. ,;

' fifty pounds to one hundred pounds are the

flaw-v.

5

at): .fltolouial mwaw. ‘,

REMARKS on THE PREPARATION or PROVISIONS, Br TE]: BOARD or Titans or MONTREAL.

The Board of Trade of Montreal, under the impression that the superior order in which flour was delivered in this Port the past season, has iii part resulted from their remarks respecting its preparation, have, owing to the great alterao tion of duties in the Mother Coutitry on various other arti- cles of fbod, again to address the public on the proper me- thod of putting up such articles, for which there will pro- bably be a demand in. Great Britain, but which, to realise the views ofintending shippers, must be so prepared as to be suitable to the tastes of the proposed consumers. it is desirable to show, not only what should be done, but what should be avoided, in order to secure a trade which, with care and economy, promises to be of very considerable ad- vantage.

The articles which claim attention are:

Prime Mess Beef in Tierccs and half’l‘ierces,

ditto ditto in Barrels and half Barrels, Prime Pork in ditto ditto, Hams and Pigs’ Cheeks, Sausages,

Mutton Hams,

Butter, and Cheese. v.

Mess Beef is so very difficult to be procured, that, as an article ofgeneral export, it is not worth attention. It re- quires cattle ofso very good a quality, and so much of the animal has to be rejected, that it will hardly pay, to put tip. If cattle good enough for Mess could he procured, it would be better to put up the rounds aiid briskets separately, and tossltand dry the remainder. The Inspection Law pro- vides that Mess Beef shall consist of the choicest pieces only, which are briskets, the thick of the flank, ribs, rumps, and sirloins. It is generally considered that cattle to be fit for Mess Beef must be five years old. 0n the other hand,

.Prime Beef is not sufficiently good, so that it is to Prime

Mess the Board would particularly direct the attention of packers, which is the Mess Beefofthe Irish market.

By the Inspection Law, Prints Mess Beefsliall consist of pieces of meat oftlie second class, from good fat cattle, with- out shanks or necks. This is sufficiently fat for the English market, and may be made from the meat of cattle of' four years old, or even from those ofthrec, if of' good breeds; there is but little rejected, and that little only fit for use while fresh.

As the Law above referrer] to is precise as to the con— struction ofthe tierces, barrels, &c., in which provisions are to be packed, the Board think it advisable to insert the Clause regulating that matter. It should be remembered, that Beef is preferred in tierces, and half tierces; Pork in barrels, and half barrels.

Clause 19, of the Act, 4 and 5, Vic., Cap. 28, to regulate the Inspection of Beefattd Poi-k, “ And be it enacted, that from and after the passing ofthis Act,each and every bar- rel and half barrel, tiercc or halftierco, containing Beef and Pork inspected in this Province, shall he made of good sea- soued white oak stavos, and the heads not less than three quarters ofan inch thick, and each stave on each edge at the bilge shall not be less than half'iui inch thick when fi- nished for barrels, nor less than three quarters ofaii inch thick when finished for tierces; and the wood of half barrels, or of halftierces, shall be in the same proportion to their size, and shall, in both cases, be free from every defect; each barrel .and lialfbarrel, tierce or balftierce, shall be hooped and covered two thirds oftlie length with good oak, ash, or hickory hoops, leaving one third in the centre uncovered: and each barrel or half barrel, tierce or halftierce, shall be bored in the centre oftho bilge with a bit of not less in diu-

meter than one inch, for the reception ofpickle; each bar-I vrel shall be not less than twenty seven inches, nor more

than twenty eight inches and a halflong, and the contents ofeach barrel in which Beefshall be packed or re-packed

. shall not be less than twenty eight gallon, nor more tlinn

twenty nine gallons, wine tnettsure; and the contents of' .each barrel III which Pork shall be packed or re-packed ,shall not be less than thirty gallons, nor exceed thirty-one gallons, wine measure; each tierce shall not be less than ‘thirty inches, nor more than thirty one inches long; and the contents of each tierce in which beef shall be packed or re-packed, shall not be less than forty-four gallons, inor exceedvforty five gallons, wine measure; and the contents of each tierce in which l’ork shall be packed or re-packed shall not be less than forty five gallons, nor exceed forty- six gallons, wine measure ; and halt‘ barrels or half tierces in which Beef and Pork shall be packed and re-packed, shall severally contain half the number of gallons above mentioned, and no more; and it shall be the duty of the Iii- lpcctor or Inspect0rs appointed under this Act to examine carefully and ascertain the sufficiency of each barrel, and half barrel, tierce and halftierce, before branding the same, and to brand none with regard to which the requirements of this Act have not been complied with.” 5'

