instant death. The iron-clad door is raised when the butchers within are ready, and a chain is passed around the horns of the beast. This chain is operated by a steam-engine, and quickly drags the bullock into the dressing-room, where it lies upon a floor sloping slightly toward a gutter, through which runs a stream of water carrying away all the blood and offal that is not saved in the operations of slaughtering. When the throat of the bullock is cut the blood is caught in shallow pans and saved. The skin is quickly stripped from the warm carcass, which is then hoisted by steam machinery, split along the backbone, and the sides, hanging by hooks depending by wheels running upon a suspended rail of iron, are pushed into the cooling room, there to hang until their temperature shall have fallen to that of the outer air. The sides are then taken to the chill-room to be kept until they shall be ready and wanted for shipment.

7. "What is the cost of slaughtering the stock?"

No definite answer can be given to query No. 7, for the reason that so many elements enter into the cost that it is quite impossible for any one not having access to the books of the slaughterers to arrive at it. The cost varies, being less in some houses having the best appliances and superior management than it is in smaller or less completely appointed establishments, or in large ones not as nicely managed as the others. Those engaged in the business naturally object to telling what the cost is of their operations.

8. "Are beasts slaughtered at a price for their owners; if so, at what rate?"

As a rule animals are not so slaughtered. It is said, however, that it is the intention of those who have recently started slaughtering establishments in the plains country of the West to slaughter stock for any and all who may bring to them a car-load or more at a time for that purpose.

9. "Are fat, tongues, or other offal taken by slaughterers as part payment for their work?"

This query is answered elsewhere.

10. "Describe the chill-rooms, how they are built, and of what material.”

Chill-rooms are prepared by making, next to their walls, a dead air space as nearly air-tight as possible. In some of the rooms racks or cribs rise from the floor of the room to that of the room next above. These cribs are filled from time to time with ice, traps in the floor above being opened for that purpose. Means for ventilation are provided at the top of the chill-room. In most chill-rooms and cold storage houses in the North naturally-formed ice is used; but in the cold storage houses in the South artificial means are used for reducing the temperature. They are of brick or of wood.

11. “Describe the cooling machinery, and state which is best."

Without personal experience of the workings of the different kinds of refrigerating machinery, I would not be competent to decide as to which is the best adapted to the purposes of the dressed beef business.

12. What are the modes, extent, and cost of cooling meats, per pound or per carcass?"

Without knowing the cost of ice, of coal or other fuel, and the other elements of cost, it will be difficult to answer the question quoted, and the operators are as reluctant about answering this as they are about replying to other queries relating to the cost of the several operations necessary to their business. The cost of the operation may be ascertained approximately from the statements of the makers of the cooling-machines in the circulars sent herewith.

13. Describe the van by which the meat is carried by rail, the mode of sending it, and give full details as to how cold is provided on the way, where necessary, and the cost."

Several different cars are used for the purpose of carrying fresh meat long distances by rail. Of these, the oldest in use is that invented some twenty years ago by Mr. W. W. Chandler. Since that gentleman put the first refrigerator car into service hundreds of patents have been taken out in the United States for devices of the kind. Of these none are more generally used than is the one known as the Tiffany refrigerator car. As at present constructed, these are 30 feet long inside, and provided with hooks for suspending the fore and hind quarters, into which the meat is cut just before it is placed in the car. In the top of the car are ice-boxes, which are filled with ice before the meat is placed in the car. The car is closed as quickly as possible after the meat has been put in. From thirty to sixty minutes are required in loading a car with 20,000 pounds of beef quarters, four men clad in white frocks doing the work. While hanging in the cooling or chill room the beef is usually in halves, or "sides," and is cut apart by workmen as it leaves the scale where it is weighed, at the place of loading. The ice-tanks are examined two or three times on the way from Chicago to New York or Boston, or once in twentyfour or thirty-six hours, and, if necessary, are replenished with fresh ice and salt.

