636 ANNUAL REPOlrr OP THL2 Otf. Doc. 



er's spare ribs. It is very thin spare ribs, of course, used for pack- 

 ing up and roasting. It is quite a choice cut but not cut heavy 

 like what we call farmers' spare ribs. The next cut will be to cut 

 off the shoulder butt, right across the top, about one-third the 

 top, what the packer would call the shoulder butt. The top across 

 the top of the shoulder blade. This would be called a shoulder butt. 

 Trimming oil the fat we would have the fat separated like this. It 

 is called the clear plate. This plate or piece of lean taken out would 

 be called the clear plate and that is used by the packers and cut 

 up into chunks, put down in salted brine and shipped to foreign 

 countries and also somewhat used in this country for certain classes 

 of trade in the mining and lumbering districts, and it is known on 

 the provision market as clear plate. Ordinarily the farmer would 

 simply trim that otf, of course, taking off the rest of the lean and 

 use it for making lard. This lean portion that is left from the 

 shoulder fat is practically all lean meat and makes a very nice 

 roast, or if sliced across this way, crosswise, about one-half inch 

 wide, about the thickness of pork chops it makes a very nice steak 

 and is called "Boston Butt" by the packers. 



Now, in cutting otf the ham from the middle, the point where you 

 make that cut is dependent upon whether you want to make a heavy 

 ham, and if you want to make an American ham we cut halfway 

 between the aitch bone and the rise in the backbone. You notice at 

 this point on the backbone there is a rise; the back bone curves up 

 there in the pelvis, and here is the aitch bone. It is split when 

 I opened the hog up to take out the intestines; cutting half way 

 between, so as to make an American or short ham. If we want to 

 cut a heavy hame, cut further up in the loin. This end will give 

 you your ham right if trimmed up and shaped. The packers would 

 trim that up, starting with the tailbone and striking around here 

 and taking out the tailbone and also cutting on this side back, 

 taking off this flank here and smooth that up, taking care not to 

 take off too much flank because the flank will shrink in curing and 

 if trimmed too close the flank will draw down to the flesh and will 

 not show up as well as if trimmed long. In curing they shrink con- 

 siderable. The trimmings, of course, would be used for sausage 

 meat. 



Trimming off this loin, you notice how thick the fat; this furrow 

 over the back there; this shows good form. Cut right along the 

 back, splitting the back bone, you have a layer of fat four inches 

 all the way along. It is a nice fine layer and very firm and hard 

 considering the length of time it has been in the cooler. It shows 

 good quality; and the cut made to take off the lean, you start on 

 the ridge a couple inches from the center of the backbone and bring 

 the cut out at the lower end so as to leave all of the tenderloin in 

 the loin, so as not to cut into the tenderloin, to run out at the 

 edge of the tenderloin, the round muscle on the inside, the same 

 as on the beef. This loin, trimming off the fat would be what the 

 packers call a wholesale loin, after the back fat is taken off. This 

 wholesale loin where you get the pork chops, cutting the rib chops 

 from the rib end, the upper end, and the loin chops from the lower 

 end where the tenderloin muscle is lying on the inside here. The 

 rest of it there that I trimmed off, this clear fat part, is called the 

 fat back. It will be chunked up into pieces five or six inches square 



