MEAT. It is both dangerous and unprofitable for a grocer to sell meats, unless he has his store well fitted, so that he can handle them with a certain degree of safety (see Store Fittings). With the grocer the great enemy in hot weather is the fly, which leaves its eggs in some moist crevice of the meat. It is surprising with what rapidity the eggs hatch or become live maggots ; con sequently it is very needful that a keen watch should be kept, in order to arrest their development ; when discovered, apply salt water or vinegar, which will, as a rule, remove all traces. Meat kept on ice loses its fl Ivor and does not grow tender, as is the rule, with age. But when put on ice it is advisable not to thaw it until ready to cook, as it soon becomes spoiled. Beef is the most im portant of meats, and it is curi ous that in different parts of the country there are many varieties of names for the same cut ; for instance, the hip sirloin of New York is the hook-bone in Boston, and the shin-bone in Philadel phia; therefore, we have care fully arranged under the oppo site engraving the names which appear to us as the most general and desirable. The accompany ing cut i s the representation of a beef.
Beef is the best flesh-former of our foods, and withal is very digestible, taking but three hours to complete that process.
When heads of families, says the Evening Star, learn to know that there are parts of the beef equally as nutritious as the sir loin or rump steak and standing rib roast, and that with no greater amount of cost and trouble they can be served at the table in a form as palatable and inviting as the better cuts, and having learned this, will strive to acquire the culinary skill needed to thus prepare them, they will speedily compel a reduction in the price of this staple article. But as long as the caterers for fami lies cling to the idea that there are only three or four pieces in the beef that are fit for the table, and will persist in having those, they must make up their minds to the fact that good round prices will rule.
Mutton is the dressed flesh of the sheep. The best age at which to kill sheep seems to be from the third to the fifth year. Mutton that is too young lacks flavor ; if too old, it is tough. In the fall of the year it is dryer and more strongly marked by that flavor termed "woolly" or "sheepy," because the taste resembles the smell of the live animal. All mutton, to avoid this flavor, should
be hung up for two days where it will be cool enough and not too dry. The quality of the mutton depends on the breed and the feeding of the sheep. In England these two points have received more attention than in the United States, but the quality of our domestic mutton is steadily improving and our cooks are learning to prepare it for the table more skillfully, and its consumption 'is rapidly increasing, especially in our large cities.
In purchasing carcasses of mutton the grocer must take into account the loss of weight which will ensue from drying out while it hangs in his store. A carcass of mutton will lose from eight to ten pounds in a week when hung up. Iu selecting it he should see that the meat is fine grained, firm, and bright red in color. If the flesh is flabby, or the kidney fat small, it should be avoided.
When a grocer handles meats they should be of the best quality. The sheep is cut up as the following diagram shows : Lamb is generally understood to be under twelve months old. Spring lamb comes in season as early as March, and is best from June to August. This young meat is much harder to keep than mutton. As lambs are very tender animals their flesh is easily injured by rough treatment, by storms, or poor food. The color and quality of the fat on the back and around the kidneys affords the best test of the quality. It should be white, even-colored and hard. Its parts, when cut up, are termed the same as mutton cuts.
Veal. The dressed carcass of a calf constitutes veal. It is much more difficult to keep than beef and requires great care. When left in its hide after being trimmed and cleaned, it is said to be " hog-dressed." In this way it best retains its moisture and flavor. The best veal is that of a six-weeks•old calf. No veal under four weeks old should be eaten, as it is not fit for food and stringent laws have been passed forbidding its sale. Up to the sixth week it is known as milk-veal ; after ails time the calf is fed on other foods and its flesh grows darker and less juicy. "Bob veal" is that which is unfit for food, because too young. It often appears in the markets when not a week old, and when pork fat must be put around the kidneys (called "plating" by butchers) in order to induce a sale.
The calf is dressed and cut into the parts shown in the follow