390 



United States Meat Industry. 



A stock yard to be really successful must be near a cattle- 

 feeding district, that is, within 24 hours' rail, where the supply of 

 fat stock is plentiful, and where there is a demand for feeders. 



The Chicago yards cover 500 acres, of which 420 acres are 

 paved with vitrified brick and well drained. Overhead passages 

 convey the cattle to the packing houses, and there are 13,000 

 open and 8,500 closed pens. The yards have a capacity of 

 75,000 cattle, 300,000 hogs, 80,000 sheep, and 6,000 horses (in 

 stables). Most of the animals consigned to the yards are sent 

 to commission agents, who sell to the packers, butchers, exporters, 

 speculators, or feeders. 



On arriving at the yards, the cattle are inspected, and all 

 animals that show signs of tuberculosis by coughing, advanced 

 pregnancy, recent calving, lumpy jaw, or extreme emaciation, 

 are killed under special examination by the United States 

 veterinary inspectors ; if found healthy, they are passed, and 

 if unsound, are skinned and the carcase placed in a tank. 

 Account is kept of the value of the hide and other products. 

 Sheep are examined and rejected for scab and for the same 

 reasons as cattle, but few are diseased. Hogs are penned and 

 sold to the packers, butchers, or speculators. The hogs are then 

 driven past the Government inspectors, who condemn any they 

 think ailing or diseased. These are locked in pens for more 

 critical examination after the rush is over. They are then 

 weighed, and the weight recorded, and the payment is by this 

 weight. They are then driven on towards their packing house. 



In Chicago about one-third of the cattle, one-sixth of the 

 hogs, one-tenth of the calves, and one-seventh of the sheep are 

 sent out of the market, either further east for slaughter, for 

 export, or as stock for farmers. 



According to the recent census, there were in 1899 in the 

 United States 921 slaughtering establishments, in which 

 5,514,000 beeves, 898,000 calves, 9,176,000 sheep, and 30,619,000 

 swine were slaughtered during the year. Of the total number of 

 establishments, 348 were engaged in slaughtering only, but in 

 the remaining 573 the meat was packed as well. The census 

 returns made by packers indicated that their aggregate annual 

 expenditure amounted to ,£150,000,000, while their receipts were 

 ,£124,000,000 for meat, and .£33,000,000 for by-products. In 