The larger concerns attend to this at their own expense, having ice and men ready at the stations where required. The cost depends upon the condition of the weather at the time the beef is in transit and also at the time of putting up the ice used. In a favorable winter ice can be housed in the North for less than one dollar per ton. From 1,000 to 2,000 pounds are placed in each car, the quantity depending on the season. During the hottest part of August last dressed beef was sent from Chicago to New York and to Boston in cars in which 900 pounds of ice were placed at Buffalo, and 600 pounds at Albany, to replace that which was put in before starting from Chicago. Several cars safely took their loads of beef from Chicago to New York using only 1,800 pounds of ice on the trip. It may be said that the average cost of icing will range from $5 to $7 per car at each icing station.

14. "Say how trains with chilled meats are run, the distances they run, their average speed, and the average cost per mile per ton or per body for carrying and keeping cool."

It is the custom with railroad companies carrying meats from Chicago to make up special trains carrying fresh meats and other perishable freight to the sea-board. Each day such a train, consisting of 20 to 30 cars, is made up, to which are added those containing butter, cheese, and fruits, all in refrigerator cars. Such trains run at the rate of 25 to 30 miles per hour, including stoppages. Trains not infrequently make the run from Chicago to Buffalo, 523 miles, in 36 hours, including one stop at Cleveland when it is found necessary to ice there. As Buffalo is a common point at which eastward-bound trains meet on their way from the West to New York and Boston, all refrigerator cars are examined there, and iced if re-icing appears to be required.

The tariff rate on dressed beef is 65 cents per cental from Chicago to New York. To this charge is to be added the cost of icing as given above. In answering the above questions, I have been largely guided by the conditions of the trade of Chicago, because this city has done by far the greater part of the dressed meat business of this country. In the year 1884 shipments of dressed beef from Chicago amounted to 694,026 carcasses, and they have since that time increased. Perishable property is, it may be added here, carried to the Atlantic sea-board in refrigerator cars named from points 1,000 miles or more west and southwest from Chicago, at which points the temperature ranges from 90° to 100° F. in the shade during the heated months. In trips through such heated districts new supplies of ice are put into the tanks of the cars three times in each thousand miles.

15. "Whether the meat ever arrives in bad condition. If it does, what is the cause, and the percentage of loss from this cause."

In the earlier days of this business, when people were experimenting for the purpose of overcoming the obstacle then met, some cargoes reached their destination in bad order, the cause having been imperfect insulation and the ignorance of employés; but it is now held that there is little if any risk of loss in shipping fresh meats or other perishable property. The percentage of loss of goods in refrigerator cars is too small to be estimated.

16. "What are the form and construction of the meat markets, and of the cold store attached; the rate of the market dues, and the charges per day for keeping meats in the chill-rooms?"

As the markets are largely owned or rented by private parties who make leases, when they do lease, upon private terms, no answer that would have value in another country or in other conditions, can be made. In a few cities stalls are rented by retailers from municipal authorities; but the rates and conditions vary greatly. In regard to the construction of the markets it may perhaps be well to try to answer by describing the retail market of one Chicago firm which ships large quantities of fresh beef to the Eastern States, to Europe, and to many interior points in this country. In the market referred to a counter extends the entire length of the room, the walls of which are frequently covered by a coating of whitewash, and the floor thickly carpeted each day with fresh, clean pine sawdust. Through the middle of the room is a row of square pine posts supporting the floor above. These posts are also whitewashed, and each has attached to it brackets which support bunches of fresh flowers during the seasons when flowers bloom in the open air. The top of the counter on which the meat is served to customers is of marble, smoothly polished. Behind the counter are rows of strong hooks upon which are suspended a few, and only a few, pieces of meat in a fresh state, most of the meats thereon being cured hams or bacon, or sausage. On the heavy cutting blocks under the rows of hooks the butchers cut such pieces as the buyers require. Immediately after the wants of the buyer are satisfied the quarter of beef from which the cuts have been taken is returned to the cool room from which it was brought. It remains there until another piece is wanted for another buyer. Scales are suspended behind the counter for weighing the meats as they are served to the buyers. The

