One of the most remarkable trade developments of recent times, ud one that has undoubtedly come to stay, revolutionising as it has the food supply of the whole world, is that of the preservation of perishable food products in cold stores by mechanical means, The utilization of refrigerating processes for commercial purposes. ins developed +0 wonderfully within the last few years as to suggest endless possibilities, "What our ancest: rs deemed impossibilities come ts us matters of every-day simpli and articles of food which they regarded as luxuries, only to be obtained at certain seasons of the year, are now, owing to these refrigerating processes, alines? every-
Twenty years ago the science of refrigeration was in the most embryo state, "ind its possibilities not oven dreamt of. Phe pioneers, who in 1880 despatched (after numerous mishaps) the first consignment of 400 frozen sheep from Australia, little thought their venture would attain to such proportions or prove of such value to the sheepbreeders of the colonies.
Tu. 1880, 400 carcasses were imported into this country; in 1881, 17,275. In 1882 New Zealand started with 8,800; and then in 1883 Argentina shipped 17,000; while in 1897 the totals respectively amounted to the enormous figures—<ustralia, 1,394,500; New Zeuland, 2,696,000; Ar-gentian, 2,068,000; or a combined total of over six mi millions.
Nor is this all—to these must be added the 768,000 cwt. of frozen beef received.
At first frozen meat was looked upon with suspicion. People could not be persuaded that it was, to say the least, palatable; but cheapness and improved quality in course of time made many converts, though in some parts of Itngland and Scotland the prejudice partly remains, but it is slowly and surely dying away.
Te is calculated that we are dependent on the outside world for 36 per ent of our beef, mutton, and pork; for of the 123 Yb, consumed per head last your in this country, 79 Ib. per cent) were of home production and 44 Ib. (say 35} per cent) imported.
It is needless to say that, although frozen beef and mutton form the chief staple of the cold storage business, they do not form by any means the whole of food products that are, by meos of refrigeration, rendered available for the consumption of the teeming millions of our population. Thi supply of home-grown meat, poultry, yxme, fruit, &e., is very disproportionate to the ever-increasing demand, so it has to be supplemented by thousands of tons of food from abroad.
Three years ago rabbits, that fearful pest to the Australian sheep-grower, were firat shippod in a frozen state to this country; and the rapid growth of this branch of the business is very noteworthy. For the first nine months of each of the last three years we have received from Aus'ra-Insia 18,000 cwt. in 1895, 52,600 in 1896. and 131,280 cwt. in 1897; so that last year's imports amount! to more than Seven times those of 1895. In all we received in 1897 over 10,000 tons, equivalent: to 400,000 Australian sheep. This year's impor ts are expected to be on a still larger scale.
Frozen salmon from the rivers of British Columbia, splendid fish weig! ing from 15; to 45 Ib., are now steadily entering into competition with the fresh salmon caught in the English. Scotch, and Irish waters while lately a special consignment of New Zealand trout arrived in splendid condition.
Turkeys from Canada arrive for our Christmas dinner by the thousand; while frozen fowls from Russia, geese from France and Italy, fresh eggs, six months old, from Russia and the States arrive almost daily in vast numb-rs.
In the last year or two our Australian cousins have entered into competition with the Danish and Dutch farmers in supplying us with fresh butter. Nearly 200,000 est. arrived from our colonies last year, and the butter is of such excellent quality that the foreigner will have to look sharp after his trade or, despite the difference in freight, he will lo-e it.
for must we forget the thousands of barrels of apple" from America (where they have been kept in cold stores for months) which arrive in Liverpool when our stock of apples is exhausted; mik from Norway, frozen solid; while hares, game, and various foods too num-rous th mention. go to -well the list of good things the goo! fairy Refrigeration ' enables us to obtain. We are not indebted to cold storage for frozen goods alone for increasing our food supply, but also fr melt that has been chilled only; much that, without refrigeration, it would possible to dest with except, in certain times +f the year, now enters largely into our ports from America.
