SLAUGHTERING LAMBS FOR SPECIAL MARKETS 459 



crown roast is also made from the rib cuts. The flesh is rolled back 

 from tho lower end of the ribs, the spinal process sawed off, and" the 

 two cuts tied end to end, bending the ribs backward. 



Shoulder. — The shoulder is used for either roasts, chops, or 

 stews. The large amount of bone it contains makes it undesirable 

 for roasting unless boned and rolled, when it practically equals the 

 leg in quality. If not boned, its preparation consists of trimming 

 oflE-the neck square, and cutting through the joints of the backbone 

 with the cleaver. Shoulder chops are cut either parallel to the ribs 

 or across the lower part of the shoiilder at the point where the shank 

 was removed. 



Slaughtering Lambs for Special Markets. — Prime young 

 lambs weighing from fifty to sixty pounds that are ready for sale 

 from one to three months before the regular crop of lambs is large 

 enough to market, are often slaughtered on the farm and sold 

 direct to clubs and high-class hotels in the larger cities. 



They are marketed with the pelt on and are ordinarily wrapped 

 in two separate covers for shipment, the inner consisting of tough 

 paper or muslin, and the outer of burlap or sacking. This keeps the 

 carcass clean, prevents excessive drying out, and furnishes' swno 

 protection against bruises. 



In dressing the carcass, a strip of skin four or five inches wide is 

 loosened along the underline, and the skin from around the rectum 

 and from the inside of the legs is removed. The feet are cut off 

 at the ankle- and knee-joints, leaving a small flap of skin to fold 

 back over the joint. All the internal organs are removed except the 

 pluck, which consists of the heart, lungs, and liver. In warm weather 

 these, too, should be removed to insure thorough cooling of the car- 

 cass. The breast-bone is then split and the carcass is spread open 

 with backsets.- The caul fat is placed over the exposed flesh and 

 the carcass allowed to cool thoroughly before shipping (Fig. 261). 



A square yard of muslin is sufficient for wrapping one lamlj, 

 and should be neatly sewed on so as to cover all the exposed parts 

 of the carcass. The burlap wrapping over the muslin is sometimes 

 omitted and two or three lambs placed in a light crate lined with 

 heavy paper (Fig. 262). 



- Backsets are sharpened sticks 15 to 18 inches long with a, shoulder 

 about an inch back from each point. The points are inserted in the loose 

 skin near the breastbone and the turned-back flank on the opposite side 

 of the carcass, crossing them over the back. 



