David I. Davis

“ In concrete buildings just referred to, our preference in style of construction is either of the mushroom type, that is, flat ceilings without girders; or secondly, with girders extending in one direction only. An inexperienced engineer in his efforts to minimize the quantity of steel and concrete requirement will invariably wish to carry girders from column to column and cross beams between girders, making the ceiling look like a checkerboard, losing perhaps twenty inches or more head room on every story and making a much more expensive building to construct and operate. ”

“ For a time the United States furnished the largest part of the fresh meat consumed in England. It is true that for many years we have supplied foreign markets with cured and canned meats, but the fresh meat trade in England is a business developed within a comparatively few years and it grew to magnitude. However, owing to our growth, increasing home [8] demands, and the changed economic conditions, this business dwindled in the last decade so that on beef it was practically gone, except that during the European war owing to prevailing conditions, it was revived for a time at least. ”

“ As fast as sheep are slaughtered they should be placed in coolers and hung on racks as shown. If left out, and partially air-chilled it has the effect of discoloring them about the legs and thin parts of the carcasses, causing these to look dark and less attractive than when placed in the cooler immediately after slaughtering. There is little or no danger of chilling sheep too fast, as long as the temperature is above 32° F., and the colder the room into which they are put, as long as it is above freezing point, the better will be the appearance of the mutton when it comes out of the cooler. ”

“ No hard and fast rule can be adopted regarding the system of refrigeration to be adopted, whether by use of brine circulation or direct expansion. The case in hand and the nature of the business to be done seems to govern. For example, if the plant in which the business is [36] mixed, wherein hogs, cattle and sheep are killed, curing performed, and lard made, with a limited amount of freezing, brine circulation for general use would seem the better. ”

“ Cattle are killed in lots in which they are purchased, whether there be one or 500 in the lot; everything in a particular purchase is kept absolutely separate, the weight of the beef, hide and tallow separated, and a record sent to the office as soon as obtainable. Night clerks usually figure the cost of the beef, and when the day force comes on in the morning, the actual cost of all the live stock killed the day previous is before them for their guidance in the day’s shipments. ”

“ While it is advisable to have hides carry as much moisture as is acceptable to the buyer, it is not profitable to have them too wet, as the buyers watch such matters and if a lot of hides from a certain house do not show the yield in leather which they should, purchases made after that from such a house are made proportionate to the yield, hence the additional weight that may be gained is more than lost in the price realized. There is a happy medium to be sought in this matter where the seller gets all that he is entitled to and the buyer is satisfied with the yield he obtains. ”

“ It was formerly considered a necessity to have an open-air hanging room where hogs could dry after slaughtering, in many cases allowing them to hang over night; the object being to save refrigeration. It is the common opinion that the economy thus obtained is anything but economy. Past experience has proved that there are certain conditions which must be adhered to closely in the safe handling and curing of pork products, and proper temperatures are among the most important of these. ”

“ The steam should be turned on until the temperature of house is between 130° and 140° F. After the meat has hung in this temperature about thirty hours, a light fire should be started, by using two or three sticks of wood, and plenty of hard wood sawdust scattered close to the fire, so as to form a dense smoke. It is very essential that dried beef should have a strong smoked flavor. Steam should be kept on the house all the time the beef is being smoked and it will require eighty to ninety hours under these conditions to bring the beef out in the best condition. ”

“ The fat derived in the killing of sheep is often used to good advantage in making mutton oleo oil. There are times when there is a ready sale for this oil, in which event it is run in the oil house by precisely the same rules as those laid down for the melting of beef tallow. The yields on mutton fat are considerably less, however, than on beef fat. ”

“ Points to be attained are a smooth hide free from scores or cuts, and smooth work on the beef. Care must be used in this work to see that the rumper keeps very close to the hide on outside of the leg, in order that the fell-beater may do good work. If the rumper is careless and breaks through the fell, it is impossible to carry this down smoothly. In working around the tail, care must be taken not to cut into the lean meat, especially on thin cattle, where there is comparatively little covering. ”

“ The more dense or heavier the material used in building, the more cold radiated from all surfaces unless effectually cut off. In ordinary type of construction the various floors rest on exterior walls and in no way is it possible to prevent a very great loss of cold being carried through the floors, thence to the walls and dissipated thereby. Such matters are not trivial in their importance. At one wholesale distributing market deterioration in insulation during six or seven years has necessitated the doubling of refrigerating machine service and the volume of business is practically the same. ”

“ The grading of pork cuts is complex since it involves their quality, shape, proportions of fat and lean, and weight. Many of the grade names refer merely to different methods of cutting and curing; but since they are applied only to cuts of specified quality, thickness or weight, the grades are in reality based on the latter factors to a large extent. The various cuts differ considerably as to methods of grading ”

“ The chilling of the meat immediately after killing is perhaps the most important function in the whole refrigerating process and one that cannot have too much attention. In the matter of beef it is the practice of the best operators to see to it that immediately after the hide is removed the beef is placed in the coolers. At most it should not be allowed to stand out in the open air to exceed half an hour. Sheep and veal should be treated in the same manner. ”

“ In the operation of packing houses the cutting of meats into many parts so as to supply the various purchasers with what they require, makes a comparatively large amount of wholesome meat product, equally nutritious with porter house steak, but not quite so tender or pleasing to the taste. ”

