ANIMAL PRODUCTS 



251 



iron cylinders constructed on the prin- 

 ciple of Papin's digester and resembling 

 a gelatine steamer, and are operated un- 

 der 30 to 40 pounds steam pressure. The 

 material is left in the digester for two 

 to 10 hours. The fat and gelatine water 

 are then drawn off and the fat clarified 

 for use in machine oil and soap. The 

 residue is pressed to remove the remain- 

 ing grease and is then dried and pul- 

 verized to form animal meal used as 

 feed for hogs, poultry and other ani- 

 mals, or for fertilizer. The digester 

 water from the cooked meat and bones 

 is evaporated to form concentrated tank- 

 age. Not only all waste parts of 

 healthy animals, but also all parts and 

 whole carcasses condemned on account 

 of disease may be treated in the tank so 

 as to yield useful products. Many of 

 the less important animal by-products 

 are not even mentioned in the above ac- 

 count. Enough has been said, however, 

 to indicate that there is no waste in the 

 packing house. Everything is utilized 

 for some purpose. 



KILLING AND CURING MEATS ON 

 THE FARM 



Incidentally, the farmer in studying 

 the methods used in packing houses in 

 curing and preserving meats and meat 

 products, decides to slaughter, store and 

 cure meat for household use at home. 

 Cold storage poultry is held for weeks 

 and months with the juices and bacteria 

 from the feces in the intestines grad- 

 ually penetrating through the meat. 

 All compound lard is adulterated with 

 tallow, and a large percentage of the 

 total "lard" output contains 80 per cent 

 cottonseed oil besides other cheap fats. 

 Formerly bacon, ham, and dry salt pork 

 were treated with borax, boracic acid or 

 both. All low grade butterine contains 

 cottonseed oil. The sausages made in 

 packing houses contain a large amount 

 of cheap cuts, water, corn flour, starch, 

 pig skin, ox lips, pig ears, pig tails, pig 

 hocks, and other cheap parts which, in 

 the interest of the consumer, should be 

 offered at a lower price. 



In Wiley's recent extensive experi- 

 ments, it has been shown that borax is 

 harmful to a considerable percentage of 

 people and dangerous to some. On 

 thousands of farms it is annually dem- 

 onstrated that ham, bacon, beef, and 

 sausage can be cured in good condition 

 and with excellent flavor without the use 

 of borax. If the farmer desires water, 



flour and pig skin in his sausage he can 

 put them in at home without paying 

 meat prices for them. Even the cold 

 storage beef, pork and mutton which 

 comes from the packing house in such 

 perfect condition suffers great deteriora- 

 tion in appearance and quality before it 

 reaches the farmer. The farmer who 

 desires clean, wholesome meat products 

 the year around therefore builds a small 

 ice house, with cooling room, a smoke- 

 house, and arranges to cure home-grown 



Fig. 173 TOOLS FOR SLAUGHTERING 



meats for household use. It seems de- 

 sirable therefore to add a few sugges- 

 tions as to how this may be accom- 

 plished. 



Only animals in perfect health should 

 be selected for slaughter. The meat of 

 sick animals does not keep well and may 

 possess harmful properties. Age, con- 

 dition and breed are factors in influenc- 

 ing the quality of meat in ways which 

 are familiar to all farmers. Before 

 slaughter animals should be rested and 

 fasted 24 to 36 hours. Any excitement 

 just before slaughtering prevents free 

 bleeding. For use on the farm, Boss rec- 

 commends a set of instruments includ- 

 ing a 7-inch curved skinning knife, an 

 8-inch straight sticking knife, a 14-inch 

 steel, a 28-inch meat saw, a candlestick 

 scraper, and an ax. 



Killing beef on the farm — The beef 

 animal is firmly secured and stunned 

 or shot, preferably stunned. Sticking 

 should take place just in front of the 

 breast bone, the knife passing toward 

 the top of the shoulder to a depth of 5 

 or 6 inches. The vein and artery are 

 severed on both sides by a cut above 

 and below the windpipe. The head is 

 skinned by first running a cut from the 

 poll to the nose, and from the nose to 



