Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-04-07
Pork Keeps Its Place.

Great alarm was manifested a few
months ago by the raisers and shippers
OF pork when the news was received that
American pork products were excluded
from several European countries. 1t
was thought that this action by itself
would result in lowering the price of
pork very considerably, and that It
would so prejudice people in this coun-
try that there would be less pork con-
sumed ut home. Some farmers who had
raised many hogs concluded that it was
time to substitute cattle and sheep for
them, as hereafter beef and mutton
would take the place of pork on Ameri-
can tables. For some time sensational
reports were circulated in our own pa
perS sbout the injurious effects of eating
pork. But the alarm they excited was
soon over. The market, too, very quick
ly adjusted itself, and pork, hams, ba-
con, and lard were higher than before.
1t must be evident to every careful OBJ
server that pork-raisipg will be profta-
BILE in the future rs it has been in the
past. The foreign outlet for pork may
be closed and remain closed for al.
time, but the vast outlet for it at home
will remain open. Nearly all persons
relish beef and poultry, and many do
mutton, but for Il steady diet the great
majority of American citizens prefer
pork. Pork is the favOrite meat food
of persons who work, and we are work
Ing people.
There are many things that commend
pork to persons of small means who
work for their living, as most Americans
do. The dressed hog may be cut and
cooked almost without loss. Even the
head, feet and tail, make excellent food.
The proportion of bone in pork is very
small compared with beef or mutton.
The meat is highly favored, and may
be eaten with relish without condiments.
Different parts of the hog have different
flavors, and afford variety. Pork can
be cooked easier and cheaper than beef
and mnttOn, as it contains an abun-
dance of fat. Butter is not necessary
to cook or flavor it. The fat extracted
by the cooking process affords one of
the best substitutes for butter. On these
and many more accounts pork is more
economical than beef or mutton. The
value of beef and mutton is greatly i'm
paired by any process of curing, but
this is not the case with pork. The
flavor of pork is improved by the en-
ployment of salt and smoke. Pork can
be more advantageously stored away
than any other kind of meat. Most
laboring persons desire hot meat for
supper, and pork can be easily cooked
by frying it in its own fat. Pork is
more easily transported than beef or
mutton, and is more easily preserved.
1t is preferred for food by lumbermen,
out and do their own cooking. The
statement advanced by a distinguished
German chemist that fat meats are not
desired by persons living in warm eli
mates appears to be contradicted by all
who reside for any great length of time
in tropical countries. Pork is the favor
ite meat food in the West Indies, as it is
in Central and South America.
AS pork keeps its place on the table,
so hogs keep their place on the farm
Take the seasons as they go, there is as
much profit in keeping hogs as any AM
mails that are raised ON farms. Hogs
increase rapidly and mature early. 1t
takes but q short time to raise 4 large
stock of them. 1t costs but a small sum
to fit up farm for keeping hogs. No
large or expensive buildings are required
for their protection, as they will live and
thrive and grow if they have only mod
crate protection against the cold and
wet. Hogs devOur and use to advantage
Df hn fa of no 70
They consume all the buttermilk and
skinned milk produced in the dairy,
the leavings of the table, the imperfect
and decaying fruit of the orchard, the
poor potatoes and garden vegetables,
and the offal of the house, barn. and
stable. During the summer hogs will
live and make good growth on grass
and clover. They will eat larger num-
Der of substances than any kind of stock
kept on farms and will generally make
q better return for them in shorter
time. Farmers who are largely engaged
in raising cattle for beef find it to their
advantage to keep and feed hogs in con.
nection with them. A pig will grow
and fatten on the waste of a steer, and
its meat will be a matter of clear gain to
the owner.
Hogs are cleanly and well-disposed
animals when allowed an opportunity to
keep themselves in a comfortable and
neat manner. The expression "as dirty
as pig" originated with man who
never allowed his pigs an opportunity to
keep themselves clean. He kept them
in a close sty and made them wallow
eat, and sleep in their own manure
The pig is addicted to bathing, and will
take to water 'sas naturally as duck
if it only has q chance. If the water il
clean the pig will be clean when he
comes out Of it. The pig is the only
large domestic animal that will builC
himself bed and keep it clean. 1t i:
almost the only animal that will deposit
its solid and liquid droppings at dis
tance from the place where it eats and
sleeps. In these and many other re
spects the pig is far more cleanly ami
NAL than the horse, cow, or sheep. L
half as much pains were taken to keeI
pigs clean as is taken to keep horses and
cattle so, they would be at all time.
models of cleanliness. Hogs are easily
kept, if the right course is taken with
them. They will live in a suitable pas
ture during the summer as well as cows
and they will harvest much that they
eat at other seasons of the year. They
will eat the rye, oats, wheat, or barley
in lodged field so that very little is lef
to sprout up after they are removed
from it. They will dig artichokes ant
potatoes cleaner than most men will
and will dispose of all the grains of corr
left by the huskers. The pig is as do
cile as any animal kept on farm, will
the exception of the dog, and his repu
tation for obstinacy, like that of th'
mule, is largely owing to the bad man
ner in which he is brought up.-Chicag
Times.
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