“ As a rule the lower the temperature at which bleaching is done, the more fullers earth is required to get the proper bleach and at the same time as little earth flavor as possible is a point for careful and intelligent consideration. The best way to determine, where there are large quantities of lard, is to take a small sample and make tests in the laboratory. The point to be obtained is to get the bleach with as little of the flavor of the earth as possible. Generally speaking, from three-fourths to one and one-half per cent of fullers earth will get the desired result. ”

“ The freezing of meats such as beef and poultry, and holding them to a desirable season has rapidly become an important factor in packing house work. Not only beef, poultry, butter and other food products are accumulated, but pork cuts, such as hams, shoulders, bellies, etc., are frozen and carried indefinitely or until it appears desirable to thaw and cure them. ”

“ Hearts and cheeks are, for example, the toughest part of the animal organism, and these usually find their way to the sausage room. On the other hand the parts of hams and shoulders used are equally delicate with the meats so conserved, but are of necessity relegated to the sausage room on account of their shape as a trimming. It is the skillful manipulation of these various meats that makes for the real results in this department. ”

“ When meats are finished smoking the fire should be put out, the house opened up, giving it a free circulation of air, and the meats allowed to thoroughly dry and cool before being removed. Smoked meats should be handled as little as possible, for every time they are handled or piled on trucks, it detracts from their appearance. They become greasy and soon lose their bright, attractive appearance. After being cooled, the meat should not be handled until inspected [367] and packed for shipment, thereby preserving a very desirable appearance, as well as reducing the cost of labor in operation. ”

“ A first consideration is the location of the building for operating advantages, which is a local matter, but involves shipping facilities by team and by car, convenience to the source of production, and power plant. Naturally the value of the commodity in storage, which at present prices, reaches a considerable amount, and the safety of the product becomes a matter of no small thought. ”

“ In no department of the industry has the progress been so extensive as in pork packing. Only a few years ago, comparatively, it was impossible to kill hogs for packing purposes, except during the winter season, and the various packing plants located throughout the country worked during the winter months in their crude way, packing as many hogs as conditions would permit, turning out the cured meat in the spring, in inferior condition. ”

“ In clearing the shanks the workmen should look carefully to see that they do not score the hide, or make any miscuts in the meat. They should also save the veins in the under side of forward shoulder, for when these are cut they continue to purge, making bad-looking shanks. In hide dropping care should be used to see that the workmen do not score or cut hides, make miscuts in the neck, or leave any unnecessary fat on the hide. They should also skin hides as low down as possible on the necks. ”

“ At times, for bleaching purposes, and especially on low grade greases, it is usual to refine and bleach the oil. The amount of fullers earth to be used in filtering depends upon the condition of the oil to be filtered. With prime steam lard no fullers earth should be used; it is simply filtered through clean press cloths. In the case of lard oils and tallow oils, the color of the oil desired must also determine the amount of fullers earth to be used, no set rule as to the amount to be used in every case being practicable. ”

“ Neither could the small killer afford the necessary appliances with which to turn the material out economically and compete with business on a large scale, any more than the ancient cobbler sitting at his bench, could afford the labor-saving machines and devices which are seen in modern shoe factories. The general health of the public has been served by having their meats properly inspected and delivered in a much better condition than they could be at the time when the animal was killed and the meat consumed without it being properly chilled. ”

“ Again the apparatus in almost any department used for cooking and manufacturing is irregular in its use and an actual record will show hardly to exceed six hours’ demand or use. Why operate engines and pumps at a disadvantage all the time for the sake of a supply six or eight hours daily? The engine and pump requirement increases rapidly with the exhaust steam pressure and requires larger production from the boiler. ”

“ The high grade shrinks considerably less than the low grade. This is explained in two ways. First there is very little loss of cream in the high grade, because one-third of the entire quantity of cream used in butter fat, or solid matter. While in the low grade only one-sixth of the milk used is solid matter, and as the emulsion goes into the graining vat the milk is lost in the water. Furthermore, cotton seed oil being absent from the high grade quality, the mass retains more water, as cotton seed oil has little affinity for water at any temperature. ”

“ The amount used for tallow is regulated by the care and intelligence of the men in charge, and if properly handled a very small percentage of the fat in the animal should find its way to the tank house, as it nets much better results when put into oleo oil, as will be noted from the tests hereafter submitted.
Cleanliness and Collection. —The fats, as rapidly as removed from the animal, should be taken quickly in clean utensils and washed in medium temperature water to remove any blood present. Thorough chilling of the fat is a very essential feature in making oleo oil. ”

“ The yields of oleo oil and stearine from stock are regulated largely by the prices of the different articles, as, for instance, when oil is low and stearine is high it is advisable to press the stock at a lower temperature, making all the stearine possible. ”

“ Clean airy cooling rooms are necessary. They should be provided with spreading shelves of sufficient area to allow the cut spiced meats to be spread from twelve to forty-eight hours so as to enable the spices, saltpetre and salt to permeate the product before stuffing and to make the meat firm. If the sausage is stuffed immediately after it is rocked, it is liable to wrinkle in the smoke house, which gives it an unsavory appearance. ”