The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-12-18
THOUGHTS F0RTHEFARM
WORK FOR THE GOOD FARMER
IN DECEMBER.

IN DECEMBER.
..cnlc Timely Suggestions trem High
Authority = Profitable Reading for
Everr TiIlcr OF the Soil.
Southern Cultivator.
Practically, December is only three
fcurshs Of Incoth, and sometimes it
amounts to but q few days, when est,
mated by the farm worE; accomplished.
The negroes, and possibly others besides,
have already caught the fe-cr of czpec-
| tation which fcretel5 tie com: re- holiday
| festivities, trolics ard family ,cunious.
The month may be c"'!ed the Saturday
afternoon of the year. when cvcry ore is
inclined to slacken his energies and 10
prepare for season Of rest from labor
and indulgence in social enjoyment.
Aside from the exccsses n which the
sensual indulge, Christmas is a social in
stitutiou to be commended and perpetu-
ated. After years hard labor, through
storm and heat, aud drought and cold
a year of alternating hopes and fears,
lows and sorrows, successes and failures,
the industrious farmer may rightfull7
claim 2 respite from toll, and devote a
few days 10 ministering to the pleasures
Of himself. his family and his neighbors,
not forgetting tie stranger, the poor, the
| homeless and the sick.
But there is work Of substantial
and necessary character that may yet be
accom- p!isilcd. Seed time and harvest
have passed away, so far as concerns the
vegetable products Of the farm, but
there are
ODDS AND ENDS
Of the waning year that should be
gathered up, that nothing be lost" F" We
trust that every farmer will close up his
business, settle his debts by payment or
satisfactory adjustment, and be prepared
20 begin the New Year with nothing to
embarass his efforts.
KILLING HOGS.
The characteristic work of the month
is "hog killing" and happy is the man
whc has pen full of porkers ready for
the knife and the yawning "smoke-
house" The hogs ought to he fat
enough to kill early iu December. In
deed, II they had proper attention during
the past summer and fall, the first cold
spell in November should have been the
signal for slaughter and the harbinger of
.-ra..:-its and backbones, sausages and
Trains, etc. The art Of butchering hogs
If cDe in which considerable skill can be
displayed, although as often practiced il
has given rise to the reproachful terms
mere butcheryn-as applied to any
,, operation unskilfully performed.
First, get everything ready, presumirg
the hogs to be fat. Have plenty o!
water, plenty of fuel, sharp knives,
tables. platforms or shelves for spreading,
good "gailows" and gambrels, plenty
of clean, coarse salt and little saltpetre
A large kettle ls the best appliance fol-
securing hot water. Have thermome
ter to test the water. Commence to xii
by the 'break of day." by simply stick
ing each hog with long, keen knife
5 Every one of the 5000 hogs killed pei
day in the Amour packery in Chicago, j:
S simply stuck with knife and permitted
to bleed to death.
: The water should be about the temper
j., ature of 1909 Farenhet-not under 150'
nor over 1T0o. This is found to be The
. proper degree Q60) after repeated tests
3 A little tar added to the water, help:
I wonderfully in removing the hair. Clear
i, off every hair and patch of scurf, apc
] wash and scrape clean a-fore 'openiDg'
the carcass. Commence "cutting out
as soon as the last hog is disembowelled
Trim the hams neatly, rounding them g.
the upper end and removing all surplu:
far and ragged meat. Cut the sides Of
niddlings as large as possible, leave The
shoulders ctr1espondingly small. Pu
out the strip of tenderlon that lies alone
the upper edge of each "middling," fol
sausage meat, or immediate consumption
Gs is worthless when dry salted anc
curcd); AND also the thick edge of firm
fat that lies underneath the lean strip
for lard. Take out the ribs, or most o.
them. Now rub the flesh side of each
ham aud shoulder with salt, and lay il
skin down on shelf or platform in {
cool, shady and airy place, sprinkling
thin layer O: salt over the surface. Next
morning. before day, commence to sail
down in light half hogsheads or barrels
putting layer Of middlings at the bot
tom, filing all the open spaces with jowl:
and salt. Before packing down put 6
small teaspoonful:.ssof saltpetre on each
ham if you wish them to be firm and red
Use plenty of salt, leaving no vacant
spaces between the pieces of pork.
We forbear any further details, but beg
the farmer to give the good wife al
needed assistance, in the way of labor
and material, that may be required in the
lard, sausage and pig feet department.
Next month we may continue the topic
and include the dry-curing by smoking
rEE MANURE HEAP.
Ghis is as good time as any to com,
mence the process of manure making. II
should be considered that very large
part of the elements CT fertility that
have been removed from the soil by the
crops of grain, hay and other food crops
consumed by the animals of the farm,
reappear in the liquid and solid excre.
nents. The making Of domestic manures
consists mainly in procuring these ele-
mehts of fertility and restoring them to
the soil whence they. were removed by
the crops.
The growing of food crops, the saving
of their manure and restoring it to the
soil, is beautiful illustration of the law
of compensation and restitution An in
dividusl particle Of phosphoric acid, lime
or potash may possibly make the circuit
from the soil, through the grain, into the
living animal tissue, thence to the
manure heap ahd hack again to the soil
dozens of times in the course of farm
orc cnltivation Of Grain farm First If