how did the use of refrigeration change the cattle industry in Texas in the late 1800's

Question

i really dont understand what this question is asking me and i need help can u help me please

Answer 1

The introduction of refrigeration changed the cattle industry in Texas in several ways. With the introduction of refrigeration, cattle no longer needed to be shipped along railways. When shipped along railways cattle lost weight, the trains had to be stopped for food and water, and cattle often died along the way. By the time they made it to processing up to 60% of the meat would be inedible. This, as one can imagine, was costly and ineffective. With the introduction of refrigerated railcars in Texas in the late 1860s, the meat could be processed prior to shipping; and the meat could safely travel from Texas for hundreds of miles with no issues. More meat was able to be packed into cars than cattle, which meant a higher volume of product was shipped at lower costs. This largely increased profits and competition within the cattle industry and against the livestock industry. As dressed beef was suddenly cheaper to ship by volume than livestock. I could go on, hopefully this helps those wondering understand some key reasons though!

Answer 2

 

This may help you understand the situation:

 

Cattle were transported by railroads, with the cattle loaded in stock cars.  At the end of a long train journey, many cattle arrived sick, while others died during the trip.  You can see they had a problem delivering healthy cattle for consumption of meat.  With the invention of refrigeration, they started the practice of slaughtering cattle before the train journey.  They packed the meat into refrigerated freight cars, known as "reefers".  That facilitated the shipment of meat by train over long distances, with the meat arriving at its destination in edible condition.