500 ANNUAL KECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



meat, since it did not contain the fat, or the larger part of 

 the albuminous matter of the meat, and it was still a problem 

 to preserve these substances, with the compact form and 

 structure of the meat. All attempts in this direction fall un- 

 der one of three classes : 1. Simply drying the meat rapidly 

 after cutting off the fat, this yielding a slightly nutritious, 

 but indigestible product, absolutely worthless after a few 

 months as nutriment. Henley improved the process by ex- 

 pressing the juice from the meat, and drying it at a lower 

 temperature, by which its aroma was preserved, and evapo- 

 rating the juice in vacuo. 2. Treatment with chemical, disin- 

 fecting, and absorbing agents, such as packing in charcoal, 

 injecting with solutions of alum, chloride of aluminum, sul- 

 phite of soda, sulphurous acid, sugar, and saltpeter, immers- 

 ing in a weak solution of carbolic acid, or strong acetic acid, 

 or in a solution of bisulphite of lime; or, finally, by suffoca- 

 ting the animal (as suggested by Professor Gamgee) in car- 

 bonic oxide oas, and hano-inof it in a chamber with carbonic 

 oxide and vessels filled with charcoal impregnated with sul- 

 phurous acid. None of these methods, however successful 

 on a small scale, would furnish the trade with an article that 

 Avould keep for years. 3. Prevention of putrefaction by cold 

 or exclusion of air. As to the first, nothing less than freez- 

 ing will answer ; packing in ice not being perfectly effective, 

 even for a few days, as in shipping from Texas to New Or- 

 leans. Besides, the latitude would render such free use of 

 ice, on a large scale, out of the question. Exclusion of air, 

 then, seems to afford the only practicable and effective meth- 

 od on a large scale. Two years ago, Tallerman, of Victoria, 

 attempted the transportation of fresh meat to England in hot 

 tallow without success ; and the only successful method left, 

 and that seems to have a future, is packing in tin cans, re- 

 moving the air by boiling, and hermetically sealing them. 



Already at least forty-three establishments, with millions 

 of capital, are engaged in this business in Australia. Twen- 

 ty-five years ago the first attempts were made, and, the dis- 

 covery of gold absorbing the capital for a time, they w^ere 

 resumed in 1867. In Victoria there are eleven companies and 

 five private establishments, which use up on an average dai- 

 ly, during the winter months, 1000 sheep and 50 cattle. Op- 

 erations are carried on on a similar scale in the other colonies, 



