The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-12-23
COnveniences That Paw.

On most farms only SO many hogs
are butchered annually as are required
for home consumption. The bulk OF
the hog crop is sold ON foot either to
drovers or shippers. The fact that most
of the pork raised in our country is
killed and cured at the great packing
establishments accounts in part for the
fact that farmers those who raise
the best of hogs-have few if any con-
veniences for butchering and are but
poorly advised as to best ways and
means of oaatting up. packing and cur
ing the meat. The consequence is that
butchering days are excessively disa-
greeable and disgusting ones to every
body concerned, and dreaded more than
any other season on the farm. Now,
while this work can never be rendered
agreeable small expenditure of time
and money secures facilities that great
~ ameliorate its repulsive features and
renders the labor comparatively easy.
1t pays each farmer, whether he has
few or many hogs, to provide himself
with scalding vessels, gambrels, scat
folds. sharp knives, etc. As soon as
tho hogs are sufficiently fattened every
preparation should be made to take adj
vantage of the first suitable weather for
this most onerous of duties. Nothing
that can be accomplished before should
be left to be done In the hurry and con-
fusion attendant on butchering day.
A barrel or cask Is very poor and
insufficient vessel in which to scald q
hog. Something less circumscribed is
required for good work, to say nothing
Of the difficulty of keep sufficiency OF
water at anything like the proper tenn
perature in it. A good scalding vessel
within the reach of the average farmer
consists of q heavy box six or seven feet
long, 80 inches wide at the top and
"a inches deep, with sides somewhat
flaring. This should be provided with
a sheet-iron bottom well supported on
the under side and set over q stone or
brick foundation in which there is q
chamber for making sufficient fire to
to readily heat.the water in the vesse.
above, and by which it can be kept
thoroughly heated for the length Of
time required by any number of hogs.
At its rear end should be q pipe or
chimney, and the sides may be banked
up with earth. On the bottom of the
vat must be laid wooden strips, on 3
Slated frame to prevent the hog from
coming in direct contact with the iron
bottom. When this or similar vessel
is not practicable, . box sunk into
the ground. or hogshead partly
let into the ground and slightly
inclined, will answer, though difficulty 10
experienced with such arrangements
in keeping the water ut the right
temperature. With the latter arrange
ment stout poleor rail scaffold sloping
up'from the scalding vessel to q, height
ofthrcs feet will facilitate the opens
ton Ut lifting and cleaning the carcass.
When the scalding vessel first described
is employed it will be well to build .
strong platform about six feet wide and
eight feet long ON level with the top
of the vat ON one side, from which Il,
ascald the hogs, and upon which they
are to be cleaned after scalding At
che rear end Of this the ground should
be graded up even with the platform,
or q sloping plstform built to facilitate
getting the hogs onto the main platform
after they have been killed. For con-
venience in lowering the hogs into and
|, lifting out Of the scafding water two or
more ropes eight feet or 60 long are
secured to the side Of the platform next
the water, and resting oa these the car
cass Is lowered OF raised with compara-
tive ease by two or three men. The
|-posta or forks should be 30 ret that q
strong pole resting on them VIII be In
part over the platform about six feet
from the ground, and on this the hogs
can be hung and clipped along toward
either end out Of the way after they
nave been thoroughly scraped aud
rinsed DOWN. T. World,