The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-01-10


fold all that is necessary is to pass the
stick over an arm.
have used rope and tackle is butch
c,ing and do not consider them worth
the cost and trouble to the ordinary
farmer. Where a score of hogs is to be
killed it would probably be profitable
to provide it. As soon as the hog is
hung the head should be taken off and
the stomach, insides, etc, removed. In
set stick six or eight inches long in
tie lips of the belly to keep them apart,
s. that the flesh may cool rapidly.
Wash the body, inside and outside,
clean. Then dash couple of buckets
cold water against the inside. Do
not take the carcasses down to cut them
up till they are thoroughly cooled. Do
not use dull knife in cutting, Smooth,
clean cut edges are desirable. Saw the
b mes; you can not strike true enough
with a clcaver to make a good job.
have often been tod that putting
handful of ashes into the scalding water
would aid in loosening the hair. | have
several times tried it but am not pre-
pared to say that it is of much benefit
/ never had any trouble in getting the
HAIR loose without it, and it makes the
meat all the harder toget clean. In re-
moving the lard from the intestines a
knife should not be used. You are al
mo t certain to cut more than you
wanted to, and cutting is slow
way to remove the lard. With little
practice you can pull it Off much faster
and not break anything. To do this,
however, is quite an art, and can not
tell YOU Just how it is dOEe. | can only
tell YOU to take the gut in one hand and
pull the lard loose with the other. clutch
ing the lard SO that your fingers break
it loose to start with.
Some people do not like to eat the
liver. They say they DO not like its
taste, and others say it is not clean. |
do not see why it should not be as clean
as any other part of the body. Take a
piece OF it and smear the lower parts OF
the trunks of the young orchard trees.
This will prevent rabbits from nihbling
the bark. have tried this for several
years, and it is the only effective pre-
, ventive | have found. Ii you have
washed the body clean, as you should,
there is no need to remove the skins be-
fore rendering the lard. Some people
remove the skins and render them
separately If you are clearly about
your work tie skins are as clean as the
| rest. You can cut lard and sausage meat
into BITS more rapidly with cleaveI
than with a knife.
1 think that many farmers put toe
| much fat into the sausage meat. Ii
makes the sausages too oily and strong
They do not like bacon, and so ut up
half or more of the sides and put them
into the sausage. This spoils it. If you
| do not like to eat fat pork you would dc
better to sell it than spoil the sausage
with it. Whether the sausage meat
should be ground only once or oftener
| depends upon the grinder. If good
one, ard the knives are sharp. one
grinding is enough Each one must
| season the sausage to suit the taste OF
his family. Putting sausage in skins"
is nonsense. 1t does not add to the cx.
| cellence, and makes much additional
| disagrccable work. Pack the sausages
down in stone Jars and they will keep
| till warm weather Make into cakes
with the hands as needed to fry. If YOU
wish to keep any till summer fry it in
cakes and pack them in a stone jar.
Then pour melted lard in the jar till it
| covers the sausage to the depth of an
inch Keep il dry, cool pla e. Saul
>a~es SO treated viii keep for year a.
| pure, sweet and fresh a the cay they
were made.
Some people put a bucket cf water
into the Kettle when they render o,t
ktrd to keep il from scorching. | have
never found this necessary. Do not
make the fire too hot at first, and stir
| the lard Semi-GccaS Onallv. Lard should
not be 1t all scorched. 1t may be
scor, he'd slightly and not be noticed at
The time. but it will make it rancid in u
| short time. Tin Us ms good as earthan
ware to keep lard IN. There is nothing
about lard that viii dissolve the tin. as
the ac ds OF some fruits will. When the
meat is cut INTO pieces spread it out on
boards in the cellar. This is generally
done in the evening of butchering day.
Rub a little dry salt over the ends of
the ones, and sprinkle salt very light
ly over the meat, Leave it till morn
ing. Then rack it CLOSELY in layers,
putting layer Of dry salt one-eighth OF
an inch thick between each two layers
Of meat The meat must not be frozen
when packed
Leave it in this shape for two days.
Then make brine so strong that it will
bear fresh egg. A part of the egg as
large as silver quarter should appear
above the brine. Cover the meat with
this brine. The meat should be weighted
down with stones on boards resting on
| the meat Leave the meat in the brine
for five to seven weeks, according to the
size If the pieces Then take it out and
hang it in the smoke-house With the
first warm days Of spring smoke it with
hickory chips. find that most farmers
smoke their meat too much. | should
say that thirty-six hours of good smok-
ing is enough. If you can make the
smoke-hOuse dark you can leave the
meat hanging in ii all summer. Ifnot,
take it down and pack it in clean timo,
thy hay in boxes or barrels. 1t will
keep all right, 1t will do no hurt tC
put few pieces of charcoal between
the pieces. This is the best way know
of to cure meat upon the farm, and
have tried several. Some of my neigh.
bors pack it in ashes instead of hay, but
/ much prefer hay. 1t should be kept
in dry, airy place or it will mould.
am never troubled with shippers"
am clearly about handling the meat
try to have no ragged edges, and have
a good dark smoke-house where let il
hang all summer.
like this way of sailing it. 1t pre-
serves the flavor of the meat well. It is
worth while for the farmer to butcher
and cure his pork in the right way
Bread may be the staff of life-what We
lean on-but pork is what drives u;
farmers on. Good, juicy, sweet ham OIL
bacon, like; but dry, salty, or insipit
pork abhor. sincerely hope that the