20 
CURING MEAT. 
the biscuit state) and d pp3d in into potter’s glaze, 
and submitted it to a sailicient heat to vitrify it, as 
it appears in the piece that is glazed. I was under 
the necessity of using the common yellow glaze 
employed by the manufacturers of stone ware here, 
but if I had used the fine white china glaze, it 
would have been a beautiful white instead of yel¬ 
low. I consider the discovery of this china clay to 
ne very important, for it has hitherto been thought 
that a fine description of china could not be made 
in the United States for want of proper clay; but 
this proves that clay sufficiently good can be found, 
if potteries were established for making it into 
china-ware.” 
The Georgia papers are requested to copy the 
above, that it may be brought to the notice of Mr. 
Hardy, w T ho did not leave his address when at the 
office of Wm. Partridge. 
New York, Dec. 8 , 1845. 
CURING MEAT. 
Farmers have a mutual interest in the commu¬ 
nication of everything which is beneficial in rela¬ 
tion to their common concerns in Agriculture, and 
domestic economy. With this view, I would 
thank you to insert in the Agriculturist the follow¬ 
ing observations, relative to condiments for curing 
meat. Having for 8b years avoided as far as pos¬ 
sible the use of meat which had been cured with 
saltpetre, on account of its injurious effects, I shall 
endeavor to show why that article should be dis¬ 
used, and what may be used in place of it; being 
at the same time fully aware of the influence of 
prejudice and habit in the perpetuation of injurious 
customs. 
It is contended by some persons that man was 
not intended to be a carnivorous animal, and that 
meat should not be used for diet; but all admit that 
he is, and ought to be, a granivorous animal, and 
that such grains as wheat, rye, oats, barley, &c., 
are healthy articles of food, which were designed 
for his use. In these articles are contained the 
following ingredients, viz.: potash, soda, lime, 
magnesia., alumina, silica, iron, sulphuric acid, 
phosphoric acid, and chlorine or muriatic acid, 
&c. These articles are supposed to be united to¬ 
gether in grain according to their affinity. And it 
is not doubted that they were placed in grain for 
the purposes of digestion, nutrition, and secretion. 
Those parts of them which actually enter into and 
are used in the system, are principally carried oil 
through the kidneys in the urine ; as may be seen 
by the analysis of urine, by Berzelius, which is as 
follows, viz.: 
Urea • • ..*.. 3&.10 
Free lactic acid, lactate of ammonia and ani¬ 
mal matter not separable from them - 17.14 
Uric acid.. * • -.• 100 
Mucus of the bladder.*. 0.32 
Sulphate of potash. 8.71 
Sulphate of soda.*.. 3.16 
Chloride of sodium, or common salt. 4.45 
Phosphate of soda.* * * • 2.44 
Phosphate of ammonia. 1-G5 
Muriate of ammonia.* * * *. 1-50 
Phosphates of magnesia and lime.- • • 1.00 
Siliceous earth. 0.02 
Water.-.. 933.00 
10Q0.0Q 
By this analysis we see that out of these ingre¬ 
dients, which are contained in grain, are formed a 
variety of compounds, either in the grains them¬ 
selves, or in the course of the processes of diges¬ 
tion and secretion, and among the rest are three 
kinds of alkaline salts, viz.: chloride of sodium, or 
common salt, and the sulphates of potash and soda 
in nearly equal proportions; and they are carried 
off in urine, in order to give place to an additional 
supply which is continually furnished in food. 
These three kinds of salts, then, are natural to the 
animal system of man, and are necessary to it, and 
are the only kinds of salts which can with certain 
propriety be used for curing meat. Other salts, 
such as alum, or borax, may preserve meat, but 
they would be injurious in the system, not being 
natural to it. 
The purgative and antiseptic properties of tlu^e- 
three kinds of salt, common salt, and the sulphates 
of potash and soda, are somewhat similar ; but the 
sulphuric acid is remarkably antiseptic, and it com¬ 
municates its antiseptic properties to the sulphate 
of potash and soda in a high degree. A much 
less quantity of sulphate of potash will cure and 
save meat than of common salt, or saltpetre. The 
sulphate of soda I have not tried in curing meat, 
and therefore cannot say what flavor it would com¬ 
municate to meat. But the pure sulphate of potash 
I have used in curing hams and shoulders of pork, 
and dried beef, and barreled beef pickled; and it 
communicates to meat an admirable flavor, entirely 
superior to that which it has when cured by salt¬ 
petre. I used nearly the same quantity in curing 
meat as is generally used of saltpetre, or about one 
i ounce to 25 lbs. of meat. I have known the sul¬ 
phate of potash applied to the curing of meat in 
another manner, ever since I can remember any¬ 
thing about the curing of meat, for at least 40 
years. The sulphate of potash abounds in wood 
ashes, and is known to potash-makers by the name 
of nitre. The manner in which I have known it 
used was as follows :—Put one peck of wood ashes 
into 20 gallons of water, stir it up thoroughly, then 
let them stand and settle. After the water is set¬ 
tled, and is clear, pour off the clear white ley which 
1 is tkus made, into another cask, and dissolve in it 
half a bushel of common salt, stirring it well. Let 
this settle, then pour off the clear brine, and put it 
upon as many hams and shoulders as it will cover, 
and let them lie in it three weeks; then hang and 
smoke them. If they have been anointed with 
sugar or molasses, and lain a few days before the 
brine is put upon them, their flavor will be im¬ 
proved by it. Meat has a stronger affinity for 
the sulphate of potash than it has for common salt, 
and therefore the common salt which is present in 
the brine will in no wise lessen the effect of the 
sulphate of potash. 
By reference to the Cultivator, vol. 8, page 114, 
it will be seen that Mr. John Lewis, of Llangol- 
lan, Kentucky, lias for 35 years used another mode 
of applying the sulphate of potash which is con¬ 
tained in wood ashes, to the curing of hams and 
shoulders; which I doubt not is equally effectual 
with the modes which I have suggested, hut not 
quite so convenient as to mix the pure sulphate of 
potash, with brine of common salt. But I doubt 
not it is equally effectual His mode of curing is to 
