Evening star., 1907-11-08
GERMANS AS HORSE EATERS
MILLIONS OF POUNDS OF
EQUINE MEAT CONSUMED.
Italy a Close Second-Many Staid
Old Dobbins Slain in America
for the Table.

Horse meat is a favorite article of food
in Germany to judge from the figures
supplied by George X. Holmes In a pamph-
let published by the Department of Agri-
culture In 1906 there were slaughtered
for food in Germany 14G,U horses. the
aggregate of beef thus obtained being
10, s27 OcO pounds Outside of the regular
recognized classes there is a classification
of all other meats" but the writer as
sures the public that this does not include
dog, which is the only reference in MS
monograph to that intelligent and faithful
animal. Curiosity is reused as to the
method OF manufacturing the humble but
succulent sausage. but no satisfaction S
given in the chapter devoted 10 that ma
ligned article. and the word dog is not
even whispered. Italy gives figures for
1903 regarding horse slaughter. scoring
35. no animals weighing IN the aggregate
ls.US53o1 pounds. No figures are given
for other foreign countries. but Tor the
United States Mr.. Holmes has the follow
Ing to say:
American Horse Slaughter.
During the fiscal years 1eO1-3 there
was some slaughter of horses for the
export OF their dressed meat, and the
records of the bureau of animal industry
spection for slaughter, / ,624 passed In
spection in 1902 and 333 in 1903 There
was no inspection previous to 1901 nor
subsequent TO 1903 and during the three
years 3.a45 horses passed inspection
The inspection of the horse meat ex-
ported under federal certificates covered
249 800 pounds in 1901. 170.36S pounds in
1902 and % N)0 pounds In 1909. or a total
of 44S. S6S pounds during the three years.
There is no definite information with
regard to the slaughter of horses for
meat in this country beyond the forego-
ing figures, and no attempt can be ven
tured to estimate their number and the
quantity of the meat. Whatever the
amount was In 1900. or is now. il is very
small and does not enter into interstate
or foreign trade and cannot enter these
trades, without inspection by the bureau
of animal industry"
Regarding "hppophagy." the polite
word for horse eating. the following
extract is made from the London Globe:
Practice of "Hippophagy."
The eating of horse flesh is steadily
increasing everywhere. and in most IIu-
ropean countries there are societies for
the purpose of combating the popular
prejudice against this food Only in
Austria is there no need for a society for
hippophagy there is so general that no
:
primitive peoples horse flesh was com
monty eaten, and the Germans ate the
carcasses of the horses which We're sacri-
need to Odin. 1t was only in the eighth
century that the Christian popula tions OF
Europe ceased to eat horses. when Pope
Gregory III formally interdiCted the
practice In China the people have eaten
horse meat for at least a thousand years
Modern Europeans owe the Introduction
of this food to Napoleon l. since it was
n )py nm. -ly i,,
that the population was forced to eat
their horses. To him the Germans also
now owe the habit. for it was during the
great scarcity of food which followed the
wars of the first empire that they took to
1t. However, they repaid the compliment
by obligng the French to follow their ex-
ample after the war of 1870 the result OF
which was great scarcity of food In
France. But, though the Germans have
eaten horse flesh for a century it was
not until lS4I, year of great suffering
that, the first horse butcher shop was
opened in Prussia