684 A HISTORY OP HEREFORD CATTLE 



ers. The horse breeding soon became profitable, 

 the surplus stock finding ready sale in the develop- 

 ing interior of Texas. 



Packing Houses in Embryo. — The growing of 

 cattle for their hides was so obviously a wasteful 

 procedure that the attention of capitalists was drawn 

 to the opportunity for profit afforded by such con- 

 ditions. It is said that two plants were established 

 near Rockport, Tex., at a place called Fulton, be- 

 fore the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. One of 

 these was occupied mainly in the canning of fish and 

 green sea turtle, and to this it is stated that there 

 was added a dessicating department for the making 

 of beef extract. The other was called the Coleman 

 Fulton Packing Co., an enterprise carried on by 

 the Coleman Fulton Pasture Co., whose lands are 

 now the property of Charles P. Taft. This com- 

 pany packed beef in salt as pork is packed, their 

 main business being the making or pickling of corned 

 beef. Prominent New York City capitalists, includ- 

 ing "Commodore" Vanderbilt, are said to have had 

 an interest in one or both of these concerns. 



Before these enterprises were started, however, 

 Capt. King and some of his associates had at- 

 tempted to preserve the meat of cattle for shipment 

 by the infusion of brine into the veins of the cattle 

 immediately after they were slaughtered. But on 

 account of the lack of transportation facilties and 

 because of this undeveloped method of preserving 

 the beef the effort was abandoned, and only the 

 hides, tallow and offal were saved. 



