" and become poor.
Fat Should Be Well Mixed.
The flesh of such animals shows
the lean meat ntermixed, or marbled.
with small layers Of fat This quail
ty of meat is not commonly produced
by animals that have been allowed to
get in poor condition at any period
Of their development. Thin animals,
and particularly those Of the dairy
strains, show q tendency, when fat
| tening. to lay the fat on In thick lay
ers or lunches. The presence Of
fat in a carcas is always desirable,
but 1t is preferable to have It well
mixed with the lean, as then there
is a minimum waste and beef Of the
first quality is secured Good breed
ing plus good feeding are essential
to the production OF high class beef
In Washington, however, poor feed
ing is most often responsible for the
inferior grade of beef marketed. It
is highly important that a large pro-
portion of the farmers of the state
&c into the cattle feeding business
more extensively, both on account Of
the greater profits 1t will mean for
them and on account of benefits the
beef consumers will derive from their
so doing. There is question, Of
course. as to whether the butchers
and the consumers are prepared TO
pay the increased price that 1t will
cost to produce beef of better quail
ty AS a matter of fact the price
paid for cattle on the Pacific coast 10
as high as that paid for cattle of the
same quality at the same time on the
middle west markets. At no time
] during the last two years has the
price been more than 81 per hun
dredweight lower than Chicago prices
when the grade OF the cattle was con-
sidersd The trouble has been that
the cattle sold in this state for slaugh.
ter would in most cases have classed
as stockers or feeders rather than
as butcher cattle.
Beef VIII Go Up.
The prospects are that beef cattle
will gradually increase in price II
the near future. The last few yeafS
has seen great deal of the grazing
lands of the state brought under cul.
tivation. This decreasing Of the
range has necessitated the marketing
Of large numbers of cattle. All ag0
and both sexes have been thrown on
the market, and butchers and buy.