Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1860-12-14
agricultural.


"family" pork other than any we'll fed swines
flesh made elsewhere We will explain -
The quality Of all flesh. good or bad, depends
somewhat on the material of which il is made.
Indian corn is considered a very wholesome.
nutritious grain, and the common expression
among pork packers and consumers is: Corn
fed pork is the best in the world 10 that
opinion we, for one, do not subscribe, and,
for full understanding Of the subject, let us
talk little about il.
We Law il down as a rule, that in the dom
cstic cookery Of family who live WELL rea-
sonable store of good picked pork is an al
most indispensable article. We need not
enumerate all its excellencies, nor give an ex-
tended list of other meats fish, and fowl,
which are made infinitely better by the addi-
ton Of a slice OF two of salt pork,more or less
mixed in in some way or other, by way Of
seasoning. or addition, TO complete the dish
Every body who ever lived in farmers house
knows IT, and pretty much everybody who has
lived well anywhere else either knows, or
ought to know it. At all events. we take the
fact for granted and those who dispute it will
pleaso consider us as not addressing them at
all in any part of this, our present writing -
For further information they may go and ask
Col Stetson, of the Astor house. Good fa-
mily pork is our present object, and we there
fore proceed to discuss it and, in so doing,
we incidentally touch upon other classes Of
the edible not, according to our category, in
the family line, and enumarate some of
them.
The worst of all fed pork, we consider, is
that made in dis,ilerics from the "slops" or
offa Of the distilled grain. 1t is soft. ilabby
slazy, and greasy. The lard, too, is soft, and
fl only for the roughest uses. The hams and
shoulders. however, are passable-better than
the side pork, but only Of second quality.
The next worst is that made from 'mast"
shack pork. usually called. 1t is sweeier
to the taste than "swill fed" but equally
soft and moro "oily." The lard runs" like
summer strained oil, Yet the hams are
tolerable, if eaten during cold weather. In
warm weather they incline to become rancid,
unless remarkably well kept.
slaughter house pork is claimed by the
butchers who feed it, to be "the best in the
world, on the principle we presume Of the
currier in the fable who recommended the
town to be fortified with leather 1t is in
their line. The fact may be so, but we can
not see why garbage, blood, and the noisome
o'T-' ~s slaughtered cattle and sheep should
make better pork tuau 49,. nutr;t;ors ard
well cooked food composed of vegetables anu
grain. we put tho slanehter house article.
therefore. in the same class with othors. as
inferior leaving to those who think different
ly the privilege of taking exception to our
opinion,
Next in the list may stand the usual quaii-
~ of onr American pork of commerce such
as is packed in the pork marts Of the West.
and also now packed in many of our Atlantic
cities. from swine brought there in the rail
cars from the great corn States-all of the
same deseription and character. II is reared
chiefly on corn and grass until fifteen To
eighteen months old then fed off on sound.
uncrusbed corn and water. a thoroughly We
oe,ahle diet II il c,can we'll fed and pen-
erallv an excellent article
Yct better than This is the nork from swine
of abort tho same aces reared nv our small
farmers in tbe Atlantic state nariiallv crazed
in clover fields. fed daily on house slops. the
wash of the dairy. and finished off on finely
groupd Ind;an corn buckvbeat rye harley
and oatmeal ,n;xed with boiled poiatoes and
Other roots set anart in nots or casks and
fermep,ed mn 10 the point Of ..souring" And
the more of .dairy.wasb. such as Whey. hut
ter-milk there i in the mixture. all the bet-
ter is the pork.
Still better than this last. and the ne plus
ultra OF all poreine flesh whatever. is that of
six to ten months old. early sprinr pigs. rear-
ed and fed ON the same food. and never let
ont of small yard or pen. with good straw
bed to lie on, and kent as clean as pig-sty
can well be, from their birth to their slaugh-
ter
Either of these last two classes is the very
perfection of good family pork :" and scarce
ly any other article Of flesh or fish can be
cooked but what an addition of either of these
will add largely to its savoriness and flavor;
and we are the more fortified in this opinion
from the concurrent testimony of every house