chill-room or cold store in which the meat is kept while awaiting the coming of buyers, has walls insulated by dead air spaces, or by other devices, and is kept cool by ice stored in proper receptacles so arranged that while the chilled air falls into the room below the moisture therefrom passes away without coming into contact with the meats. Great care is used in all cold store arrangements to prevent the cold air bearing moisture to the goods to be preserved, and so perfect are some of the cooling devices in use that not the slightest trace of moisture can be seen in the apartments where the goods are stored. In this room the ice is placed in a receptacle at one side. From the ice the cold air falls into a store room below, where it becomes slightly warmed by passing over the meats or other food placed there. The warm air rises through the open floor of the second chill-room, and thence through openings near the ceiling into the room where the ice is stored, to again make the round, as before. Arrangements are made so that the valves close in the openings near the ceiling the instant the door of either of the cold storage rooms is opened. The closing of the valves stops the current of warm air which but for this fall upon the ice and cause it to rapidly waste away. When the door is again closed the valve is opened and the circulation of air goes on as before.

17. Describe the receiving of meat intended for sale in the market; the mode of selling and delivery."

Upon arrival of the train conveying the fresh meat the cars are run into a coldstorage establishment. The meat is carried into the cold-storage room, and remains there in a temperature of about 36° to 42° F. until wanted. As a rule the quarters are sold to retailers who come at an early hour in the morning, or who send in their orders in the afternoon of one day for the meats they want for the next morning. Wagons prepared for the purpose go about in the morning delivering the meats ordered by the retailers. In some cases hotel managers and others using large quantities of meat order one or two car-loads at a time, and keep the meat in cold-storage rooms until required for their daily business. Poultry and game are also kept in this way.

18. "What proportion does the dead meat now stand to the fat stock trade? Is the dead meat trade increasing and likely to increase?"

This question is in part answered by the reply to query No. 3. The traffic in fresh meats grew rapidly, but not steadily, almost from its inception. It must continue to increase, unless there shall be a revolution in trade affairs and in the desire of the people to obtain the best meats for the smallest outlay. During the last five years the growth of the trade in dressed beef has been as follows: From 1881 to 1882 the increase was 42.5 per cent. over the trade of 1880; in 1882 the gain was 50.3 per cent. over the traffic of 1881; in 1883 it was 127.5 per cent.; in 1884 it was only 23.6 per cent.; and in 1885 it was 25.2 per cent. The relation borne by the entire dressed beef trade of Chicago to the fat stock traffic of that city may be seen at a glance at the figures given in the second table sent herewith.

19. "What distances are live stock carried by rail, and are they taken out and fed on the journey? If so, how often?"

Cattle have been sent by rail from Oregon, on the Pacific coast, to New York, on the Atlantic sea-board. It is a law that cattle shall not be kept confined in cattle cars for a period longer than twenty-four hours without being unloaded for food, water, and rest. In the regions west of Chicago trains do not as a rule run at as high a rate of speed as trains maintain on railways east of Chicago. Such trains now run from 250 to 500 miles without stopping for feeding and resting the stock. 20. "What is the average cost of carrying a fat bullock per mile, by rail, for 100 miles and upward?”

From Kansas City to Chicago the distance is 500 miles, and the rate is $65 per car-load for cattle, nominally 20,000 pounds, but really often or nearly quite 24,000 pounds. From Chicago to New York the rate charged is $110, the distance being 1,005 miles. The average number of cattle in a car-load is 16, the range being from 12 fat and heavy cattle to 20 thin and small ones.

Very respectfully,

Hon. JAS. D. PORTER,

Assistant Secretary of State.

NORMAN J. COLMAN, Commissioner of Agriculture.

EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS OF CORRESPONDENTS.

SOUTHERN CATTLE FEVER.

