Evening journal., 1915-03-31
THOROUGHLY COOKED
MEAT A. SAFE FOOD
No Danger Now OF Humans
Contracting Foot and
Mouth Disease
DISEASED HERDS
UNDER QUARANTINE
BY The United Press.

NAoiiiNt O4Ns NdiNn OH oNru-
mers. even in States quarantined for
foot-and-mouth disease, need have no
fear of eating meat today. providing it
is thoroughly cooked. This reassur-
ing word is given in a bulletin just
issued by the Department Of Agricul-
ture.
The foot-and-mouth disease is not
easily communicated to human beings
through food. although milk from a
diseased COW might transmit the dis
ease to a human being. Pasturization,
however renders milk safe. Human
beings who do get the disease com
monty get It from direct contact with
the diseased animal. Il is wisest,
therefore. says the department, for
people TO keep away from all ami
mails having the disease unless they
are properly provided with rubber
gloves, coats and boots, and these
are thoroughly disinfected after each
visit to the animal
In the case of meat, as in the case
of milk, the department points out,
all herds which actually chow the
disease. are quarantined, and neither
milk nor meat from the sick animals
can be sold. Sixty per cent. of the
meat used in this country is produced
in the nearly 900 federally inspected
slaughtering and packing establish
ments located in 240 cities. In these
establishments no animal IS slaugh-
tered until it has passed an ante-mort-
um inspection by veterinary at the
time of slaughter After slaughter
meat cannot leave the establishment
until it has ben carefully examined
and stamped q S. Inspected and
Passed"
In all these establishments no ami
NAL showing any symptoms whatever
Of foOt-and-mouth disease is allowed
to go to slaughter, and no meat. which
shows on post-mortem inspection. any
suspicious symptoms of this complaint
can be shipped out of the establish
ment. All meat suspected OF coming
out of the infected animal is sent I'M
der government seal To the tanks to
be rendered into fertilizer. The fed
eral inspection stamp on meat. there
fore, means that il is entirely safe.
The federal government, however.
has no jurisdiction over local slaugh-
ter houses which do not ship meat
outside of the State i'm which II is
slaughtered. II, however, meat from
such an animal did escape from one
of these local slaughter houses, which
are purely under state or municipal
control, all danger Of It's communicate
ing the disease to human beings
{ would be removed when it. has beer
thoroughly cooked and therilized
Those who are located near an infect
ed region and wish to be absolutely
certain of the safety OF their meat
should cook It thoroughly.
The most promising American
source Of potash. says the Department
of Agriculture in bulletin just is
sued, is The annual crop of giant
/ kelps on the Pacific coast. Working
maps have now been made OF nearly
all the commercially available kelr
beds from the Cedros Island TO the
| Shumagins, off the Alaskan coast
The area of these beds aggregate
400 square miles, capable OF yielding
I annually. either as dried kelp or as
pure potassium chloride. over sis
times the present consumption of sol.
uble potash salts i'm the United
States, or something more than Tho
worlds total production.
"The development of a great Ameri.
can industry. based on the conserva
ton and utilization of this import
ant natural resource. of Fundamental
| Importance to the national agricul
tural interests, seems now to be {
matter of time only says the depart
ment.
Investigation by the department has
also shown the waste fish refuse OF
the Pacific coast. including Alaska
approximates 10000 tons annually
and can be made to yield 10000 tons
OF fertilizer and 100000 gallons o
oil, worth s1,S0O,0O0.