Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-02-28
ROUND-UPS.
rrcnty Years Experience in Curing
pocon in Texas and the Results.
49,. refrigerator Talk Pad Prospects In
yevsda--h- rereft' Of Good RE
General Livestock Notes.

,r,are has been considerable complaint
49,. uinier OF the loss of bacon by the
uor,, weather in Texas. and it appears
.no. some farmers are discouraged.
,rs.ra Is DO reason why this should be the
oose. The loss of pork by warm weather
;, the resul: of carelessness or want of in
,ormation as to how it should be handled.
,aoon s made in st. Louis, Chicago and
varsas City during the summer months,
and there is not the slightest reason why
IL the hogs killed in Texas during q
rintpr season cannot be saved.
GAZETTE reporter, knowing that
uoi K. N. VanZandt had for a number
If wears been putting up his own bacon,
called on him yesterday and engaged him
in conversation on the subject.
ayes, - said that gentleman in answer
- the reporters question, al have been
Killing my own hogs and making my
osp bacon for about twenty years in
Teras. and l have had no trouble what
ever with my meat. l put up about six
thousand pounds of meat this year,
killing the hogs in December and jan
nary. and will not lose piece of 1t.
Lew there has been considerable COM
nlaint from different parts OF the state of
meat lost Oh account OF the warm
weather. This is a mistake. 1t is not
,r- warm weather so much as careless
ness and false economy that causes this
loss. Bacon can be made in Texas just
rs easily as il can elsewhere if the meat
is properly handled.
''Wbat process do you use IN curing
Dacon:
"a very simple one which, IL it was
generally followed would end the COM
plafEts Of meat lost on account of warm
weather. II must rememb ered, first,
tbet salt IS much cheaper than pork, and
il is unwise 10 be sparing in the use of it
when Won do so at the risk of losing your
meat. Plenty of salt properly used will
IN all cases enable farmer TO save eli
his bacon; q niggardly use of it will in
many instances result in the loss of both
suit and meat.
''My plan is this, and when l looked
after il myself It has never failed to be a
success: On the evening OF the day my
meat is killed, without waiting for ii 10
freeze or get cold, as many people do, l
cut the hogs up while the meat is yet
soft and full of animal heat, and spread
It out in the open air, SO that no two
pieces touch each other. I then sprinkle
it with salt ana leave it there until early
next morning, by which time the animal
heat has left the meat and the salt has
been absorbed. 1 then, before the sun
b,s ety. ,f.l- mi oil M
salt. preparatory TO packing it away in
8 box which l have prepared especially
for this purpose. The boxes have a
slanting bottom with an opening at the
lower end Tor the purpose of letting
any brine that may be created
escape, leaving both the salt and
the meat in the box dry. In packing
he meat l first lay thick layer of salt
at the bottom, and on that lay layer
of sides so that no pieces will come in
contact with each other Or touch the
sides Of the box. Next comes another
thick layer Of salt, followed by layer
of hams, laid as the sides were laid, and
so on, salt and meat alternating until
the box is nearly full, heavy layer of
salt topping it all. / let il lay in this
salt about three weeks before hanging
1t up.
''This is my process. and as 1 have
stated 10 you, have not in twenty
years, when l saw to the covering of
the meat myself, lost a single piece. 1t
IS better process than brine, for the
reason that the brine detracts a good
deal from the sweetness OF the meat. If
farmers would adopt this process and
handle their meat carefully they would
never have to complain OF meat lost by
warm weather. -