, 1862-03-13
The Family Pig.

Thousands of our readers reside in villages;
on homesteads Of less than an acre, Ghd
raise, or might raise, with little expense.
their own pork. Some have given it up
from the rather vague cot lecture that home
made pork costs more than that which is
bough, in the pickle. They have never kept
accurate accounts, but the frequent calls for
another bag Of meal, or corn, give them the
impression that piggy is a very expensive
animal. They do not like the bother Of
slauGhtering, of cutting up and sailing, of
curing and smoking hams. s. the pig stye
Is abolished. and they iorego the luxury Of
home made pork.
The writer confesseS penchant for this
Article so decided that he would continue its
manufacture, if he knew it cost a cent or
two pound more than the prime pork OF
the market. We have had occasionally 10
fall back on the market, with such unfrtu.
nate experience, that we were inclined to
eleve the stories about the unwholeSOme
ness of swine's flesh. The pork Of the
West, fattened wholly, or in part upon
mash, is certainly veIy different article
from that made in clean Stye, upon nicely
cooked Indian meal, with the Slips Of the
hnuse for q cnndiment and change Of diet.
This is always a wholesome article Of diet,
almost indispensable in housekeeping. 1t
always swells in the pot, and c0oks to ad.
vantage. What vera bIked b ans, or the
imperial dish Of succotash, without the
piece Of fat pork, unstreaked with lean
Your boiled chicken, or mutton leg, were
vanity without this accompaniment.
The family pig pays his way as well as
any other animal about the house, and it il
necessary link in economical housekeeping.
He saves all the wastes Of the table, and
turns them into nice lard and clean cuts Of
ham better than any sugar.cured articlefr frOm
Cincin1ati. The housewife, or cOOk, how.
ever wise or prudent, must have some waste
potato, bread, pudding, corn cakes and grid
dies, in imminent peril Of spelling. Piggy
saves them all as carefully as il they were
sixpences.
Then he Is m indu trious manufacturer,
turning every sod and weed thrown In the
~tye into gold. Give him the material and
he will make ut least ten dollars worth Of
manure in the course Of the season. With
plenty Of manure, there is no end 10 the
luxurics you can c,njure froIn the little
homestead Of an acre. To say nothing Of
dnzen kinds Of vegetables, the year round,
thtre are nice dishes Of strawberries, rasp.
berries, and the smaller fruits in summer;
grapes, pears, pearhes, and plums In autumn;
and apples for winter. These all spring
fiOm the contents Of the stye, and manure
can be made cheaper there than il can be
purchased. .ese
In May, villagers usually select pigs and
put them up to fattcn. Il Is o question
whether fall or spring pigs are the best for
this purpose. Pigs eight weeks old in May,
with good care, will each make $50 to 800
pounds Of pork BY Christmas. Wintered
pigs, weighing hundred, live weight, ought
70 make from four to Eve hundred pounds
of pork each By the same time They are
the more economical, but the pork Is not 80
delicate, and there Is . little more difficulty
in curing the hams. With good manage.
ment, we can rake pork from either, for far
less than FIVE cents a paund.