ELEVENTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK— PART IV. 155 



before and allowed to hang and cool during the night, but this would be 

 a departure from methods established years ago, and the native is not 

 given to changes. 



The carcass is chopped up on a large log at the market, with an axe. 

 There is never but two kinds of meat; either pork or beef. At the 

 time I visited the market last spring the price for meat with bono was 

 12% cents a pound, and without bone 25 cents, silver. Each day's kill 

 must be disposed of the same day, for there are no refrigerators to keep 

 it over until the following day. There is never any veal and seldom 

 any mutton. The reason lies in the tax of $2 for each animal slaughtered. 

 This tax is the same on a calf as an ox, and the native could not afford 

 to pay it without selling the veal or mutton at an increased rrice which 

 the customers would not pay. There is no inspection of any kind, and, 

 regardless of the condition of the animal when alive, if it is bought by 

 the butcher you may rest assured it is sold by him. But the amount of 

 disease among the meat animals is very small, due to the fact that the 

 animals range the year around in the tropical climate of this country, 

 and tuberculosis is unknown. There is no such thing as smoked or salt 

 meat except a small quantity imported and consumed by foreigners. The 

 rainy season, or "winter time," as it is known by the natives, makes nec- 

 essary some provision of meat during this time when it is difficult to 

 butcher. So the native prepares as against this time by butchering and 

 cutting the carcass into strips, which are hung out of reach of animals 

 and vermin, on poles in the hot tropical sun of the summer time and 

 when dried it is stored away. Lard is rendered and put into bladders 

 that are suspended from the ceilings of the adobe houses, and some con- 

 trivance placed over the bladder so mice can not reach it. This lard 

 is used to fry not only meat but beans as well, for fried beans are 

 to be found on the table of the native two meals a day the year around. 

 Vegetables are found only at the capital and one or two of the larger 

 towns of the country. Although the climate and soil will produce most 

 every known fruit and vegetable, the native's bill of fare is confined 

 to i few staples from which he seldom varies. 



Butter is a luxury and a delicacy in Central America. Cheese is a 

 common article of food, but there is only one kind, and that is poor stuff. 

 Butter is eaten as a relish on greasy fried beans. Cheese is eaten three 

 times a day when it can be had. In a journey from one ocean to another 

 and back again, one will see nearly all of the houses covered with tile 

 roofs, and find furniture of red cedar and mahogany, yet one will not find 

 a churn in the entire trip. If you stop in any of the larger towns, espec- 

 ially seaports, you will be served with Norwegian tinned butter, which is 

 very expensive. At only one place in a trip of 1,325 miles did I find a 

 tin of American butter, and that was from Monticello, Iowa. How it ever 

 got there is more than I could figure out. Nearly all of the steamers that 

 go to these countries are Norwegian bottoms, and these of course have 

 Norwegian tinned butter. You will find this and "prune soup" your 

 daily companions. 



