II. ANIM.AXS — Preservation, &c. 131 



then mixed with apples and cucumbers sliced, and a large pro- 

 portion of ginger, garlic, turmeric, long pepper, and mustard seed, 

 as the pickle is expected to be very warm ; the vinegar must also 

 be the strongest that can be procured, and just sufficient to float 

 the articles : any other vegetables may be used at pleasure. 



II. ANIMALS 



AxiMAL substances are often preserved by drying in a stove, or 

 oven, which should be heated as high as possible, provided the 

 heat is not such as to scorch the external parts, nor operate any 

 other change in the substance than the evaporation of the water. 



The action of frost is also used in the northern countries to 

 preserve animal substances, as rein-deer tongues and many kinds 

 of lish : this requires no other care than to guard them against 

 the attacks of living animals. 



The brine of common salt is one of the most easy and effectual 

 methods of preservation. To employ it in the most advantageous 

 manner, a saturated solution of salt in water is first made : as 100 

 parts of the brine are composed of about 28 parts of dry salt and 

 72 of water, it will require rather more than three pounds and a 

 quarter of salt to be added to each wine gallon of water to form 

 it, or four jx)unds to each imperial gallon. The meat, or other 

 substance, is to be put into this brine, and a board placed upon 

 them, loaded with a lump of solid salt, or at least with the largest 

 grained salt that can be procured, so as to keep the substances 

 under the brine, and also to keep the brine at its full strength, as 

 the juices of the meat or fish of course weaken the original brine. 

 After the meat or other substance has remained in the brine for 

 two or three days, it is taken out, and either dried by rubbing it 

 'with bran or pollard for present use, or packed in barrels with 

 large grained salt for long keeping, or hung up in a smoking 

 room. When the brine gets loaded with the juices of the meat 

 or fish, it is to be boiled m an iron pot, carefully scummed, and 

 then strained through a canvass or flannel bag, a sufficient quan- 

 tity of water being added in the boiling to take up nearly all the 

 salt that has settled at the bottom. DifTerent sorts of meat or 

 fish ought not to be put into the same brine, but by this boiling 

 and scumming the same brine will last a long time. The addition 

 of an ounce of saltpetre to each pound of salt that is used, will 

 preserve the red colour of the meat, and the same quantity of 

 brown sugar will improve its flavour. 



Animals are also preserved by pachiiuf in drij salt, for which 

 purpose salting-tub» with double bottoms, the upper havmg 



k2 



