52 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS, 
With this number the subscription of sev¬ 
eral hundreds of our subscribers run out. 
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fect, noting also the day on which the Week¬ 
ly Times, will cease to be sent. We trust 
that no urging or special solicitation is re¬ 
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renew their subscription. This should be 
done at an early day that we may know how 
many of our next edition to print. We be¬ 
gin striking off the inside sheets of each 
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lor any exertions in behalf of the Agricul¬ 
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those who are themselves pleased with our 
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In making up each number, we care¬ 
fully read nearly every agricultural paper 
in this country, and Jie principal ones pub¬ 
lished on the other side of the Atlantic. From 
all these, amounting to many hundreds each 
month, we endeavor to select and condense 
all new hints upon the different branches of 
cultivation, at least all that may be of prac¬ 
tical interest to our readers. The American 
Agriculturisttherefore, in addition to furnish¬ 
ing a considerable amount of original infor 
mation, is, besides, a compendium of most 
other agricultural journals published. 
BEEF—CUTTING UP AND RETAILING. 
A few weeks since we stated in the Daily 
Times that the people of this city pay more 
for the meat they consume than for the 
flour, and that with all the excitement in the 
flour markets, the rise of one cent a pound 
in the price of beef at 44th-st., is quite as 
important to consumers as the rise of one 
dollar a barrel in the price of flour at White 
Hall. We have s-een a good deal of figuring 
on this matter since making the above asser¬ 
tions, and we believe that our statements 
are found to be accurate. 
Any one can make the estimate for his 
own family as to the relative cost of meat 
and bread. Calling the wholesale price of 
flour 811 per bbl, and that of meat 11c. per 
lb., one dollar per bbl. rise is equal to just 
the same per cent as one cent per lb. ad¬ 
vance on meat. The latter is more impor¬ 
tant in proportion to the total cost of the 
meat consumed. 
We have frequently been asked why it is 
that when we quote the wholesale price of 
beef at 10 to 12 cents per pound, the butch¬ 
ers charge us 15 to 18 cents per lb. In or¬ 
der to answer this question satisfactorily 
and accurately, we spent considerable time 
in tracing several animals from the yards at 
44th-st. to the butchers, thence to the Wash¬ 
ington Market, and thence to the consumer. 
We give as an average example, the results 
obtained in cutting up a bullock which was 
sold to the butcher for $66, and which 
weighed, when dressed, just 600 lbs. In this 
city the hide, tallow, tongue and feet are 
called the “ fifth quarter.” Beeves are sold 
by the estimated net weight. When weighed 
alive the usual net weight, without the “ fifth 
quarter,” is reckoned at 56 lbs., for each 
hundred lbs. of live weight. 
The manner of cutting up the carcass, 
with the designation of the parts, used in 
this market, is shown by the following dia¬ 
gram and explanations : 
No. 1, is Porter House steak with the ten¬ 
derloin (on the inside); 2, hip and sirloin ; 
3, rump ; 4, rump steaks (round) ; 5, leg 
pice ; 6, is by some called the “ veiny piece,” 
and by others it is divided, a part to No. 6 and 
a part to No. 7 ; 7, is called the “ top of the 
sirloin,” or “over the sirlion,” though lying 
under it when the animal is standing ; 8, best 
rib pieces; 9 and 10, “chuck ribs;” 11, 
plate and navel; 12, shoulder clod (soup 
pieces); on the inside of 12 lies the “ cross 
ribs ; the lower part of 12 is called the “ shin;” 
13, chuck pieces ; 14, brisket. The relative 
weight of these parts in a carcass weighing 
600 lbs. is shown below. 
The animal above alluded to, when butch¬ 
ered. yielded for the “ fifth quarter 
Hide, 60 lbs., sold for 6c.$3 60 
Rough Tallow, 50 lbs., sold for 81c. 4 25 
The four feet sold for 6c. each.0 24 
The tongue sold for. 0 44 
when they can buy below 11 cents, which 
they usually must do, or else retail at higher 
rates. 
COMPOSITION OF WHEAT FLOUR. 
Some interesting experiments upon wheat, 
flour have been made, under the direction of 
Government, by Prof. L. Beck. Thirty- 
three samples, taken from different brands 
of flour, were analyzed, to ascertain the rel¬ 
ative amount of gluten, starch and water. 
It will be remembered that the gluten fur- 
inishes the elements of muscular or lean 
iflesh, which gives force or power; fhe 
■-starch affords elements for fat, and to sup¬ 
port the warmth of the system, while the 
' water is of no value. 
The average composition obtained by sep¬ 
arate analyses of three samples of each 
brand of flour, we have arranged in the fol¬ 
lowing table, and added some notes of com¬ 
parison. The whole will be found conven¬ 
ient for future reference. 
