Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-02-24

Furthermore, the upper line Of the
ground water sinks below the level of
the drains, and the benefit OF this form
of drainage is realized by the soil above
them becoming favorably changed in
its general character and earlier and
better fitted for crops.-New York
World.
IMPROVED METHOD OF KILLING HOGS.
There is no necessity to have crowd
of men about, TO kill and dress a few
hogs. There is no reason why a farmer
with his dozen pigs may not make use of
the same mechanical appliances that are
used by the great slaughterers. Of course
it is not suggested that he should have
any costly apparatus, but there are some
readily made devices by which one man
may do as much as three or four, and,
with one helper, the dozen pigs may be
made into finished pork between break
fast and dinner, and without any excite
ment Or worry or hard work.
It is supposed that the pigs are in a
pen or pens, where they may be easily
roped by a moose around one hind leg.
This being done the animal IS led to the
door and guided into box, having a
slide door to shut it in. The bottom Of
the box is hinged lid. As soon IS the
pig is safely IN the box and shut in by
sliding down the back door, and fasten-
ing it by hook, the box is turned over,
bringing the pig on his back. The bot
tom Of the box is opened Immediately,
and one seizes hind foot, to hold the
animal, while the other sticks the pig in
the usual manner. The box is turned
and lifted off from the pig, which, still
held by the rope, is guided to the dress
ing bench. All this is done while the
previous pig is being scalded and dressed,
or at such a part of the work that as
soon as one pig is hung and cleaned, the
next one is ready for the scalding.
The scalding vat is wooden box with
a sheet iron bottom, so that small fire
may be kept under it to maintain the
proper heat of the water. This is $50
degrees Fab. or eighty-two degrees G.
Or the vat may be replenished with hot
water from an adjacent boiler. This vat
is placed close against the dressing table,
so the carcass may be rolled on to bar
rel table that is immersed in the hot
water the full depth. This barrel table
may be made in various ways. 1t may
consist of Stats, fastened at each end,
and the middle to chains, by strong sta
Piles, so that it is pliable, and the hog
may be embraced by it and easily turned
outtof the water by two short rope han
dies, or one attached to a pulley block
on a bar over it.
AS the carcass is dressed it is lifted by
a hook at the end of swivel lever
mounted on post and swung around to
the hanging bar, placed conveniently.
This bar has sliding hooks, made to re-
ceive the gambrel sticks which have
hook permanently attached to each SO
that the carcass is quickly removed from
the swivel lever to the slide hook on the
bar. The upper edge of the for is
rounded and smoothed and creased to
help the hooks to slide on it. This serves
to hang all the pigs on the bar until they
are cooled. If four persons are employed,
this work may go on very quickly, as
they may divide the work between them,
and one pig be scalding and cleaning
while another is being dressed. The en-
trails should be dropped into wheel
barrow, as they are taken from the
animal.
Where ten or twelve pigs are dressed
every year it will pay to have suitable
building arranged for it. An excellent
place may be made in the driveway be-
tween double corncrib, or in wagon
shed or an annex to the barn where the
feeding pen is placed. TIE building
should have stationary boiler in it, and
such apparatus as has been suggested,
and windlass used to do the lifting
American Agriculturalist.