598 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 Oct., 1916. 



small joints. In the cooler weather the usual joint sizes can be adhered 

 to. Pack the meat in layers after rubbing each piece with dry sialt, cover 

 with a board, and weight down under the brine. Sprinkle with a little 

 fresh salt every day when changing the position of the meat. The brine 

 tub should be located in a dark, cool place. A cellar is about the best 

 situation, and this should be well ventilated, as if muggy and close, 

 brine fermentation is set up. If any sign of fermentation appears in 

 the brine, indicated by frothing and bubbling, remove all meat and 

 wash in water which has been previously boiled, and to which a small 

 quantity of salt has been added. To each gallon of wash add rj oz. 

 of washing soda. This will check the action of fermentation bacilli. 

 Boil the brine, adding more salt during the process of boiling, so as to 

 bring it to the original strength. Dust a little salt on each piece of 

 meat before replacing it in the cold brine. Pickle well made and kept 

 up to its proper strength should keep for years. It is best to leave a 

 little meat or a few bones in the pickle to carry it through the winter 

 months, even when it is not required to corn much meat. This keeps 

 the pickle right by acting as a feeder. Meat cured in this way is fit for 

 use in from 24 hours. If it be necessary to leave meat in the brine for 

 long periods, it should be well soaked in cold water before cooking, to 

 remove surplus salt. On farms where pickling is the regular practice, 

 and the quantity used merits it, a small brine pump would be an acquisi- 

 tion. This is a simple contrivance, easily worked, and by its use it 

 would make doubly sure quick pickling in hot weather. The pump 

 forces the brine throughout the meat tissues, and the centre of the meat 

 is salted before it has time to go off. Brine pumps can be purchased 

 for about 25s. upwards. Old matured sweet brine is the best for pump- 

 ing purposes, and the needle of the pump inserted every 2 or 3 inches 

 and a small amount of pickle injected. This is preferable to large 

 spaces between the needle insertions, and a larger quantity of brine 

 injected. Care must be taken in using the brine pump that the needle 

 is_ always_ full of brine before inserting the needle into the meat, other- 

 ^ase it will be air blown, and putrefaction rapidly result. 



Dry PicJcling. — Free the meat to be treated by this process from all 

 bone, and cut into suitable sizes, much smaller in hot weather than 

 in cold weather. The meat should be rubbed with salt and dusted with 

 a little finely-ground saltpetre. The proportion is 50 parts salt to 3 

 saltpetre. There will be a certain amount of natural brine formed, and 

 this may be poured over the meat. It is imperative that the best quality 

 of salt shall be used, and a mixture of equal parts of fine and coarse 

 salts will be found the most efficacious. Pack the meat in barrels or a 

 clean wooden receptacle in a cool, well-ventilated place as recommended 

 in the case of wet pickling. It is claimed by many that the addition of 

 a little sugar improves the flavour, but as sugar is likely co induce 

 fermentation, it could only be used during the cooler months of the 

 year. In the hotter portions of the State during the summer months, 

 instead of packing the dry-salted meat away in cellars, hanging the 

 meat in a wet bag in a good draught has proved successful. Let v.'ater 

 drop continuously on the bag from a cistern arranged above the bags. 

 A wet hessian safe, sometimes known as a " Coolgardie " safe, ig a good 

 place to store dry-salted meat in the very bad weather. 