The fact that the supply of home-grown meat was inadequate induced the Americans to improve their herds. For may years the best of our cattle and sheep North and South america, where the rich have been purchased for exportation pastures afford more extensive grazing than can be found in this country. Cattle-raiging has become a great industry, and no} the descendants four own pedigree animals are returned to us a+ food for the people.
Large numbers of live cattle are im: orted into England every year, and killed at Deptford and Birkenhoud, the ports of d-bark ation; but one important factor which operates somewhat adversely again{t importation of live cattle is that of Animaly penned up in close coaent on a boat for a week or longer fall off in condition; and, as they more or legs suffer from sea sickness during the vuyagh. it is not surprising to find that their flesh deteriorates in quality. This fact was not loxt_upon the American shipper, and some few years ayo scheme was devised whereby chilled beef could be sent across the Atlantic ina condition which would enable it to compote successfully for popular favour with Prime cuts of animals bred and fed at homi-.
The scheme gradually succeeded, until at the present time a very large propok tion of the foreign beef consumed in this country comes to us in chilled state. The refrigerating chambers on board kept at" temperature slightly shove free jint preserves the meat in a chill ion, so that it is perfectly sound wholesome when placed upon the British markets.
The principal firms e gaged in the chilled-meat trade are located in Chicago, where they have extensive works and the most elaborate point and appliances for carrying on the business. The anininla are selected, killed, and the beef conveyed in refrigerated vans by special trains to New York and Boston, where it is transferred of the best and fast st liners "float. These vessels are provid-d with exceptional facilities for carrying the meat. In less than a fortnight from the day the animals are killed the beef is offered for sale in the English markets. It suffers no deterioration during the voyage. and keeping it in the chilled state lus the effect of making it tender and improving the flavour and quality. Between 20 000 and 30,000 arters of chilled beef are now sold England every week.
During the last two years the supply of English pork, owing to the prevalence of swine fever, has become som-what limited and, in order to meet the existing demand, the American shippers have added 1o their beef exports consignments of chilled pork. and chilled produce become that there are now over 150 steamers fitted with special refrigerating machinery and cold rooms for dealing with the trade, and several others ate now being fittd up. Ten years ayo a boat bringing 30,000 carcases was the Inrgest, now several are being built to carry 100,000 carcases per voyage.
We have thus far only treated of the exporting and dispatching side of the question. We will now take that importer. With euch vast quantities ut perishable goods pouring into the country, it is imperative that cold stores should be erected at the ports to rec-ive them on arrival, The itaported products emnnot be disposed of to advantage as quickly as the ships discharge; it is impossible to arrange supply and demand toa nico'y, and the conditions vary. There are now stores in London capable of holding 1,250,000 of 56-Ib. carcases; there are stores in Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Glasgow, and other large towns, with it about 980,000 carcases smaller towns the muni posing to erect stores, are setting about the bu-It is obvious that this almost miraculous power of i i en"rmous "advantage. merely retain in good condition stocks from abroad; it also retains any surplus stock of home-grown produce left by the vagaries of the weather. It enables dealers to buy with much more freedom than they could before the days of cold stores were known, Take the case wf a butcher or poulterer as an example. A few years ago he was forced to purchase almost from hand te mouth. stock must be fresh, as his means of warding off putridity were small, Consequently lhe was compelled to buy on a comparatively small scale, and to buy often. In a business community like ours no one needs to be told the effect system of trading. Buying small quantities, he had to°pay a high price. When the stores were erected gre possibilities were opened out to him. iimse-f were diminished. If he did not sell quickly he knew the danger of loss was reduced to a minimum. Unsold goods he could leave at the stores, on payment of a reasonable sum, until such time as customers came along. This was satisfactory from the dealer's point of view. What was the effect upon the public? It having becom" possible to buy at a cheaper rate, competition quickly gave the consumer his share of the reduction. Prices fell, the purchasing power of money became greater, and the whole community benefited. The poor were able to get better bargains, the rich to add to their luxuries.
In fact, such is the benefit to be derived' from the establishment of a cold store at it can safely be predicted that ere there will not be a single town in the British Isles without its cold store for the accommodation of frozen meat, dairy produce, and other perishable but preservable food substances.—Chambers's Journal.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.