A very destructive outbreak of southern cattle fever occurred among cattle in the vicinity of Marshall, Mo., in September last, occasioned by the introduction of a herd of cattle from the southern coast of Texas. Col. S. P. Cunningham, an agent of the Bureau of Animal Industry, made an investigation as to the cause and extent of the outbreak, and reported the results of his investigations as follows, under date of October 9:

On reaching Marshall, Mo., I found that over 100 head of high-grade cattle had been infected and had died of southern cattle fever. The outbreak had been occasioned by the importation of 83 head of southern Texas cattle which had been shipped in July last from Kansas City, Mo., to Marshall. I found the history of the trouble as follows: On July 22, 83 head of cattle, purporting to be Kansas calves, were landed at the depot at Marshall. They were consigned to a Mr. Conway, a cattle trader of Saline, by a party from Kansas City stock-yards. Mr. Conway refused to receive them as his property, but under instructions of the consignor, a Mr. Dorsey, an agent of Hunter, Evans & Co., he held them for Dorsey, and secured pasture for them until he could sell. The pasture secured belonged to Mr. J. L. Coyle, upon which Mr. Coyle had then 66 head of high-grade Shorthorn native Missouri cattle. In this pasture were also placed a pair of scales for neighborhood weighing. Before September 1, Coyle sold 20 head of the Texas cattle to Mr. Wetlack, of Marshall, at $10 per head. In transferring these cattle he drove them through the streets of Marshall, and located them in suburbs near town. A number of cattle coming to Coyle's scales to be weighed passed over the pasture grazed upon by the Texas cattle, contracted splenic fever, and died. Coyle, who had 66 head of native cattle in pasture with the Texas consignment, lost 49 head. Citizens of Marshall, whose milch cows came on the trail from Coyle's to Wetlack's pasture, lost some thirty-odd head from the fever.

This was the situation of affairs when I reached Marshall on Tuesday, October 5, at 10 o'clock a. m. Accompanied by Dr. Edwards, a veterinarian of Marshall, I at once proceeded to Coyle's pasture and held autopsies on animals that had recently died. Case No. 1 was a six months' old calf taken sick October 2. It was constipated and had high fever. Its ears drooped and its eyes were dull. There was straining with great efforts to pass urine, which failed. Death ensued October 4, at 7 o'clock p. m. The body was opened sixteen hours after death. The stomach was impacted with dry, hard food; liver inflamed, cuticle yellow and blood-shotten in spots; gallbladder full of madder-like particles; main bladder filled with serum; kidneys almost destroyed; urinic poison. Death was, no doubt, caused by this poison. In case No. 2, the first indications of disease, as reported to me, were high fever and constipation; dull eyes and drooping ears; listless movements, with desire for solitude. Salt, lime, and belladonna administered for five days seemed to check the disease. A recurrence followed, and death occurred seven hours before autopsy was made. The liver was found congested; the manifold contained dry impacted food. The kidneys were rotten, and gall-bladder filled with madder-like particles. The main bladder was distended with bloody urine. Case No. 3 was a ten-yearold cow. She was taken sick on the morning of October 1, and died early on the morning of the 5th. The autopsy was held at 2 o'clock p. m., of the same day. All the lesions were indicative of a perfect case of splenic fever. The spleen was plainly and heavily involved. It weighed 5 pounds, just double the weight of that of a healthy animal. The gall-bladder, kidneys, stomach, and bladder were each vitally involved. The gall-bladder was full of madder-like particles; kidneys surcharged with urinic poison; bladder distended with bloody urine; stomach hard, dry, and impacted. This case I unhesitatingly pronounced pure, unmitigated splenic, coast, or southern cattle fever.

