The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-02-13

ton and see if it won't pay you to vary
your field crops and raise tubers for
the Northern market. l am satisfied
it can be done and that at large
profit.
HOG KILLING AND PORK CURING.
The exceptional mildness of this
fast vanishing winter has rendered
the saving of pork a somewhat difficult
matter. The Oldest settler has some
difficulty in remembering a winter so
mild.
We have only had the temperature
below freezing twice and then only for
few hours.
On both occasions farmers killed
more or less of their "meat hogs" but
there still remains many "eating their
heads OFF, for the lack of weather cold
enough to slaughter them. A great
majority of those who killed their hogs
have lost most of their hams and
shoulders but generally saved the
sides. Those escaping loss are
credited with being lucky. Now l
don't believe in luck in farming or
even in hog killing, though there may
be something in it when it comes to
lottery. l would rather say that the
saved hams was the result of better
management on the part of their
owner or curer. l have not lost a
single joint of meat in ten years, and
if my plan is followed it will be found
II success. 1t is not necessary to wait
for a hard frost before killing, in
fact a hard frost rather retards
than helps the curing pro-
cess. Everything being ready
for hog killing wait till the tempera-
ture falls to-somewhere between 800
and 400 with the prospect of not ris-
ing higher for twenty-four hours, and
that will be at the beginning OF an
ordinary winter norther. Then, with
all dispatch, kill, clean and hang up
in place fully exposed to the cold
air. If the animal is extra large split
it in two. The object being to get the
animal heat out of the body as early
as possible. To insure this let it hang
out all night and cut up and pack
away early in tn e morning. In pack
ing away use plenty of fine salt and
see that no two pieces come in con-
tact. The pelvic bone should be re-
moved from the hams, the round
knuckle joint sawed off, the marrow
scooped out and the cavity filled with
salt and well pulverized saltpetre.
The tleshy part of both ham and
shoulder should be well rubbed with
the same mixture and an incision
should be made in the shoulder pene-
trating to the joint of the shoulder
blade and good dose of saltpetre
pressed into it,
Let the whole be packed away in u
dry, dark place and completely COW
cred with salt and in twenty or thirty
days the curing process will be COM
plete and satisfactory. | have still
two porkers to kill and fully expect to
save them.
SEED CORN.
The common practice with the av.
erage farmer is to wait till the day he
begins planting before selecting Lis
seed and then go to the crib and take
what first comes to hand.
In this part of Texas corn planting
is in full progress on March l, and
some goahead farmers anticipate that
date by two weeks and generally
come out ahead. We have got to
risk one of two things, late frost and
drouth. The former may come, but
the latter will with more or less
severity.
1t is wise not to carry all your eggs
in one basket, and equally SO to vary
the time of planting corn. If the croI
is planted at intervals of ten days from
February Is to March 10, some or all
of it will be in at the right time
Those who have delayed the selection
of their seed will find some trouble on
planting day to get enough for theil
purpose.
The weevil has done great damage
to our crop, and a sound ear of corn
is the exception.
AMERICAN HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATION
AS has been we'll announced in
these columns this association will
hold its biennial meeting in the cap
itol on the 18th and following days
This is an association of farmers Of
the first-class, whose lives and ener.
gies are devoted to the highest of all
agricultural pursuits, The subject;
on the programme for discussion
should be of interest to every intelli
gent farmer and fruit grower, and a:
the meetings are open to all and free
as the gospel, the farmers of Travi:
and adjoining counties should show
their appreciation of the event by at
tending in force.
The display of horticultural pro
ducts promises to be fine one in
spite of the unfortunate season OF the
wear for such an exhibition.
silk Dresses anu .New I5Onnets,
al haven't had silk dress since | was
married, nor new bonnet for three sea