s
the Newgate market. Mr Bonser, the great dead-meat salesman, states in
his evidence before a committee of the House of Commons, "that there
are no others that know the beasts for the London market equal to the
Aberdeen butchers, and from no other place does it arrive in the same
condition; and this may be owing to the cold climate." Mr Wilson of
Edinburgh put the question to the Chamber of Agriculture, "What is the
reason that the Aberdeenshire cattle proved better and carried more
good flesh than any other cattle?" Mr Wilson's question is perhaps not
very easily answered, but I should give as some of the reasons the
following:--The Aberdeenshire farmers have turned their attention
almost exclusively to the breeding and feeding of cattle. They have
continued for a long period, without regard to price, in many cases, to
introduce the best blood into their herds. By a long-continued infusion
of first-class animals, and weeding out inferior animals, they have
established a breed unequalled for meat-producing qualities in Britain.
The Aberdeenshire turnips have been proved by analysis to be of a very
superior quality, and it is likewise a good grazing county. Another
point is the great attention paid to calves after weaning, and not
allowing them to lose the calf-flesh, which, if lost, can never be
regained. But the indomitable perseverance of the farmers in selecting
good and weeding out inferior animals is, I think, the main cause.

It will be seen by the following table that the dead-meat trade has
become one of the great institutions of the country. There are
hundreds engaged in the business, and it is yearly increasing. Amongst
the greatest senders are Messrs Butler, Skinner, Wishart, and Wisely,
and White of Aberdeen; but a great deal of dead meat is also sent from
the rural districts. When the supply is short, some of our most
enterprising butchers attend the Glasgow market, bring down cattle, and
slaughter them in Aberdeen, and send their carcasses to London. I have
known Mr Butler bring down fifty in one week. The following table shows
the number of cattle and tons of dead meat sent to the London and other
markets during 1865 and the six previous years; it also shows what was
sent by rail and sea respectively:--

CATTLE. DEAD MEAT.

Year. Rail. Sea. Rail. Sea.
1859 13,130 7,282 6,905 tons. 48 tons.
1860 13,993