478 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



texture and taste, is furnished by Boussingault to the Acad- 

 emy of Sciences of Paris. In a recent communication to that 

 body, he states that, as long ago as 1865, he exj^osed beef 

 bouillon in hermetically sealed vessels to the action of a 

 freezing mixture at a temperature of 40Fahr., keeping the 

 same immersed in the mixture for several hours. On open- 

 ing these vessels, quite lately, he found that the contents had 

 undergone no change, and were precisely as before being sub- 

 mitted to the cold. 



The juice of sugar-cane, exposed in a closed vessel to a 

 similar degree of cold, was also preserved from any altera- 

 tion. Boussingault refers in his article to the fact, well 

 known to geologists, that a low temperature, continued for 

 ages, prevents the decomposition of muscular fibre, instan- 

 cing the fact of the discovery in 1804, at the mouth of the 

 Lena River, in Siberia, of an elephant buried in the ice, which 

 was so well preserved as to serve as food for the dogs of the 

 native tribes. 6 B, January 27, 1873, 189. 



EAPID PICKLING OF MEAT. 



Roll the meat in a mixture of sixteen ounces salt, half 

 ounce saltpeter, and one ounce sugar, so that all parts may 

 be completely salted ; then wrap closely in a piece of cotton 

 cloth previously well scalded and dried, and place in a por- 

 celain or other vessel. The cloth is essential with small 

 pieces, to retain the brine formed in contact with the meat. 

 After about sixteen hours, hoAvever, some brine will drain off 

 into the bottom of the vessel, and it will be necessary then 

 to turn the meat, still wrapped up, daily. A piece of six 

 pounds, treated in this way for six days, then unwrapped and 

 boiled, Avill be found quite palatable and sufficiently pickled. 

 For larger quantities the cloth may be dispensed with, since 

 the brine formed will be sufficient to cover the mass, pro- 

 vided the pieces are closely packed, and any unavoidable cav- 

 ities filled with stones. 9 C^Decemher^ 1872, 180. 



ENDEMANN PROCESS OF PRESEKVING MEAT. 



According to Dr. Endemann, an excellent method of pre- 

 serving meat consists in cutting it into thin slices, and dry- 

 ing in a current of warm air not exceeding 140 Fahr. The 

 operation should be completed in three or four hours, in which 