I saw numbers of other cases in various stages of the disease. Having fully and satisfactorily identified the disease, I next undertook to ascertain the extent of the damage and trace the outbreak to its origin. I found that Mr. Coyle, up to October 6, had lost 49 head of high-grade Shorthorn cattle, and had 17 head still sick. Various citizens of Marshall had lost 43 head, and 15 were still suffering with the malady. I found that the 20 head of cattle from Texas, purchased by Mr. Wetlack, and held at Marshall, were southern Texas yearlings, and that the 63 head from this bunch were of the same class. I then visited Kansas City and found that the 83 head had been shipped to Hunter, Evans & Co., at that point, by William Butler, of Karnes County, Tex. The consignment reached Kansas City July 20; were held on sale in Kansas City stock-yards until July 22, when they were sold by Hunter, Evans & Co., through a Mr. Dorsey, salesman for said firm, to Mr. Conway, of Marshall, Mo., and were so billed on Hunter, Evans & Co.'s books. I found that Mr. Conway had never bought the cattle, although so billed to him-that he, as agent, received them from Mr. Dorsey (an under salesman of Hunter, Evans & Co.), and placed them in the Coyle pasture, where they remained until be sold 20 of them to Mr. Wetlack, for which he received $10 per head; 63 of the animals brought but $6.50 per head, and were sent to Saline County, Mo. I further found that Dorsey paid but $3.60 per head to Hunter, Evans & Co., for these cattle; took them to Kansas City stock-yards, and thus spread the disease. The facts deducible from this investigation are: First, 83 head of coast cattle, bearing the germs of a communicable disease, were, without delay, shipped from Karnes County, Tex., in midsummer, to the Kansas City stock-yards, and consigned to a commission firm for sale; second, an employé of said firm shipped the cattle from the above-named yards to Marshall, Mo., without a bill of health; third, from this shipment southern cattle fever was communicated to over 200 head of Missouri cattle, worth $25 per head; that up to to-day 125 head have died, entailing not only a heavy loss upon the owners, but rendering the pastures in the locality unremunerative and grain unsalable. These facts are submitted for your careful and earnest consideration.

In this connection I desire to state that I took charge of the cattle trail and shipment north of cattle from Texas on May 1, 1886. Since then, I have superintended the movement of 235,000 head of Texas cattle to northern ranges. During that time not one case of disease appeared in transit, and no splenic or coast fever was disseminated. All this work must prove nugatory if the central marts of trade are permitted to be made vehicles for the dissemination of disease.

Dr. T. A. Edwards, of Marshall, Mo., writing to Col. S. P. Cunningham, under date of October 15, gives the following history of this outbreak of southern cattle fever and the results of his investigations as to the cause of the disease:

On or about July 23, last, one of our cattle men received from Kansas City, Mo., a bunch of Texas calves, from five to fifteen months old. These little fellows were driven through town to a pasture 14 miles south, where they remained until July 31, when they were divided, and 20 of them again driven through Marshall and located in a pasture within the city limits. The other 63 head were taken 8 or 10 miles west of town. These animals were watered at the public tanks as they passed through the city. The man with whom they were first pastured had a herd of 60 or more of registered and high-grade cattle, which had access to the same pasture and pond of water as the Texas calves. About September 15 cattle in the pasture where the Texas cattle first stopped began to sicken and die, and the owner came to me with the request that I visit his cattle, hold a post-mortem on the two that had died, and prescribe for the 15 head then sick free of charge. This, of course, I refused to do. At this time I did not know that any Texas cattle had been shipped in. I did not see the sick herd until 35 or more of them had died, when, at the request of several of our stockmen, I held several post-mortems and examined many of the living, and pronounced the disease as that variously known as Texas, coast, or splenic fever. These cattle had no treatment and have continued to die until over 50 head have been lost, and the living continue to sicken. About September 22 the town cows that were exposed to this bunch of Texans, now pastured in the city limits, began to sicken and die, until only 3 or 4 now remain, and they are not well. One of the little Texas bulls, confined in the pasture in town, managed to creep through a small hole in the fence, and ran with the town cows about the commons, and thus succeeded in contaminating nearly every cow in town. Some time in August 15 head of fine beef steers were weighed on a pair of scales to which the calves had had access, and about the 28th of that month these cattle (which are now 9