BY JAMES TOLSON, ESQ. 87 
tunity to radiate to some cold body other than itself, and a 
feeble and impeded circulation of cold air to take away the 
heat by contact with its surfaces. Given these two methods 
of removing heat in their full capability, and there can be 
no doubt as to the result. In Russia and Canada, where 
the winter supply of meat is killed at the commencement 
of the cold season, radiation and contact of cold air are the 
only methods made use of, and one never hears of the meat 
being bad, and for the simple reason that these methods of 
cooling are available to the fullest, whereas in the majority 
of freezing rooms, as at present constructed, both the 
radiative power and the contact of cold air are obstructed 
to a very great and unnecessary extent. Another weak 
point in the system generally adopted at the present time 
is that of keeping the meat too long exposed at a compara- 
tively high temperature, say 70° to 80° Fah., whereby its 
surface is subjected to the attack of the germs. Itisa 
common occurrence for the animals to be killed at seven 
o'clock in the morning and to remain exposed in the open 
air, at a high temperature, until four o’clock the next 
morning. It must surely be self-evident that the progress 
of decomposition is advanced by this 21 hours; and when 
the carcases are put into the freezing room, this 
work is zot undone, but only arrested. It is impossible to 
restore the meat to its original state by putting it into a 
cold atmosphere. The germs are simply rendered dormant, 
and their work of destruction recommences, when the meat 
is thawed and raised in temperature again, at the point 
where they left off. This fact will explain the reason why 
meat, apparently sound when frozen, on being thawed out 
has proved to be partially decomposed. The work of 
decomposition had advanced so far, previous to the action 
of the germs being arrested by the cold, that, although the 
putrefaction was not perceptible to the organs of smell or 
taste, it was still there and a very short time only was 
required to bring it to that point at which the whole became 
tainted. 
Shrinking of the Meat from the Bone.—As this is 
very likely ‘to occur if the quarter is placed in a very low 
temperature immediately after death, the remedy must be 
looked for in not cutting the carcass into quarters, if 
