22 BULLETIN 880, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
also appear doubtful in view of the negative results obtained at 
Chicago. Of the remaining tests, one, Experiment 120, produced a 
very mild infection in 1 out of 14 test animals. The sausage in 
these tests was subjected to very short curing periods—less than 
6 days—which may perhaps account for the positive results. It is 
interesting to observe in this connection that intact sausage in these 
latter tests that was forwarded to Washington was innocuous as 
shown by the results of the feeding experiments, indicating that the 
continued salt action for an additional period of a few days (4 days 
in each case) was the probable factor that brought about a complete 
destruction of the parasites. 
Inasmuch as preliminary curing of sufficient duration appears to 
be a decided factor in destroying trichine, as well as the temperature 
and duration of smoking, the bureau specifications for the prepara- 
tion of fresh summer sausage containing the muscle of pork require 
at least 6 days of curing to be followed by at least 12 hours of smoking, 
of which the first 4 hours may be utilized for raising the temperature 
of the smokehouse to at least 128° F. The smokehouse is required 
to be maintained at this or a higher temperature for the succeeding 
4 hours, and may then be lowered gradually to not less than 90° F., 
a period of not less than 4 hours being consumed in lowering the 
temperature. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH ITALIAN STYLE HAMS. 
The experiments with Italian style hams carried out at Establish- 
ments 2A and 3 were 58 in number, each of which involved the prep- 
aration of from 2 to 6 hams. These ranged in weight from about 
10 pounds to 36 pounds when placed in cure. The hams utilized in 
the experiments were obtained from 105 hog carcasses. In practice 
the hams selected for preparation as Italian style hams are usually 
obtained from lean stock and generally range in weight from 12 to 
17 pounds. The followmg method was employed 1 in the preparation 
of the experimental hams: 
The hams were cured by a dry-curing process. The curing mix- 
ture consisted of salt (on the basis of 4 pounds per hundredweight 
of meat), sugar, and potassium nitrate. In addition to the curing 
mixture, a pickle solution was generally used, this being injected 
into the hams with a pickle pump. The dry salt was applied in a 
thorough manner to the lean meat of each ham. The pickle solution, 
which generally contained about 25 per cent of salt, was injected in 
small quantities in the shank and flank side of the body of. the ham. 
Between the seventeenth and the twentieth days after the beginning 
of the cure the hams were overhauled and additional salt was applied. 
At the end of 40 days the hams prepared at Establishment 3 were 
taken out of cure and soaked for a few hours in warm water at a 
temperature not exceeding 70° F., but were not subjected to any 
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