260 



FARMER'S CYCLOPEDIA OF LIVE STOCK 



effectiveness with artificial cold storage 

 plants. The original cost is less, but 

 this saving may be only an apparent 

 economy which is more than offset by 

 the uncertainty of the preservation of 

 the meat. 



Ice on the farm — For refrigerating 

 purposes on the farm natural ice is 

 found to be quite satisfactory. Wher- 

 ever ice can be conveniently harvested, 

 the farmer will find it highly desirable 

 to build a simple ice house and store it 

 with ice every winter. If the ice is not 

 sanitary, he can prevent it froin coming 

 in contact with his food products. A 



Fig. 189 — HEAD, SHOULDERS, MIDDLE 

 AND HAMS OF PORK 



small cooling room connected with the 

 ice house will serve to preserve an occa- 

 sional quarter of beef, side of mutton, 

 veal or pork, sausage, head cheese, 

 minced meat, butter and other food ma- 

 terials. The ice if clean, may also be 

 used in marketing poultry in barrels and 

 for other purposes. 



Befrigerator cars — Refrigerator cars 

 are absolutely necessary for the preser- 

 vation of animal products during trans- 

 portation. Ice is employed almost ex- 

 clusively as the source of cold for refrig- 

 erator cars. In cars the disadvantages 

 of ice are not so important as in sta- 

 tionary cold storage plants, for ventila- 

 tion can readily be secured with the car 

 axles. The present account of refriger- 

 ator cars is based largely on the exten- 

 sive treatises of Ostertag, Taylor and 

 Wilder. Many different styles of refrig- 

 erator cars have been devised, but in 

 general two systems are utilized, one in 

 which the air is drawn through the ice 

 from the outside into the cooling cham- 

 ber, and another in which, by means of 

 ventilators, the air is kept in constant 

 circulation between the ice room and 

 cooling room. 



In one style of refrigerator car the 

 air is drawn in by a fan as the car 

 moves, and after passing through the ice 

 chamber is delivered at the top of the 

 cooling room. The ice may be in a 

 doubled walled chamber surrounded by 

 an air space or may be placed on grat- 



ings at either end of the ear, or in 

 swinging doors or partitions hinged to 

 the top or walls of the car. Schreiber's 

 refrigerator cars are described as fol- 

 lows: "The double floor is provided with 

 a layer of sawdust. The side walls con- 

 sist of three layers of boards, and the 

 two inner walls are separated from each 

 other by cattle hair and are coated with 

 waterproof paste. The whole space is 

 surrounded with a thick layer of felt, 

 held in place by a layer of galvanized 

 iron which constitutes the inner wall of 

 the space. The meat is hung on longi- 

 tudinal bars in such a manner that the 

 pieces do not quite come in contact 

 with one another." 



In some cars devices have been ar- 

 ranged for removing the moisture of the 

 air by condensation and by passing the 

 air through chloride of lime. Refriger- 

 ator cars have also been cooled by the 

 use of volatile liquids, refrigerating ma- 

 chinery (using a dynamo for power), and 

 by liquid air. Ice and salt, however, is 

 the common source of cold in these cars. 

 The amount of salt used in the ice varies 

 from 7 to 15 per cent, more being re- 

 quired in hot weather. The ice should 

 be thoroughly broken up in a crusher 

 before it is put in the car tank. After 

 the tank is half full one-half of the salt 

 is added and the rest of the salt is put 

 on top of the ice after the tank is full. 

 In very hot weather the cars should be 

 iced on the day before they are loaded. 

 The next morning the tank may be 

 opened, well tamped and more ice added 



Fig. 190 HAMS TRIMMED AND UNTRIMMED 



with about 7 per cent of salt. In ex- 

 treme winter weather the ice tank 

 around the cooling room protects the 

 meat from freezing. 



