Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1867-11-30
From the Germantown Telegraph !
Domestic SSSu1chery.',

IA correspondent asks us to reprint tho following
which was written for the Telegraph some years
ago. We comply cheerfuy, as it contains excellent
suggestions.-ED.
Killing hogs is business in which the
whole farming community is interested, and
perhaps small proportion fully acquainted
with. 1t is termed "butchering," and often
carried on in butchering style, while it is u
business worthy of being conducted in a
decent and scientific way. l do not propose
going into long programme of telling how
to catch hog, and how to hold him, etc.
but to throw out few hints only.
Do not suffer the hog to be run and wor
ried by men, boys and dogs, getting his
blood and flesh heated, just before he is kill
ed. | believe this is one cause ofmeat spoil
ing. Sometimes we drive hog or two to
neighbours, so as to "kill together" MS it
is termed, making use of the same force.
same fire and other hxings; and we have
known the hams and shoulders of hogs thus
driven to come out a little "short" before
the next summer was over.
Let the hog be killed with as little noise,
and worriment and excitement as possible.
A JerSeyman has one man TO go into the
pen, selects his first victim, and shoots him,
or with broad-laced hammer Qike q shoe,
makers hammer,) knocks down the hog,
Others drag out, and 90 to scalding And
so on, with n large number of hogs.
"Scalding machines" have become very
common, and are good institution; but
everybod has not got one, and still use
tubs. like the tub, and want nothing bet
| ter TOR ordinary times but want q ropo
and tackle, and one or two hands to help to
work the hog. | would not allow hog
put into hot water while there is o sign of
! life in him but when dead, make an open
! ing to tue gambrail strings and hook in,
hoist the hog and dip him head and shoul-
ders into the scald do rot let him remain
more than a second or two, lest his hair
''sets :" hoist him and air him, and If need
| fu, dip him again and again till the hair
comes off freely; then hook into the lower
jaw, and scald the hinder parts. ike slow
scalds the best, as less likely TO "set the
hair" While the hind parts are getting
scalded, the face may be cleaned. Too little
attention is generally given to cleaning the
head. as also the feet, leaving them for the
women to worry over by the hour in some
cold out. kitchen. AS soon as the hog IS
hung up and washed of, let the head be
taken off, and set upon barrel or block,
and regularly shaved and cleaned.
And now, while speaking of the head, |
want to say how cut up head. | lay 1t
on its side and take of the jowel (or lower
iaw,O then saw down across the face, just
above the eyes, but careful to run into the
eve sockets, and on through, leaving the
eyeballs without gouging the eyes out OF the
face piece; then without farther separating
of the parts, starting between the ears saw
up and down wise, not caring to extend
farther down towards the snout than to the
saw mark across the face, but clean through
at the other end. Now, having done with
the ears for handles, cut them off, thei
take out the brains for pickling-skin tht
sEout, and take off the flesh for scrapple, anC
throw the nasal organs away. The face
are to be corned. | use saw but never al
. axe in cutting up "a hog, consequently tn
: meat is clear of splinters and chips of bones
In "chining hog" to cool, saw down tn
| ribs instead of hacking them with ha;ch'
c or cleaver. A small-s sized hog hook, flatteI
I ed, answers very well for taking off tho hoo
and toe nails of o porEcr; or YOU may use
# pair of pinchers.