Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-07
PRESERVTNG FREsH MEArs


Quite a number of attempts have
been made recently, both in Eu-
rope and in this country, to bring
meat, in bulk and in a perfectly
fresh state, from places where cat tie
are cheap to remote markets where
the demand is great and prices are
high. Since railroads have pene-
trated the Highlands of Scotland,
the meat of cattle slaughtered there
has been brought regularly to the
London markets, in such excellent
condition as to compete successful y
with the meat of cattle freshly
killed in the vicinity of the metro
polls. In this case, however, the
, climate is favorable TO the trans
portation of meat in bulk, and no
special device is necessary 10 keep
it from becoming tainted. 4 very
different method was adopted about
year ago TO send meat to London
in the fresh state all the way from
Australia. All the bones were first
stripped from the meat. Tho latter
was then made up into tight rolls,
put into iron tanks and the inter-
stices filled up with melted tallOw.
The Baltimore Gazette says the eX-
pertinent failed, as the taste
of the meat was found to
partake too much OF the en-
veloping taliOw. The sundried
meat of the South American Pampas
was next imported into London;
: but this was found to be too dry
and tasteless for general use,
although it is said to have answered
very well for soups. About the
same time another device was pat
en'ed in London, and a company
organized to import meat in a fresh
state from South America. The
patentee proposed to take, first Of
all, the bone from the meat, eXpS
the air from cans, and then force IN
carbonic acid gas TO occupy the
place of the expelled air. When
this was done the cans were her
medically sealed. The theory wa:
a plausible one; but in practice /
did not work well. The drainage
of blood and serum settled at the
bottom of the cans, and speedily
tainted the entire body of the meat
The next project was, in connection
with the above, to subject the mea
for short time to a pickle of brin,
as a preservative, but the same re
suit ensued. Stabler's process 70
the preservation Of fresh meats,
process which has since been pu
into successful operation at. Indian
ola, Texas, is in some respects simi
lar TO the one above described. He
too, eXpels the air from the cans
forces in carbonic acid gas, an
then causes the cans to be hermetl
cally scaled. But the radical dit
ference between the two pre-
cesses is this: After the men
is cut into strips, he sprln
kles salt over it on both side:
deposits the strips on racks for
short time to drain, and, after shak
ing off the superfiuous salt, pack
. them in the cans, expels the al
fills up all the interstices with cal
bonic acid gas, and finally seals Il
the cans. By this method there
no drainage Of consequence, an
the meat is thus preserved from b
coming tainted Nevertheless, Il
meat cannot be said 10 be entire
fresh, as the salt alters, to some c
tent, the juices; and the meat,
kept for any length of time,
quircs to be soaked in water beto
cooking. For soups it is said to
excellent, and for naval and 9th
purposes is vastly preferable 70 I
sailed meats in general use. Of t
the new process recently patent
by Prof Carnage we know We
little; hut while the meat subject
TO it is said TO keep we'll, it is a
4 said TO taste Of the ingrcdie
used in preserving it.
Mono of these devices, thereio
can be said to have entirely met
General want. What was nee
was a process whereby meat CO
be brought from long distances
sold in the market as fresh an'
Juicy as that of cattle sIaughte
the day before.
This desideratum science
failed to accomplish, except IN
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