280 . fAsSEMBLT 



^ns. There is no difference perceptible in either beef or pork 

 o packed and cured. 



The best beef received in New-York is packed at Chicago, 

 Illinois, where they pack each season beginning early in October 

 and extending to the last of November, fiom twenty thousand 



.(20jOOO) to twenty-five thousand (25,000) head of cattle, nearly 

 all of which is cured an 1 \ acked with Onondaga solar evaporated 

 salt. In some few instances Turk's Island salt has been procured 

 and used, but with little or no perceptible advantage over the 



-other kind. The packing of pork at the same point amounts 

 annually to about 25,000 hogs, all of which is cured and packed 

 with Onondaga solar salt and for cure and appearance is second to 

 no other pork packed in the country. These facts are satisfac- 

 tory to my mind that for curing and packing beef and pork, the 

 solar evaporated Onondaga salt is equal to Turk's Island salt. It 

 is equally soluble and about the same gravity. In the latter re- 

 gpect it is only excelled by the St. Martins, Anguilla and Bonaire, 



f; which from their superior coarseness and hardness are preferred 

 for repacking beef intended for long voyages. 



QuestioTt 16. - Have you observed that beef which has been 

 salted two or three years loses more weight in boiling than that 

 which has been salted only one year. 



^ns. Have never tried it. 



GENERAL REMARKS. 



Question 1. In my answer to this question, I have confined 

 myself strictly to the " letter of the law," and have given you the 

 best method of curing and packing beef such as is usually prac- 

 ticed in England and Ireland. Our packers follow this course 

 only w4th such beef as is cut and packed expressly for the English 

 market. The beef packed for sale in our own market, is packed 

 into barrels directly after it is cut, the shortness of the packing 

 fieason and the hurry consequent upon doing up a large business 

 in a short time preventing the exercise cf the proper degree of 

 care, in fact it is mainly owing to the haste and carelessness inci- 

 dent to it on the part of packers of provisions, in this country that 



