The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-07-03
Whole Corn for Fattening.

A Rhode Island correspondent of the
Boston Journal says that the reason
Rhode Island turkeys are worth three
cents per pound more in market than
any others is because these turkeys are
fattened, especially in the south part of
that state, on hard Indian corn instead
of meal, barley, oats or other kinds of
food, and because they are picked with
out being scalded in hot water, and
their inwards removed Immediately.
There is almost as much difference in
the bird prepared in this way and one
that is fed otherwise and dipped into
hot water Ito save two minutes labor in
picking), and then left to swelter a week
with its inwards undrawn, as is the case
with most that are brought to the New
York, Phi ade!phia and other markets,
as there is between q woodcock and a
crow.
So, too, if hog be fed solely on hard
corn and water, its meat will be as far
superior 10 that fatted on meal or other
soft food as real pure Orange county is
to distillery or swill milk. Why are
Cincinnati hams so celebrated? Is
their superiority owing to the method
of curing them solely? By no means,
but more to the quality of the flesh,
which is made entirely from the juices
of sweet, hard wild nuts and unground
Indian corn.
Take turkey that has a free, wild
range, where grasshoppers are plenty
in their season feed it we'll with Indian
corn and sweet apples only Off the lat
ter are handy until December; shut it
away from food for twenty-four hours,
then (handling the sacred thing tender
ly) tie a stout cord around its legs and
hang it to spike in the beam under
your barn; let one artist hold its wings
firmly in each hand, while another gent
" bleeds it at the throat; pick it dry
while warm draw its inwards ditto !;
let it hang in cool place for two nights
only roast it before bright, hot wood
fire, turning the spit often to keep the
juices from congesting on the surface or
elsewhere; set it on table garnished,
if your fancy or nature WILL with
woodcock, canvas backs, rail and ortolan,
and if you once get taste of that tur-
key you will let every other delicacy
before you go to the dogs rather than
desecrate your palates with trash so in
ferior to that king of all game, a corn
fed, dry-dressed, well-cooked Rhode
Island turkey.
So, too, take a twelve-months' old
barrow, place him in a roomy, sunny
pen, keep him wholly on hard corn and
pure water, with occasionally little
salt, until he is fat kill and dress him
nicely, and salt the chimes down with
plenty of Turks Island salt within
thirty-six hours of his exit, and you
will have pork to eat with your capon
that is firm, transparent, rosy, sweet
and delicate So, again, take the hams
of such a hog, cure them well with
blown salt and saltpeter, smoke them
with clean fresh corn-cobs and nothing
else Getting them cool off nights until
they attain the complexion of hazel
nut, or of one of Titian's most char
acteristic portraits a trife subdued.
Then boil it slowly, and when thor
oughly done let it stand a night in the
liquor, and you will have the only
thing of beauty that is worthy to be
eaten off the same plate with your
Rhode Island turkey, and equal to the
best Westphalia, North Carolina. New
bold or Cincinnati bacon.