The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-06-13
HOW to Have Good Wholesome pork

How to Have Good Wholesome Pork.
Prominent among those animals to
which, as agriculturalists, we must ac-
cord very high economical Importance
is the hog. He holds an. honored place
in every civilized community as soon as
he is dead. though while living. he is
stigmatised as the very type. of I'M
cleanliness, and surrounded with dis
gushing associations.
The hog has the reputation of being
a dirty fellow, but we should remem-
Der that he likes to be dirty in his
own way, and for his own pleasure /;
he neither prefers to live in cold filth,
or to eat it.
Good, sweet bacon is always desira-
BILE, and can be obtained by taking
little pains on the part of those who
feed and cure their own meat.
A hog viii thrive according to the
feed you give it. 1t will make pork ac-
cording to the quality of the food.
Thus corn is better than other grain /;
old corn is better than new corn. Beach
nuts will make soft oily pork the
acorn bitter, it is said and we know
that it Is matter of worldwide no
toriety that Offal spoils pork.
How is it then with the pen, reeking
constantly with odors, the hog wallow-
ing in its own filth
Here is an aspect that we overlook.
There is more or less of the excretia of
the animal taken with its food. Some
times, and this we have seen often, the
trough is water ed and lined with it, the
animal urinating in the trough.
Now all this has a decided effect upon
the pork, which is from necessity more
or less tainted with it. We are not eat
ing good pork. We are not keeping it
well such pork will not keep. The
difficulty is laid to the putting down. or
to some other cause, when it is In a
great measure, and sometimes wholly,
owing to the manufacture the putres-
cent matter is absorbed in the feeding.
To prevent all this, or at least in a
great measure, so as to get fair, and
what we may deem a good quality of
pork, there must be cleanliness. And
the hog has still some of the original
politeness left which no doubt distin-
guished him ere he had taken to the
ditch. He will select clean dry place;
and it is this trait that must be taken
advantage of. He must be permitted
to have place where he can be clean
and dry, but also cool, or he will wal
low. A separate apartment to sleep or
rest in the surest way. He will seldom
foul his sleeping apartment, particular
ly if straw is put in and changed as of
ten as required This he will have as
his parlor. And it is your business to
see that the other compartment is kept
free from odors and moisture this by
using absorbents. Dried muck is a
common resort. Dried saw-dust is also
good and even ground-anything that
will take up odors and moisture. Use
ground that is dry, or dust from the
road.
In fattening our hogs for several
years we have adopted the following
plan: Everything fed to our hogs,
while fattening, is cooked, but nothing
is ground. To one bushel and q half
| of potatoes (washed) we add three pecks
of dry corn in the kernel, and then with
a liberal supply of water in kettle al
most steam tight, we cook for at least
three hours. The kernels are then
three or four times their original size,
| and the potatoes are mush; and when
thoroughly mixed the dish is as accept
| able as can be presented to lot of fat
tening hogs. And as every particle of
the food is Cor can be- reduced to a
paste by the slightest mastication,
much more by the action of the stomach,
there can be little if any loss.
An addition of a few quarts of rye
and an occasional peck of oats, making
little variety, is always judicious
plan; either of which are as easily
cooked as.the heavier and larger kernels
of corn. Fed in this way, there will be
little difficulty about keeping your
pork. 1t will almost keep itself, and it
will be sweet, and solid, md healthy.
Kill your hogs the very first col
spell after the middle of November. Tt
is a mistaken idea, that to save your
pork you @ust have extreme cold wealth
er. Pork should never freeze after kill
ing. You can never make good bacon
of frozen hogs. If the weather is suf-
iciently cold to form ice, if only one
fourth of an inch thick, it is cold
enough. Kill in the morning, and
clean we'll, wash down with warm water,
then with cold; let your hogs hang on
the pole all night.-AnaericGn Stock
Journal.