As to packing, of course the rounds and briskets can be put up in kits ; the Prime Mess Beef, as before observed, in tierces and hell'tierces, and cut tip in precisely eight pound pieces, thirty eight pieces making a tierce ofthree

undred and four pounds; nineteen, a half tiei‘ce. lfanv error be made, it must be in excess of the proper weighi. The meat as soon as cut up should be packed in vats with dry salt, and strong pickle, made with one ounce of‘ ssltpetre to every six pounds of salt, poured on it. The salt should be free from sulphate of soda, muriate of mag- nesia, or other impurities, too common in the salt of the United States. By the Inspection Bill it is imperative to use St. Ubes, Isle of May, Lisbon, or Turks lslaud salt, or other coarse grained salt of‘ equal quality. After bein thus prepared, it is left for twenty-four hours, when it is put up in new pickle for at least seven days, such pickle-having no salt tre in it; or it may be left in the pickle until pre- pared or exportation, when it is packed with a lever, be- tween each tier of meat, and between the top and the bot- tom ofthe barrel, of a mixture ofsix pounds of salt and one pint of' molasses. In this way, instead of eighteen and a

alfponnds ofsalt to each fifty pounds of meat, ordinarilv used,st pounds will be enough. \Vhen headed up, tlfe package should be filled with the strongest, and perfectly clear pickle. Great care should be taken to cut ontall bloodv pieces, or bruised meat, and to avoid dirt and sand on all occasions. The scales and blocks should be particulaer at- tended to, and should be well scoured prior and subseqitant to being used. In slaughtering, it is highly requisite that all the blood be removed, and the meant allowed to cool thoroughly before it be cut up.

Dried Beef, consisting ofthe ribs and leg, with the bone out‘of'the latter, is very saleable in Britain, ifof good quali- ty: this is merely well cured, and then dried, but not smoked, and should be of the very finest meat only. Veni- son, also Mutton llama and Shoulders, would, if similarly pre ered, meet the wants ofthe British consumer.

ongues, salted in the satne manner as Beef, are in re- quest; not only those of Cattle, btit of Pigs and Sheep.

They should be prepared with great cleanliness, and any thing ofi‘ensive about the root pared away. Kegs of from

. most suitable. , ln Pork, the article most wanted is Prime, such being the Mess of‘the lrish ,ckers; Mesa, and Prime Mess being too fat, and cargo g inferior. It should, however, be small, owing to its being young, and from no other cause, say, made from pigs from nine to twelve months old, weigh- ing about one hundred and fifty pounds each, the course pieces ot‘one hog and a half only being packed. It should fairly hog—and-half pork, not the fat pieces of heavy pork made up with the coarse pieces ofthe same, but made from pigs not heavier than the Weight noted. Neither the head nor the feet should be packed; the check should be cut off, and may either be packed or left out. It must inva- riably be cut into four pounn pieces, and any bloody part about the neck taken away; indeed, it would be better if; in the first cut ofthe neck, not only the bloody parts were re- moved, but the bone cut out also. The shank ofthe shoulder cut close to,the body of' the pig should also he left out. , Cargo Pork, from young pigs of‘ one hundred pounds and upwards, and leavuig out the heads would also answar: it should be marked “Pig Pork.” The best way of putting

" The lrish provision packages have the second chime hoop at each end oflron; it yvuuld be well if that construction were adopted in Canada, as it greatly tends to keep the cusks tight.

this up Would be to take young hogs, ofone hundred and twenty five pounds, slid, leaving out the hams and bends, which could be dried, to pack the remainder, which, havmg less coarse pieces than allowed by law, by those ofa hog and a half; might be safely marked “ Prime.” The Board considered this a most eligible mode ofputting tip, and one which would meet much fhvour in the Mother Country. The mode of curing and packing Park is the same as that described for Beef; except, that the molasses is left crib and it is cut into four pound instead of'eiglit pound pieces. It is preferred in barrels and half barrels.

The reason why tierces and linlftierces are preferable for Beef, barrels and half barrels for Pork, is, that Beef, front the size of the animal, is cut into larger pieces. The‘ Irish practice is to put thirty-eight pieces ofeight pounds encll 1" a tierce of Beef'ofthrce hundred and four pounds, and fifty pieces of'f'our pounds each in a barrel of Pork oftwo hun- dred pounds. None but very superior meat should he [tilt in halfpackages. Pork, to suit the English market, must be ofn firm texture, young, as before remarked, and well fed, with a due mixture of fat and lean throughout. Pigs fed in the woods may, by being kept poor for a'time, and then fat- ted on corn, peas, or other grain, become very superior meat, but it is to be remarked, that pigs fed at distilleries require very long feeding on grain to make good pork. The only use to which distillery-fed pork can be put, is to render it into lard.

