12 BULLETIN 928, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
per cent corn sugar, was considered to be of good quality. In fact, 
in the experiment carried on at establishment B the hams cured with 
this sugar ranked first. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH SWEET-PICKLE BACON. 
Experiments with sweet-pickle bacon were carried on at each of 
the four establishments, but, as with the hams, the one at establish- 
ment X was of a preliminary nature. In all, 19 tierces of bellies were 
cured. 
PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENT AT ESTABLISHMENT X. 
Three tierces of bellies were cured at establishment X, one with 
granulated sugar, one with cerelose, and one without sugar. The 
chilled belles were packed in tierces as follows: Tierce 1: Sixty-one 
bellies were packed together with 8 ounces of sodium nitrate, 10 
pounds of salt, and 44 pounds of granulated sugar, the curing mate- 
rials being sprinkled over the faces of the bellies. Tierce 2: Fifty- 
five bellies were packed with the above quantities of salt and sodium 
nitrate and with 43 pounds of cerelose. Tierce 3: Fifty-five bellies 
were packed with the same quantities of salt and sodium nitrate, but 
without sugar. The tierces were held 48 hours in a curing cellar at 
35°-37° F., then filled with plain 70° brine, and held at the same 
temperature until cured. The tierces were rolled on the fifth, fif- 
teenth, and thirtieth days after packing. The cured bellies were in- 
spected for soundness, soaked 5 hours in water, and smoked 13 hours. 
No unsound bellies were found. Two smoked bellies were selected 
from each lot for test purposes. In Table 9 is presented a brief 
record of the experiment. 
TABLE 9.—Record of preliminary sweet-pickle bacon experiment, establish- 
ment X. 
Tierce 1, _ op Re 3, 
granu- erce 2, erce 
Item. lated | cerelose. | no sugar. 
_ sugar 
Number of bellies:2 2 22-55. -eu2-2.. <4 oes ee eee 61 55 55 
GUIS Ot See aot sb oSass ase Sodages Seagee55 25225252 55525552 days. . ee 33 33 
Weipnt ofcured bellicds <2 e820 it. 552i. AEE. eee pounds. . 425 415 
Conditinn(of coned Deliltess ee aes oe os ee Nata. Normal. | Normal. 
QUALITY OF THE SWEET-PICKLE BACON. 
The relative quality of the three lots of bacon was judged upon 
the basis of the appearance of the freshly cut surface of the bacon 
and upon the appearance, texture, and palatability of the fried or 
broiled product. The three lots of bacon were tested by 12 indi- 
viduals, 6 of whom determined the quality of the bacon in their 
homes, while the other 6 attended a test held in the laboratory. In 
