In the operation of packing houses the cutting of meats into many parts so as to supply the various purchasers with what they require, makes a comparatively large amount of wholesome meat product, equally nutritious with porter house steak, but not quite so tender or pleasing to the taste. Cheek meat, hearts and various trimmings are wholesome as a porterhouse, but not so delectable, at least, in their original condition; hence, the art of sausage making consists in taking these products and making from them a palatable, wholesome and less costly article. =Meats and Handling.=--Sausage is made in such varieties that there are a multitude of ingredients in a multitude of forms. Primarily beef and pork trimmings are the broad classes, but of these there are many forms, each of different physical properties. Hearts and cheeks are, for example, the toughest part of the animal organism, and these usually find their way to the sausage room. On the other hand the parts of hams and shoulders used are equally delicate with the meats so conserved, but are of necessity relegated to the sausage room on account of their shape as a trimming. It is the skillful manipulation of these various meats that makes for the real results in this department. Too frequently, the sausage department is regarded as a necessity, like the tank house, to put things through. The most successful operators are those who regard the department otherwise, and many good and successful businesses have been builded on the sausage department as a basis; not by trying to make sausage to retail at five cents per pound, extravagantly speaking. =Arrangement of Department.=--This department becomes quite comprehensive in its scope in large establishments requiring: Refrigerated space for curing fresh meats. Cooler for curing meats after ground. Grinding and stuffing room. Smoke houses. Cook room. Dry hanging room for smoked sausage. Cooler for sausage other than smoked sausage. =Curing Meats.=--In certain sausages cured meats are a necessity, in others they can be used without detriment, while there still remain others in which cured meats are positively bad. Therefore exactly how to handle the meats so as to have them available for use in proper form becomes a matter of concern. Formerly when preservatives, like borax and boracic acid could be used, many products were put into cure with a preservative of saltpetre, borax, boracic acid, sugar and salt, and kept sufficiently mild to be acceptable, but the pure food laws abolishing the use of preservatives have changed conditions. The result is that sausage products should be cured like hams and frozen when cured or frozen before curing and carried in this form until wanted. However, quite a large space should be provided near the sausage department for curing products.