Omaha daily bee., 1908-10-10
BoSToN'S BAKED BEAN BILL
Puts UD Ten Million a Year for
Millions of Quarts Of the Fav-
vortte Dcltcacy.

There was a noticeable scarcity Of beans
in Boston recently, due to the fact that
last years crop had become pretty we'll
exhausted, while the new crop was late i'm
arriving from the west. The wholesale
price went up over 81 a bushel. therby
greatly lowering the margin of profit on u
1O-cent plate of this ~favorite dish.
But there is no danger of a famine, as
a plentiful supply is assured for the com
ing year.
Beans will be much cheaper. too, which
Is cheering news for Boston.
In that section of the market district
where tho raw beans of consti-
tute a large and important staple OF trade,
wholesale dealers in them say hat the
new crop, while not large enough to be
classed as an actual record breaker, is a
good sized one, far ahead of that OF 1907,
which was very small.
Boston draws the supply of raw mate
rial for its baked bean output very largely
from New York, Michigan and California,
so that this seasons bounteous harvest in
those three states means much to Boston,
the great bean metropolis of the world.
where the consumption of beans is the
largest on earth, running away. up into the
millions of quarts annually, with thirty
live quarts as the eblllildltu QuhhllN GdlbI
every year by each of the men, women
and children making up the nearly $4,000
population.
Five hundred thousand bushels Of beans
are received and consumed In Boston each
year. That is equal to 100000 quarts.
But these figures are for the raw, un-
cooked beans. The actual consumption is
really double that, or 100000 quarts of
baked beans; for a quart of beans put into
the oven in It's pot will swell to such an
extent during the process of baking that
one quart will actually make two quarts
In bulk
Taking the sale of beans by the whole
sale dealers, the prices paid for them by
people who bake beans in their own homes,
the money put out by the bakeries and the
big bean packing establishments that sup
ply hotels and restaurants, and the price
laid down for a plate of them by those
who indulge their appetites In this frugal
fare In patronizing the purveyors of baked
bears at eating houses, and It is figured
out that the yearly baked bean bill Of Bos-
ton is closely to $1,000, OO0. That seems like
q pretty large sum, but 1t Is considered a
modest estimate of the amount Of money
that the Huh spends on baked beans every
year.
All the bakeries in the city turn out
baked beans every day as part Of their
regular business, and in addition there are
three or four establishments devoted ex-
clusively to the business OF baking beans,
ard on these very many hotels, restaur-
ants and quick lunch places depend for
their supply. One or two Of these estab-
llshments put out $500 quarts a week.
The dwellers in Little Italy in the North
End and the Jewish population of the
West End take as largely and as kindly
to baked beans as ever did a native son
OF New England, and they are large con-
sumers of this staple Boston article of
diet. In fact, baked beans possess a charm
for all nationalities who come to the home
of them and get a taste of the genuine
product. No matter from what country
of the earth a man may hail. when he
plants himself In Boston he soon becomes
a loyal devotee of the bean pot. That is
why the demand for baked beans is con-
stantly on the increase here and instead
of 80. 100000 Boston will ere long be spend
ing so, O00,OO0 a year for beans.
The preparation and baking of the beans
is an interesting operation. In those es-
Establishments where beans only are baked
1t is done on a huge scale. There are
great kettles that hold two or three bushels