The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-11
FARMER DOES IT.
Blamed for Keeping Up Prices
of Meats.
President Waters Has Solution
of His Own.
BACK TO OLD SYSTEM.
Every Man His Own Butcher and
Packer.
Representative Hall Turned In
to a Butcher Shop.


important part in keeping up the prices
of meats declared President Henry
Waters, of the Kansas State Agricul-
tural college, in the course of an adj
dress featured by rather startling state
mentS on THE American Farmer as
Meat Packer" which was delivered
Tuesday night before the members of
the Kansas Improved Stock association.
The speaker advocated beef clubs
among the farmers as a means OF
money saving.
1.-THE farmers of Kansas. one of the
first i've stock states in the Union
said President Waters, buy from the
butcher shops, annually, from 312 mil
lion to million dollars worth of meat.
They produce this meat themselves. It
ham. salt pork and fresh beef. These
meats will retail at from 80 to 40 per
cent more than they cost wholesale al
the packing houses. if the figures or
Secretary Wilson are correct. and 1t Is
safe to say that, allowing for transport
tation from the farm to the packing
house. the killing, selling, etc., these
meats, when returned to the farmer
through the retailer, are bought by him
at an increase of at least so per cent.
In doing this they contribute to the pro-
fits of the other man one-half the value
Of the stuff they themselves produce.
President Waters told Of the inter-
esting answers from a series of ques-
lions he had sent to all the farmers in
Kansas, in every one of its los counties.
The replies came from 81 counties.
Summarized, they show that very few
farmers cure all the meat that can be
cured for their use; that there is very
little cooperation in killing, as might
be the case if beef clubs were organ
lied. 1t is the common practice, these
statistics show, to depend upon the
butcher shops and farm poultry for
meat in from six to nine months of the
year.
Estimates as to the meat bought by
the average farm family of five per-
sons varied from $40 to $500 year. The
average was SIS. This would make the
Kansas farmers total meat bill ST.
1885, 900 a year: enough to support the
state government and the schools for
two years.
Home Curing of Meats a Lost Art.
Why have the farmers ceased to cure
meat for themselves?" President Wa
tiers inquired. Being an expert in this
work himself and believing in impart-
ing the knowledge of it to others, he
was more than ordinary concerned. In
former years" he said, when the farm
was more nearly the center of family
life. when the family lived more COM
pletely upon the produce of the farm
and less upon breakfast foods and
canned goods, it was the practice to
cure all the meats required by the fam
lily LOT the YEAR except that IIOIIl pOOl-
try. Beef clubs co-operated in such
work. But the increased prosperity of
the farmer and the recent high prices
of animals on the hoof have permitted
the meat curing industry to become al
most lost art
"The family on the farm ought to
live better than the family in the city
have better things to eat. and by
improving the farm conditions is the
only way We can keep our boys and
girls at home.
President Waters then produced a
mouldy appearing ham which he said
was an example of perfection, and
proceeded to explain the process OF
properly curing hams. The ingredi-
ents he uses are: Three and half or
four pounds of common salt, one to
one and a half pounds of New Orleans
sugar, six ounces of black pepper, two
ounces of saltpetre and half ounce
of cayenne pepper.
LET the meat cool thoroughly" said
the speaker. 'and then apply half of
the mixture. At the end of two
weeks take up the meat and rub off
the old cure and apply the remaining
half of the cure. Then repack and let
it lie from four to six weeks accord
ing to the size of the pieces of meat
'.Slowly smoke with green hickory
or green maple wood until it attains
a light strow color. Wrap each ham
carefully in paper and enclose in a
new flour sack and hang until required
for use. Hams cured in this way will
keep 1--WE years and viii improve all
the while
Like Butcher Shop.
Representative hall was turned into
butcher shop Tuesday night A
quarter of "a ton of dressed beef OF
different grades lay on the newspaper
mems table. When President Waters
had finished his address, T. G. Pater-
e =, 1rfv, of animal
bandry of K. S. A. c.. attired in fitting
garb, together with two assistants, be-
gan to show the stocknen the scien-
tific method of carving an animal.
| 1t was a peculiar sight to see Rep
| resentatiye hall thus turned into q
| butcher shop. but the stockmen pres
| ent were highly interested in the cary
| ing demonstration, and at the close OF
| the meeting vote of thanks was
! given the two speakers of the evening
/ eHow are you going to tell goo6
meat ~ inquired the demonstration. '.Il
| should be covered with firm white fat
/ We like to see fat that is free from
any redness or bruises We buy mea1
largely because it gives nitrogenoui
| food for muscle building. Then it con-
tains extractives or fiavors- The othel
food principle we find is fat and tbs
amount of fat depends upon the con
dition of the animal
/. Hog Cholera Discussed.
/ It was the sense of the members o
1.-THE association at the afternoon meet
ling that the authority for the distri
button of anti-hog cholera serum
should be placed in the hands of {
state veterinary to be located at Man
haitian or that the state veterinarian
or any other qualified veterinarian
DESIGNATED by him have authority t
lyaccinate hogs he thinks likely to de
Iyelop cholera
/ This was put in the form of a mo
itfon and will be presented in tn,
proper form to the legislators for thei
consideration At the present time tn,
Istockmen state that much time is lost
1.-The state live stock commissions i
first notified and he in turn notifies tn,
authorities at Manhattan. who may o.
may not have the serum on hand.
/ DR.. E. F. Kubin, hog cholera exper
lat the State Agricultural college. CAV
ian address on Hog Cholera and Vac