The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-09-05
PACKERS TO TICKLE pALArEs OF POOR.

Livery pGISOu III tue CuIllC guilty
is interested in the price of meats, and
will therefore be also interested in a
movement which the great Western
packers are preparing to undertake,
with the object of teaching the Amer
ican public that other portions of a
beef than the very highest price. cuts
are equally as nutritious, and when
properly cooked are equally as pala-
table as the more costly cuts. The
ultimate end of the lesson, when learn
ed, will be the cheapening of prices on
all grades of meats, especially in those
cuts which are now in such demand
by the American people. In short,
the Western packers are preparing a
campaign to teach the public to buy
and eat the whole beef, and not just
few choice cuts of the meat, from
the sale of which the butchers claim
they must secure the cost of the entire
carcass, because of their inability to
sell the cheap cuts which remain.
This campaign is to be carried on
through the retail meat dealers of the
country, who will be coached on the
subject so thoroughly that they will
be competent to explain the matter to
the satisfaction of their customers,
and IL ie fhrailol these retail deo1e~e
plan before the public.
The packers say that one of the
chief reasons that beef is not cheaper
in America is that the American peo-
pie demand all the best cuts, leaving
so much Of the so-called inferior grades
on the hands of the packers that they
are forced to keep the price of the cuts
up, in order to come clear, but that IT
the sales of the cheaper grades were
increased the prices of all would drop
materially, and the cry of "high
prices" on meats would disappear al
together.
One of the arguments which the
packers will use will be from the year
book of the United States Department
of Agriculture, written by George K.
Holmes, chief of the Bureau of Sta
tistics. In the book Mr.. Holmes tells
of the peculiarities of the ordinary
consumer in his system of marketing,
and, among other things, he points
out the mistake made by people OF
limited means in always selecting the
choice or most expensive cuts of meats
when many of the unsought cheaper
portions of the animal are equally OF
even more nutritious.
One of Mr.. Holmes comments is as
follows: Although epicureans admit
and chemists demonstrate that the
neck piece is toothsome and nutri-
tious, it bears the lowest price. In
fact, it would hardly be considered
respectable TO ask the butcher for q
piece of the neck. Perhaps a low
order of proficiency in the HOUSEWIFE
cooking in the past gave to the neck
piece its low place. The story might
have been different had the cook
known how to utilize the meats in the
making of attractive and deliciou:
dishes. The point of the argument
is that cheap cuts of good carcass
are as good as expensive pieces wher
judiciously selected and properly
cooked.
American butchers complain tha
the average housewife has LITTLE
knowledge of the art of cooking. Sh'
does not know how to make tasty
dish of the cheap grades of meat
She therefore buys the best steaks
slaps them on the frying pan ant
places them on the table when sh'
thinks they are properly cooked. Or
the other side of the Atlantic the cut
are placed on a more equal footing
the demand for the different cuts be
ing more general.
On this side the laborer's wife /
more likely to order chops or steak
than to ask for brisket or neck, and
in consequence, it pays the big packer
to send barrels and barrels of briske
and the cheaper cuts to England
while in many cases the America
butchers would prefer to purchas
more of the portions from which the,
cut the so-called "choice" cuts thai
to stock up with the entire carcass an
run the risk of having a quantity c
cheap cuts left on their hands.
While the tenderloin has the ten
derest meat and is considered the mos
delicate cut, it is not so juicy nor s
we'll favored as other portions les
tender, and it is not nearly so nutrl
tious as parts which require NOR
cooking. And both tenderloin an
sirloin contain less nutritive valu
than is found in the cheaper meats.
Another government expert assert
that chuck steak, after equally care
full cooking, compares favorably wit
a. round or sirloiu steak from the sam