Bacon is an article of great consumption in Britain, and consists of'entire sides ofpigs (singed, not scaltletl,) except- ing the bums, and having the backbone taken out as fiir as the middle of'the side, as little ofthe mcat being removed with it as possible, the. knuckle cut ofl‘fi'oni the shoulder, close to the body of the animal, and the lower part from. whence the ham is taken is trimmed square ; or, of sides having both shoulders and ham ,renioved, and the neck ctit off square; the latter mode is preferable, as “short niiddles,” as they are termed, are very sale- able in Britain. The mode of curing, is to rub it well daily, for at least thirteen days, with saltpctre and salt, in proportion one ounce of the former to ten pounds of the latter; it is then either packed iii'thnt state, or robbed in every part with bran, to absorb the moisture,aiid dried tho- roughly. It is preferred however, in the damp state in the English market. Four sides may be packed in a cotton bag, which should he whitewashed. The most desirable pigs for bacon and horns, are from one hundred and twenty-five pounds to one hundred and seventy-five pounds weight, though pigs under two hundred and finy pounds may do. The pigs must, however, be well fed, uPtl small from being young, and not because they are ofa bad breed, or badly fed. The necks and rumps can be cut free from bone, atid either put up in barrels or prepared as Bacon.

Hams, pigs’ cheeks and shoulders, should be dry salted a! bacon, excepting that one pint of molasses should be added to the saute proportion of salt and saltpeti'e. Iftlie hams be very large, it, perhaps, may be necessary to rub them daily for twenty—one days, instead oftliirteen. They should be cut in the \Vestphalia fashion, so as to be compact, not taking away all the fat from the pork or bacon, and not cut over, but straight up and down. A out must be made at the knuckle, to introduce the salt there; and the hip joint, which, in cut— ting the ham, should be divided, (the bone not being cut through,) should also be well rubbed with salt. \Vheti well dried, and ifsmoked for not more than six hours, they should such be covered with cotton and whitewashed with lime. The checks should be cut clear from the bone ofthe head, and may be packed in a dry cask or flour barrel. Neither of! these articles answer to ship in a datnp state. Ribs ofvery fat beef, and the leg with ‘the bone out, both ofbeefand vc- nison, may be curcd the same as hams, but do not require covering; they also maybe put tip in dry barrels.

As before remarked, any distillery-fed pork must be avoid- ed; even cattle fed to too great an extent at a distillery will prove inferior.

Sausages are imported into Great Britain in considerable quantities, and are generally made from beef, sometimes from pork, and often are a mixture of both. They are put into the large gut oftlie ox generally, but sometimes in pigs’ guts, and are.salte(l and dried. The Dutch and Germans make pork sausages and titerer salt them ; they form part ofthc domestic stores of every family, and are much used at sea. The neck anti rump pieces, and some oftbe inside fat, may thus be very advantageously worked up, especially into the large dried sausage, for which there is great demand in the Mother Country. They must be prepared with cleanliness, and be well seasoned with pepper. '

The inside fat, of course, is rendered into lard, great care being taken to have it very clean, and not to burn” it. The Board particularly urge attention to cleanliness, as for want ofthis, the article may be unsaleable. The hams and sho’ul- ders of pigs, not too soft, may be salted and dried, and the lean parts made into sausages; they should not be packed with those made from hard pork, but sold separately.

The shoulders and hams of sheep, salted and dried, (not smoked.) packed in flour barrels, would be well worth trial in the English market.

As connected with the presentsubject, the Board of‘ Trade desire to give publicity to an invention recently brought in- to use in England, for curing provisions. It is a machine consisting ofn cylinder of'cnst iron, connected with an air , pump, and communicating by a tube with a tub containing strong pickle. The cylinder has an air-tight cover. The

placing on it the air-tight cover, withdrawing the air by means of the suction pump, then letting in the pickle, and afterwards forcing in air on the surface. On taking the meat li‘om the cylinder, which maybe done in a few min- utes, it is perfectly cured, and may be packed in the usual way. Such machines would be highly useful in this Colony, enabling meat to be preserved at any season, and any sud- den demand to be speedily supplied. The following is the agent’s circular :— ‘ BRUNSWICK Coua'r, 1‘20, Brunswick Street, Sin; I or 109, Candlerz'ggs, Glasgow.

I beg to invite your attention to a new process, protected by Letters Patent, for salting and curing animal substances. By this process, advantages of the greatest importance to all connected with the Provision Trade are attained, amongst which maybe enumerated, viz.:

l, The whole process ot‘curing effectually the Animal Substance does not occupy more than one quarter ofati hour, economising thereby labour and time, to a very great extent. '

2. At any season ofthe year, and in any temperature, even under the influence ofa tropical sun, the process is effective, and maybe used with perfect safety.

