The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-01-17
TOPICS FOR FARMERS.

Farmers as Pork Packers. We
have, says the Rural World, in former
years again and again urged farmers to
pack and cure and prepare for market
their own pork. The combinations
among the city packers. this winter to
pay only very low prices for pork, makes
it very important that farmers should
kill and cure their own hogs. 1t is true
last year the packers paid good prices,
and lost money. But this year they
have combined to pay low prices and
make money. They intend to make up
the losses of last year and double the
money they invest this year besides.
Now, if farmers can kill and cure hogs
as well as men in the city can, when the
pork is sold, they will double their
money, too. If one man can cure pork
well in the city, another man in the
country can cure it equally as well. But
he must try to qualify himself to do it.
He must talk with those who have good
success in curing meat, and draw out all
| the information he can. He must read
everything he can find on the subjet. He
must make the proper arrangements at
home for doing it well. He must learn
to cut and trim his bacon nicely. He
must keep it neat and in good order. He
must not have 1t too salt or too fresh.
He must get good receipt and try it
and his own experience may induce MIN
to modify it somewhat in future opera
tions. He must talk with his neighbors,
watch their practices, and perfect him
self in the business, and cure his pork as
well as any other man, and he can sell it
as well. When market day comes. if the
city packer makes money, he makes it
too. If the city packer loses money, he
does not, because he has produced, not
bought, his hogs-and well-cured work
will sell at paying prices always.
Good pork always buys work on the
farm. 1t always buys goods at the store
in town or city. 1t always commands
money, because people must eat. The
better the quality the better the price
the more easily it is sold. 1t is the best
that pays best. Put up your hogs. Don't
send them to the city and nearly give
them away. Deduct shipping expenses
commissions, ETC., and but little is left
Put up at home, and you have what
will command money all the time.
ROOsting Places.-Far less attention
is paid to providing suitable roostine
places for fowls and chickens than i
given to host of other and less impor
tant matters connected with poultry ant
poultry houses. We have seen neat
tasty poultry houses, which appeared
from an outside view, to be the mos
comfortable places fowls could wish for
yet an inspection of the inside revealed
the roosts from five to six feet high, ia
too high for heavy fowls. In Eye Older
times" when light bodied fowls wer
, the go, it did well enough to let then
roost high, especially as the hen hous
was not carefully closed at night to pre-
{ vent the visits of predatory rats. weasel
! and other animals with natural relisl
) for chickens in the rough. Now W
t have heavier fowls, are more particula
in regard to the condition of the plu
l mage, and take more pains with them
SO these aerial roosting places can readil
t be dispensed with, a substitute bein
= readily found in the now popular roost
l ing benches, which can be made bu
with small outlay of time, labor an
/ money, and are movable, permitting tn
[ fancier to move them wherever nece:
sary These benches can be made fror
| twelve to sixteen inches high and of tw
by one inch Stats. There is no regula
length for these benches, from five to 81
' feet being very convenient size, thoug
e if the compartment be not too wide, the
s can be made to conform to the width {
E the house, being careful to make thel
set true on the floor, with wide sprea
= legs we'll fastened on