Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-02-26
Beef Ring Keeps
Fresh Meat on Table

How many Iowa farmers have ever
heard of beef ringf'
Probably not many. unless they have
had friends In Canada who have re-
lated their experiences with the
ring" From all Information available
the bee, ring apepars To be OF can
adam origin. and in the western prov
inoes OF the dominion 1t has worked
out very successfully for u long period
of years
Iowa farmers have been declared
during the war period by speakers ON
conservation to he somewhat impro-
vidcnt because of their prosperity. IL
has been asserted that the Iowa farmer
could. II ne would. provide his entire
living OF the farm. save the exceptions
OF Hour and sugar. and yet IL content
to buy most of his supplies, including
the greater part OF his meat. THIS
statement is exaggerated, however,
for the reason that the Iowa farmer OF
today demands and can afford more
delicacies, and delicacles, especially
during the winter months. can not be
raised on the farms,
Could Have Own Meats.
But the Iowa farmer could have all
his meat off his own place If h. so
chose. Most Iowa farmers prefer To
buy their beef. altho most of them do
provide their own pork during the
winter months. In Canada, however
where long distances must be taken
into consideration, it is not possible
during the summer months To provide
ones own meat even tho the farmer
is engaged in business on a large scale
and keeps several men on the place.
An entire ''critter'' affords too much
beef for the average family in the
summer time. so the beef ring" was
evolved
Is operative Butcherina.
The beef ring" is nothing more or
less than a plan of cooperative
hutChering. Charles Wallace formerly
, of this county. but for the last thir-
teen years a farmer of Saskatchewan.
relates Interestingly the workings of
| the beef ring" in his neghborhood
| near Wilcox.
In his ring" which has been oper-
ated several years and has yet to meet
with the first word OF dissatisfaction
among the patrons. there are thirty
| farmers as participants. Usually the
plan il to have twenty. and in reality
| the thirty IN this case take the place
| of twenty. as the other ten divide
, their shares of the .beeves because
! they do not need the twentieth portions
! allotted each week.
For twenty weeks. beginning May I,
the patrons of the ring" begin their
IL lro 1nts, ,1Hr m
sccutively. to determine when each
| one is to furnish his beef. For tn"
! twenty weeks each farmer supplies a
| beef which is cut into twenty shares
| by one designated for the purpose. who
| besides being the butcher, acts as
secretary and treasurer OF the COM
pany. As some cuts Of the beef are
choicer than others. the secretary keeps
| track OF the allotments and rotates
| the choice cuts among the patrons, so
that. within the twenty weeks, each
patron has had all the cuts and, in
reality. all Of one beef.
The butcher looks to No in the
pool to furnish the animal to be
slaughtered the first week No. 2 the
second. and so on for the twenty
weeks. Should one patrons beef not
give prospects of being finished when
his number comes. he is privileged to
trade with some other patron whose
beef may be ready at that time. Each
| farmer vies with the other in furnish
| ing a prime steer. for If one mans
| steer is underweight and in poor flesh
| he is charged up with the difference
| between his "critter' and the average
for the twenty weeks. and must
| settle at the end Of the twenty weeks
| period.
Beet Ready on Time.
| In all the years that the Wilcox
| beef ring" has been operated there
| never has been time, Mr.. Wallace
| says, when the beef has not been
ready for the patrons. The man looked
to for the beef has never failed, and
the butcher has always been on the
| Job. The animal - slaughtered at night
and the carcass is left to-cool.
At o'clock the following morning
the butcher begins the work Of skin
! ming and dressing the beef and by