The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1885-12-05
woodensbure, 4tn District.-"spare ribs


for dinner and sausage for supper" This is an
adage that is very applicable just now, great
many of the farmers and those also who are not
farmers, but who have from one to two, three and
| four hogs apiece, being generally engaged in
butchering about this time. Sometimes along
with the hogs comes in beef or what will be
beef after it is killed and prepared for slaughter.
| Some farmers and other persons having killings,
however, will not butcher yet for week or so and
some not till just the week before the holidays.
killing in this section usually consists of from
| four to six and perhaps dozen fifteen hogs,
and further back in the country from the thick
settlements and villages, on the large farms, as
many as twenty or thirty may be killed at per-
haps two or three different chickering's, it being
more convenient for their purposes of marketing,
| &C., to kill in this way.
1t would be useless, probably, to describe to the
readers of The UNION "butcherng- day" in the
country, if had the descriptive powers and pen
sufficiently facile to do it justice majority of
| them, no doubt are perfectly familiar with such
days. experienced one this week, or 1 may say
several, for it is generally two three days be-
| fore everything is finished up and the disagree
able smell of boiling fat and grease is got rid of.
1t was the first experience of the kind l have
| undergone for many years. and hence, suppose,
| the greater impression it made upon my mind as
| well as my olfactories. The experience will be
sufficient to last me for many years to come, unless
fortune compels me, and hope it will not, to
| dergo another However, it may be that persons
who annually are subjected to the experiences of
"butchering- day. learn to like them to take
them matters of course or necessary things.
| I conceive that butchering among farmers
which takes place but once every year, in early
winter or late fall is very different thing from
the occupation followed by the class of persons
called butchers who slaughter meat for the public
| or to supply the markets the year round. The
latter probably have many facilities for their trade
that make it less disagreeable to the indweers of
the residences those not directly engaged in
| the work that farmers do not possess. Butcher
ing day" also differs very materially from "wash
day, "ironing- day." or any Of those other days
that are supposed to make methodical farmers
life miserable, especially when he comes in from
laboring in the field and finds "dinner not quite
ready yet" on account of these
For weeks in the fall before the time arrives for
killing, the farmers and all others who have hogs
which they intend to kill are engaged in fattenng
them Corn and other food is thrown in to them |
in the pens where they confined, in reckless |
quantities, that would surprise them were they |
not too gluttonous to see, and appall them had
they the human faculty to understand that it is |
not for their good, but for "man's own selfish |
ends they thus fed and pampered. The |
amount of food and care lavished upon them is
unwonted and they unused to so much, and
yet they do not understand. During all these
weeks of fattening they are watched with eager |
eyes by the owner to that they "thrive," and |
y
about them, as they were from reasoning before |
by brute stupidity, else they had refused at all
to eat, and they no longer scarcely able to |
stand on account of their weight, neighbors are
proudly invited to see them, who probably have
been vieng in trying to make others belonging to |
them improve more. In fact, so intense and alb |
sorbing has become the swine subject by this time
among the farmers and neighbors that nothing |
else is heard, and soon ponderous stories OF big |
hogs begin to float on the air.
The weather now becomes subject of interest |
also, for fortunate if it be not intensely cod blow
ing, raining or showing on "butchering-day," for |
much of the work has to be done out doors, re- |
gardless of what the weather is. True, "butcher |
ing day will be delayed by some for the Fright |
sign Of the moon," but this is generally left now
to the purely supersttious, others paying but lit
tie attention to any other signs than their hogs
being in proper condition and suitable day hav- |
ing arrived. Fears of cholera may expedite some |
to kill earlier than they would otherwise do. which
is more rational, when that disease is prevalent |
around, than to delay killing when these condi-
lions have been reached because the "moon is not |
yet right"
1t is presumed all the necessary preparations of |
wood water, gambrels, shambles, barrels, etc., |
have been carefully made, and at last the day |
arrives 1t is sometime before daylight vet, but |
the fire is blazing high, iumining the darkness
and the gloomy sky in all directions. The fire |
crackles, the wood blazes and the stone and old |
pltCce VI run arc dIcduy uoSiuuiuS " SOs
The scene ia really weird. The swine, which are |
to be the victims of all these preparations, lie |
heavily snoring in the nearby sty, unsuspecting |
what will shortly happen to them. But daylight |
comes, and although there has been great deal
of hustle in getting ready" for an hour or two |
before, work now begins in earnest which is to |
continue all day, perhaps part of the night, and |
it may be for or two days to follow.
