American Cattle MarJcets and the Dressed Beef Trade. 153 
best cattle he could fiud, and slaughter them as required. He 
had to keep a trained butcher to kill and dress the stock ; this 
man was idle part of the time, or had to work at some other 
vocation. The offal was partly thrown into the lake ; the hides 
had to be shipped back to Chicago ; and, further still, as the 
trade at this point only calls for fine meats, most of the fore- 
quarters and rough stuff had to be shipped back to Chicago for 
sale in a small dead- meat market there. The cattle were pur- 
chased, say, at 5^d. per lb. dead weight. Although he was 
receiving about an average of 9d. per lb. for his best cuts, still 
he had to sell his second-grade meats for 2d. to 2^d. per lb. He 
began to lind that his competitors who did not handle a live 
bullock were getting ahead and he was falling behind. So he 
closed his slaughter-house, came down weekly to Chicago, not 
to purchase live cattle, but to go to the packing-houses, pick 
out his roasts, steaks, boiling pieces, his sheep and his hogs, 
and transfer them by freight up to his cooler or refrigerator at 
Evanston. The result was that he purchased nothing but what 
he could actually sell to advantage. He employed less capital, 
and carried on a larger business. He at once acknowledged 
that the change was for the better. His trade demanded the 
first grade of everything, while some butchers who supplied 
the lower grades would take the rougher meats. This example 
in a small way represents the changes that have and must take 
place. 
The dressed beef business is a division of labour ; it is a 
division of products ; it is the coming method for handling our 
beef, and while it may not be the best method for the producer 
(although the writer thinks it is), still there is no doubt but 
that the consumer reaps the benefit, and cheap beef reaches 
every home in the country. 
Competition is the life of all trade, and nowhere more so 
than in cattle markets. We have various central points bidding 
for cattle, and railroads endeavouring by every means in their 
power to direct and control trade. There are enough of rail- 
roads to insure, not only active, but aggressive competition in 
every part of the country ; but in the Stock Yards proper, the fact 
that the dressed beef men buy about three-fourths of the cattle 
sold for slaughter at the home points is enough to seriously 
endanger the great principle stated above. Four or five great 
concerns buy the majority of the cattle, not only in Chicago, but 
at Kansas City and Omaha. The large houses whose statistics 
are quoted have established beef packing^houses at the latter 
cities — at least in three cases, viz. Swift & Co., Armour & Co., 
and Hammoud & Co. The cojisequence is that they have a 