100 parts of 
Starch. 
Gluten. 
Water. 
Super-Extra Genesee. 
...67.00 
12.09 
13.00 
Pure Genesee. 
...68.06 
12.82 
13 35 
Julian Mills. 
..71.00 
11.75 
12.50 
Excelsior Brand. 
...70.20 
11.40 
12.40 
Ohio Wheat and Grinding. 
...08.67* 
11.90 
12.00 
Zanesville Mills, Ohio. 
...67.06 
14.25 
13.85 
Venice Mills, Ohio. 
...75.04 
12.60 
12.36 
From Indiana Wheat. 
...67.00 
11.90 
12 85 
Chicago Wheat. Oswego Mills., 
...66.00 
11.25 
12.90 
Bruce Mills, Michigan. 
...65 60 
11.85 
13.20 
From Floyd Co , Georgia.. 
...68.93 
14.36 
11.75 
Average composition. 
..68.59 
12.37 
12.75 
It will be noticed that, the Georgia flour 
furnishes the largest per centage of gluten. 
This is the case with Southern flour gen¬ 
erally. 
The largest amount of both gluten and 
starch, 83.29, is also found in the Georgia 
flour. The total of gluten and starch stands 
thus : Georgia, 83.29; Julian Mills, 82.75; 
Excelsior brand, 81.60; Zanesville Mills, O., 
Total for “ fifth quarter”.$8 43 
The heart, liver, tripe and head, accord¬ 
ing to general custom, went to the “ butcher 
boys,” as perquisites. 
The dressed beef sold at retail as follows : 
30 lbs. Porter-house and tenderloin.at 18d* $4 63 
76 lbs. Hip or sirloin.at I5d. 11 88 
51) lbs. Best rib pieces.at 15d. 7 83 
36 lbs. Cross rib pieces.at 12d. 4 50 
40 lbs. Rump steaks.at 12d. 5 00 
60 lbs. Chuck ribs.at lid. 6 68 
50 lbs. Rump.at lOd. 5 20 
12 lbs. From over sirlion. at lOd. 1 25 
80 lbs. Plate, navel and brisket.at 8d. 6 67 
36 lbs. Shoulder clod, soup pieces.at 7d. 2 63 
80 lbs. Chuck pieces.at 6d. 5 00 
20 lbs. Shin pieces.at 4d. 83 
30 lbs. Legs.at 4d. 1 25 
600 tbs. Retailedfor.$63 55 
The butcher’s account stands thus : 
One beef. Da. 
To cash paid at Forty-fourth street.$66 00 
81.31; Pure Genesee, 80.88; Ohio Wheat, 
ground in Ohio, 80.57; Super-Extra Gene¬ 
see, 79.00; Flour from Indiana Wheat, 78.90; 
Venice Mills, Ohio, 77.64; Bruce Mills, Mich¬ 
igan, 77.35; Chicago Wheat, ground at Os¬ 
wego Mills, 77.25. 
If all the remainder, after deducting starch, 
gluten and water, be reckoned as bran or 
woody fiber, the average amount of this sub¬ 
stance is about 7 per cent. The number of 
pounds of bran in 100 parts of each kind of 
flour is as follows : Venice Mills, 10 00; Chi¬ 
cago Wheat ground at Oswego, 9.85; Bruce 
Mills, Mich., 9.45; Flour from Indiana wheat, 
8.25; Super-Extra Genesee, 8.00; Ohio wheat 
and grinding, 7.43; Excelsior brand, 6.00; 
Pure Genesee, 5.77; Zanesville Mills, Ohio, 
4.84; Julian Mills, 4.75; Georgia, 4.07. 
Ck. 
By “ Fifth Quarter”.$8 43 
By 600 lbs. Meat retailed..63 55—$71 98 
Profit.. $5 98 
This $5 98 must cover time, interest, bad 
debts, rent, retailing wagons, &c., &c. 
We thus see that the butchers have a scan¬ 
ty profit, when they pay II cents per pound 
and retail at the prices given above. Their 
only chance of profit at these prices is 
* In this City, most articles sold at retail are reckoned in 
pence instead of cents. 
Deducting the water, and calling all the 
rest solid matter, the solid mat ter in 100 lbs. 
stands as follows: Average solid matter, 
87.26 ; In Georgia flour, 88.25; Ohio wheat 
and grinding, 88.00; Venice Mills, O., 87.64; 
Excelsior brand, 87.60; Julian Mills, 87.50; 
Flour from Indiana wheat, 87.15; Oswego 
flour from Chicago wheat, 87.10; Super-Ex. 
*Inthe published report this figure is given as 58.67, 
which we think must be the result of a typographical error 
and we have accordingly altered the 5 to a 6, making it 
68.67 .—Ed. Am. Ag. 
