The fat or tallow of animals, especially of those whose flesh is used as food, forms an important article of commerce. It is obtained by boiling down the carcasses in huge boilers; the fat, of course, floats on the top, and is drawn off into coolers. Tallow is used now mostly in the manufacture of soap. Formerly large quantities were made into candles, but since the introduction of solid paraffin very few tallow candles have been made.
England"s home product of tallow amounts to about 120,000 tons annually, but they import, in addition to this, from many parts of the world, the total value of imports being from 2.5 to 3 millions sterling. Most of England"s imported tallow comes now from South America, the United States, Australia, and Russia. The last-named country formerly supplied by far the largestquantities, but of late years the trade in Russian tallow hasdeclined.
Till recent years Australia reared its sheep and cattle almost solely for the sake of the wool and hides, there being little demand for the flesh. Whole carcasses were boiled, 300 or 400 at a time, in huge vats or boilers, 11 or12 feet high. The fat was drawn off for tallow; the flesh was used for feeding pigs, or put on the land as manure. In New South Wales and Victoria the number of carcasses of sheep alone boiled down for tallow annually averaged1.5 millions. The rise of the Australian trade in frozen carcasses as food for the home market has now caused a corresponding fall in the supply of tallow from these colonies.
Under the head of offal are included all the waste or refuse parts of the carcass, as well as certain parts which are used as food-e.g. the head, tongue, feet, heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, tripe, gut, and bladder.
The tripe-dressers of London and other large towns carry on an extensive and flourishing trade in the preparation and sale of offal as food. Some parts of it are highly esteemed as delicacies; others form cheap and wholesome food for the poor.
Calves" heads form a nutritious dish which is regarded as a luxury. Ox-tongues are also largely in demand as a delicacy. Immense quantities of salted tongues are imported from South America, Russia, and Australia.
The feet of oxen, when boiled, yield gelatine-a very wholesome food. Calves"-foot jelly is much esteemed as a delicacy for invalids. There is a large amount of fatty oil in the foot of the older animal, which must be extracted before it is fit for food. The fat extracted is the useful oil known as neat"s-foot oil.
The accumulation of animal refuse in the slaughter- houses and meat markets of our large towns was formerly a source of great danger to the community, and various means were adopted to destroy it, or get rid of it in some way before it could work mischief. Now every part ofit is applied to some definite purpose, and provides a remunerative source of employment and profit.
