ELEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART X 551 



There are three forms of slaughter: (1) Wholesale and packing; 

 (2) Slaughter by small butchers; (3) and farm slaughter. 



Government inspection covers only the first-named for interstate 

 and foreign shipment. 



During the year 1908 there were slaughtered under government 

 inspection 7,279,271 cattle, 1,958,274 calves, 38,643,105 hogs, 10,- 

 304,662 sheep and 42,981 goats. These animals were slaughtered 

 at 340 different abattoirs. In addition to this, government inspec- 

 tion is conducted in a large number of establishments where no 

 slaughtering is done, inspection having been made during the year 

 mentioned at 810 establishments located in 221 cities. This is an 

 increase over the preceding year of 108 establishments and eighty- 

 five cities. 



Packing houses, in order to secure the inspection service, are re- 

 quired to conform to the rules and regulations of the department 

 respecting the disposition of condemned carcasses and waste, and 

 to observe sanitary regulations, etc. 



Under the provisions of the Pure Food Law, government in- 

 spectors pursue the packing house products into the channels of 

 trade and protect the consumer from misbranding, adulteration 

 and unsanitary treatment generally. 



Animals are examined before slaughter and after. Due precau- 

 tions are observed to preclude the dissemination of germs from dis- 

 eased animals. 



The smaller, local slaughter houses are almost invariably unsan- 

 itary and uncleanly. It is recommended that municipal slaughter 

 houses be established wherever practicable, subject to inspection 

 and regulation. 



In Germany the municipalities own the slaughter houses, and 

 cleanliness and sanitation has been the result. More than six hun- 

 dred cities own their slaughter houses in that country. 



It is estimated that about 5,000,000 cattle, 8,000,000 sheep and 

 10,000,000 hogs were slaughtered in this country in 1907 without 

 government inspection. These 26,000,000 animals were passed on 

 to the consumer without regard to their condition with respect to 

 disease, except such local restrictions as may prevail in certain lo- 

 calities. 



Municipal slaughter houses not only tend to cleanliness and 

 safety from infection, but also promote economy in the utilization 

 of waste products. These products are utilized to far greater ad- 

 vantage in a large plant than in a small one. Cattle dress only 



