II. AXIMALS.— Preservation, See. 133 



The fire-place is placed in the cellar, where the previous salting is 

 performed, in order that the smoke may deposit its soot in the 

 flues, of which there are usually two, placed side by side, and 

 arrive cool in the lower smoking room, in which the pieces of 

 meat or fish are hung as close as possible, yet so that they may 

 not touch one another. From this lower room the smoke passes 

 through one or two openings cut in the ceiling into the upper 

 room, which is mostly used for smoking sausages or fish. The 

 fuel used is very dry oak, as moist wood would be apt to produce 

 raouldiness, and! turn the meat rank. Meat or sausages about 

 five or six inches thick require six weeks to be smoked properly, 

 thinner and slenderer pieces a less time in proportion. The smoke 

 penetrates quicker in cold weatlier than in warm ; hence the ma- 

 nufacturers seldom smoke in summer. The skins of animals are 

 also prepared in this manner instead of by tanning ; the leather 

 thus prepared is, when well made, semitransparent, like horn. 



The huccaning of meat is a rude kind of smoking, practised by 

 hunters in forests. Forked branches of wood are stuck in the 

 ground, and by these means a grating of rods is formed between 

 two and three feet high from the surface of the earth. The flesh 

 of the animals that are killed is cut into thick slices, or merely 

 scored very deep, placed on this grating, a fire lighted under it, 

 and the meat rendered fit for keeping, partly by the drying, and 

 partly by the smoking. 



Another method of preserving animal substances used in hot 

 countries is called charqui\ or jerking. The lean of meat is cut 

 into as thin slices as possible, and exposed to the full action of the 

 sun to dry it, the slices being turned when necessary. The 

 meat thus dried is pounded in a mortar into a uniform paste, 

 which is pressed into jars for use. If the meat is prepared for 

 travelling, it is beaten up with maize meal, and pressed into 

 leather liags, so that it does not require to be eaten with bread, 

 or any further dressing by fire. 



Animal substances, particularly the skins, are preserved by 

 tumihuf them ; for this they are immersed in water along with 

 several kinds of bark, mostly oak or larch, for several days, or 

 even weeks. Other astringent substances, as terra Japonica, are 

 also employed for this purpose, by which the time is shortened, 

 but the suf)stance is rendered hard and brittle. 



Another method of preservation mostly applied to skins is by 

 tawing them. For this they are soaked in water with fresh slaked 

 lime, and left in it for six weeks, the water being changed twice, 

 then rinsed, soaked afresh in water mixed with wheat bran, until 

 they first float in the water, and when beaten down do not rise 

 again ; the !)ran is then scraped ofl'; after this a paste is thus pre- 

 pared,— for 100 sheep's skins 8lb. of alum and 151b. of salt are 