I will not attempt to detail this work, which is
mainly interesting to the disnterested observer
account of its disagreeabeness if compelled to be |
present all the time. I will only further note |
that the day has not grown very old before all the
hogs have been slaughtered and are hanging up |
with gambrels over pole or some other contri-
vance erected for the purpose. Then the prepa- |
rations for making the lard, sausage, buildings, |
&C.. is begun in the house, while the men make |
preparations for cutting up the meat, which is
perhaps to be sailed away in barrels for future |
use. All hands are busy, but the work to be done |
in connection with rendering the lard, making |
and stuffng the sausage, puddings, &C., is the |
most dsagreeable, there everything is so |
greasy and nauseous as to make one feel that he |
would rather not touch any pork again for IN age
to come. But as to the adage at the beginning of
this letter, it was think, very cunningly devised
by some expeditions worker or industrial econo-
mist, who was anxious to push the work ahead on |
"butchering day." for in order to have "spareribs
for dinner" it would be necessary for considerable
progress to have been made towards dissecting |
the hogs, and to have Sausage for supper"-both |
treats to the hungry workers-the days work |
would be passably done.
Mr.. John Yingling, for the past thirty years or
more sexton of the Reisterstown M. E.. Church. |
has resigned the position, and meeting of the
stewards of the church called for last Monday
night to elect his successor.
The postoffice at this place changed hands on |
last Tuesday morning. The mail messenger will
probably be dispensed with, the location of the
Office not being legal distance from the station.
Various opinions are expressed here to the
negro that was arrested by Mr.. Henry Bolty and
taken to Towsontown being the right person that
is wanted in the Sharpless murder case, in Penn
syvania. Some think he is not.
The frame of the Townsend Opera House, at
Gyndon, 1 have learned, was raised on last Tues
day. ANON.
Philopols, 9th District Baltimore Coun-
ty Grange held its regular meeting at Glencoe
Grange Hall, on the property of Mrs. Dickinson
Gorsuch, on the LIST instant, and the day was
pleasantly and proftably spent in the discussion
of several subjects of interest, including county
finances and the Maryland Grange Agency.
There was manifested spirit of unity and deter
mination to make the agency greater success
| than it has heretofore been. Favorable reports
| were received from the several Oranges in the
county. The attendance was good and the occa-
| sion one of much enjoyment. very acceptable
| address of welcome delivered by Miss Emma
stewart. A most D0untlIul repaSI was furnished
to all including substantias and delicacies, and
heartily partaken of. Mrs. Gorsuch was assisted
| by Misses Bette Pearce, Bessie and Annie Scott,
| Clara Merryman, Florence Matthews, Ella Tar
| bert and Others Among the visitors were Mr..
Edward Rider, Capt. Herman Of the Sheppard
Asylum; Mr.. A. c. Scott, Mr.. John P. Mays, Mr.
Samuel Brady, Mr.. VIM. S. Carroll, Mr.. Geo. H.
Merryman and Col. Chas. T. Cockey. The next
meeting of the County Grange will be held in
| Baltimore.
At the missionary meeting held at Union
Chapel, Sparks Station, addresses were delivered
by Rev. Edwin Small and Mr.. Edward Austen.
A collection for missionary purposes was taken
up.
| The Philomatharia Literary Society held an
interesting meeting on the evening of lst instant.
Miss Annie Beatty read the criticisms, and among
the other readers were Miss Maud Olive and
Messrs. Geo. C. Duncan, Albert Duncan, and
A. v. Parsons. Mr.. w. W. G. Stewart gave BIZ
| ographical sketch of Richard Baxter. S.
| Phoenix NJ q r R-0ur neiphhor Major