PRESERVING FOOD 
69 
drying in the sun)* according to the requirements of 
the climate. The preservation of meat by salting, dry¬ 
ing, and smoking is practiced in Oriental countries by 
a number of the Mongolian tribes, including the Tar¬ 
tars and the Chinese. 
“It is a matter of common information that these 
methods are still employed largely in civilized coun¬ 
tries and not alone by those in rural districts who 
preserve their own meat. Our large packing houses 
smoke immense quantities of meat with hickory wood. 
One establishment in Chicago has 43 smokehouses, 
each of which holds 60,000 pounds of ham or shoulder 
or 120,000 pounds of side meat, besides n houses of 
half that capacity. Meat so preserved is recognized 
as wholesome. It is not always suitable for the sick 
room, but its taste is a sure indication of its character 
and the method of its preparation. This makes it im¬ 
possible to mistake these products for fresh meat, and 
thus removes the great temptation to fraudulent prac¬ 
tice that attends the use of tasteless preservatives. The 
preservation of meat by freezing has always been 
practiced, and in localities where the temperature fa¬ 
vors this method nothing else is to be desired. Until 
recently, however, this method has necessarily been of 
limited application. * * * 
“No tasteless food preservative has been suggested 
which is entirely nontoxic, and which does not have a 
marked influence on digestion, even when taken in 
relatively small doses, Some there may be whose anti- 
No 
Tasteless 
Harmless 
Preservative 
