Year: 1876

which is about to open upon this coun


try by the comparative monopoly of tht


great markets OF Europe and else


where for our grain crops, there wa


another branch of the same subjec


which was not touched upon, which


will be found of equal Importance tt


the agriculture of the United States


we mean the meat supply. 1t is wei


known that the price of beef has beer


for years steadily advancing in England


and elsewhere, stimulated by the in


creased ability of the labOring classes


to afford a larger quantity of meat fol


the use of their families than was


formerly the case. 1t is also known


that until of late years the rations of an
agricultural laborer seldom included


meat for more than one day in theweek,
| but the agitation which has been kept
up by the working men of late in regard
to an increase of their wages has un-
dOubtedly been so far elective as to
very considerably ameliorate their con-
dition, and to an extent that enables
them to buy more freely of the substan-
tial food which is requisite for human
life; hence, not only has an advance
been made in the price of beef, but also
as a necessary consequence the demand
for mutton has in like ratio increased.


The consequence of this state of
things has rendered it necessary for the
British public especially to look abroad
for increased supplies of meat to sup
plement the amount of breadstutfs which
has hitherto been received from abroad,
and the demand for which is evidently
on the increase, and will be still fur
ther enlarged as our ability is found to
place the products of our vast fertile re-
gions of the West upon their shores at
rates which will defy the competition
from our old rivals in this trade of Rus
sia and the Baltic States. The limited
quantity of farming land in England,
although much increased in its agricul-
tural products during the last half GEN.
tury, has probably reached its maxi
mum, whilst the increase of the pOpula-
ton of the United Kingdom is progress
ing with probably greater strides; there
fore her calculations mustrest upon her
future supplies from foreign nations
most able to cheaper them to her busy
hive of artisans.


The fertility of our lands and the al
most inexhaustible area of the far West
could easily supply all these demands
were it not for the fact that the cost of
transportation to the Atlantic ports for
shipment seaward is now and must ever
be a great drawback to our ability to
supply at the lowest rates the mar
l., - ,,,x,.1I TTln ,,rl,+ .
of the enterprising breeders of live
stock at the West may well be COM
mended and is evinced in the demand
for the high-priced, beef-producing an
imals for breeding purposes, the object
with others being to put the corn of the
rich prairies into meat, whereby the eX-
pense OF transportation can be materi-
ally lessened. To aid in effecting this
great object science has been brought
to bear, by the introduction of compart-
ments in our steamships, bywhich fresh
meats can be furnished to our transat-
lantic brethren with such facility and
in so excellent a condition that the cpl
cures of the fast-anchOred isle can not
discern the difference between it and
that from a cut " from prime Scot"


The mode of preserving the fresh
ness of the meat is by 4 cool dry-air
process, and is thus described: Re-
frigeratiOn, though the meat is not
actually frozen, best describes the pro-
cess, which has the merit of simplicity,
and of leaving the meat absolutely un-
altered, both in flavor and appearance.
The cattle intended for shipment are
killed a day or two before the vessel
starts, great care being taken to extract
the blood. After the carcass is cut up,
the quarters are sewn up in cavass and
conveyed to a compartment in the hold
of the only line of vessels Guion's
steamers-as yet fitted for the purpose.
Here the quarters of meat are slung so
as to swing clear and allow free pas
sage of air all around them. Tanks
around the compartments are filled with
ice sufficient to keep the temperature of
the air down to thirty-seven degrees
during the passage, and a constant mo-
ton and circulation is maintained by
the action of large fan worked by
steam. The effect of keeping meat in
this dry, cold atmosphere, for ten or
twelve days, is to so harden and solidify
the surface that, at the end of the pas
sage, it is more marketable in appear
ance than when first killed.


The London Mark Lane Express of a
recent date welcomes these substantial
American impOrtations, and expresses
the hope that they are a sure promise of
relief from the threatened meat famine
in England. "The most interesting
event in the cattle trade during the
month";" it says, "has been the arrival
of a moderate quantity of dead meat
from America. The present operation
is merely tentative, but it has proved so
successful that there is no doubt that
this new branch of enterprise will be
extented. The consignments have come
to hand in excellent condition, and have
been disposed of at such prices as to
render the operation profitable"


The meat reached the English market
in "splendid condition." and it is be-
lieved from experiments on a small
scale that sheep and hogs can be intro
duced in the same manner, and dealers
are so well satisfied with the result so
far as to induce them to look forward
to the development of a large trade.