3. The materials employed are the same as hitherto used, but less than one third ofthe usual quantity is' consumed.

4. Any desired flavour, and any degree of saltuess, may be comtiiunicated, the process being thus equally applicable to Hams, Tongues, Spiced Meals, and other preparations, as to plniti Selling, Fish, Poultry, &c., may also be treated with equal advantage.

5. By this process the nutritious elements ofthe animal substance are all preserved in it, which, by the old mode of curing, are necessarily much deteriorated. ‘

6. By this process, Hides can be prepared for Packing With great advantage, occupying much less space, tho- roughly preserved, and rendered fitter for the tanning process. . These important results are attained by means ofa ma- chine of'great simplicity, economy, and cfi'cctiveness for the use of which licences will be granted on verv moderai’e terms, The process has been investigated, and entirely approved of by practical as well as scientific incn, ol'acknoivledged expe: name and eminence. A testimonial from one ofthese is annexed for your perusal. 1 “ill have great pleasure in: shewmg the machine and explaining the process to you or any ofyour friends who may feel interest in such matters.

lam, Sir, your obedient servant ‘ M. HUNTER, flgcnt for the Patentee for Scotland.

Butter and cheese will, under the new Tariff, be articles of very great importance, and well worthy the attention of agriculturists. The duty on foreign butter being 203:1)" cwt., on Cheese 10s. per cwt., whilst on Canadian it is but 5:. on the former, and 25. lid. on the latter. The Dutch export of'

these articles to England to the value of nearly one million

mode of curing it is to introduce the meat into the cylinder, '

pounds sterling per annum, the whole of which trade may ea-

secured to Canada; and if the export of cured pr;- viaions be only another million, the importance of the tra .e " ' ' C d be easil conceived. But this now opening to sue a may I y . . ‘ “v is a small amount compared With what it might even ual , be extended to, for, in exchange for manufactured goods,(; :3 people pf Birilnin Wlll take any amount of bread stuffs, an

' oo . ,4. ll"Bliit‘tler, to be suitable; t'o the English market, must be clean and free from whey, which should be pressed out With spad- tulas, not with the hand: unless all the whey be extracts it will not keep. ~ It should be moderately salted With a mix— ture of 10 lbs. salt, one ounce of saltpetre, aml four ounces of sugar, well worked in, and put up, not inlay-era, as made, but well mixed in the cask: no two qualities in the same cask, and each cask resembling the rest as much as possible. The Butter should be but lightly salted. The common error in Canada is to salt it too heavily. A large quantity, no doubt, is necessary, when the whey is not well pressed out, but when that is done, a very moderate quantity‘will suffice.

There is no necessity for using colouring With sum’tner and fall made Butter, the only kind suitable for export. The winter Butter should be kept apart and used in the Colony.

As to cheese, the consumption in Great Britain is very great and very constant, but Canada hitherto has been an importing instead of an exporting Country. It is unneces- sary to describe its manufacture further than to state, It should be made from new milk, and in such parts of the Colony as, being hilly, possess short pasture, With plenty of sweet grasses, and indeed are the reverse ofa goodbutter producing country. Inferior cheese may be Illu’fle with the morning’s milk, skimmed, added to the afternoon a milk, new and fi‘esli,—and this on lands most suited for butter; but it is to the hilly parts ofthe Privince, where, excepting sheep and cattle, little can be produced, the Board particularly point, as likely to derive importantndvantages frotn the ma- nul'acture ofthis article. The best form for cheese is that oftruckles, say eight or ten inches across, and four and a half to six inches thick, round or square; these are best suited to small farms. In larger farms cheeses of greater size can be made, say twelve to fifteen inches, by six deep. The large cheeses, like the Cheshire, are difficult to keep; they should be well salted, but not too much so; and co- loured with annatto, but not too deeply, such iii England being considered the sign ofan inferior article.

The Cheeses made of half-skimmed milk, as before ad— verted to, should he of a large siZe,as they are otherwise apt to get dry; say eighteen inches by seven, or larger, as there is little risk oftlieiz‘ spoiling. To distinguish them front the first sort, they should not be coloured at all.

The Board wish to direct attention to the importance, es- pecially in mountainous parts, of raising sheep for the sake oftlieir wool. An idea had prevailed that this Province is too cold, and the winter too long, to admit of its being done

sily be

successfully or profitably; but judging from the siiiiilnrity'

between the climates ol'Canada and of Saxony, the wool of which is so celebrated, this opinioti seems to be erroneous. The climate of Canada is particularly favourable to the con- stitution ofslieep, and if, as iii Saxony, the back of the atti- mal were covered, summer and winter, to protect the Wool from injury, there can be no doubt that the quality of the article would considerably improve, atid amply remunerate the farmer.