“Extra Mess Beef contains the same assortment of cuts as Prime Mess, but is made only from No. 3 cuts.
“Ramp Butt Beef is cut from rumps off the medium and lower grades of rounds, and is boneless except a small piece of tail-bone. The pieces average four to six pounds each. It is sold largely in lumbering districts and to the fisheries trade.”
CHAPTER XI
HIDES AND PELTS.
Green Hides — Condition — Scores — Prod Pole Damage — Clean Floors — Leather Yields — Pattern — Proper Storage For Hides — Grading — Grubs in Hides — Salt to Be Used — Building of Packs of Hides — Trimming of Green Hides — Switches — Shrinkage of Hides — Sheep Pelts.
Green Hides.
—Next in value to the beef is the hide and the handling, curing, etc., of this particular part of the animal, until it is ready to be delivered requires careful attention to obtain the best results. For convenience in handling green hides a special hide truck, shown in [Fig. 51], is usually employed. The platform of the truck is 3¹⁄₂ × 5¹⁄₂ feet, with a 1¹⁄₄ inch hardwood plank eight inches high on one side and on front end. The wheels are about eighteen inches in diameter.
FIG. 51.—HIDE TRUCK FOR CARTING BEEF HIDES.
Condition.
—The first consideration, of course, is the condition of the hide. There has been marked improvement in recent years in the handling of hides. Formerly, where unskilled workmen were killing only a few cattle daily, or weekly, they did not become proficient in the removal of hides and the hide was more or less damaged by scores and cuts. When cattle are killed in large numbers it is necessary to make a division of labor, and instead of one man doing many parts of the work, he simply does one part continuously, and hence becomes very skillful; the “take-off” of the hide, particularly, is improved. That this condition is appreciated by tanners is evidenced by the difference in price paid for country and packers hides; the tanners paying from ³⁄₄c to 1c more per pound for packers hides because the hide has been properly taken off, while a country hide, which is usually taken off by workmen less skilled has been cut and scored, the scores being particularly objectionable.