The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-09-23
THE ltAXOR-BACIk HOG.
Georgia and South Carolina Can Pro
ducc rs Fine Hams as Virninia's
Celebrated Smithiirld Variety.

Georgia and South Carolina Can Pro
uucc rs Fine Hams as Virsinia's
Celebrated Smithnrld Variety.
The raHor-back hog OF the South has
DHcn, alter years Of sectional calumny
nnd misrepresentation, vindicatcd SUI
pcrhly by tho Unitcd States govern
mcnt. The agricultural department
at washington, IN its bulletin issues
H. and l3, pays nobic tribute to tho re-
nowncd Smithlicld, Virginia hams,
and, incidentally, to the traditional
razor- back hog, from which thoy arc
manufactured.
The fame Of tho Smithfcld ham is
wei established, says the report, It's
"on'y rivni' being the celebrated
Westphalia ham, which many consider
to be INFERIOR" The name is dci ivcd
from small town on Pagan creek,
about thirty miles from Norfolk, Va.
is reputation began about one hun
drcd years ago with the hams cured
by Mr.. Todd, OF Smithticld. It's sale is
extensive, extending to all the larger
cities OF the Union where good hams
produced yoarly 90 to EIropc to meet
the demand OF conuUisscurs Of the old
world. Much Of tho product is sold i'm
Eng land and France to private parties,
who order the + hams "beforc the crop
is cured"
"lt is impossible" say the report,
Ito mako good ham from Western
hog 1t has been tried. Western
hams have been cured by the Smith
neId process, but without good result.
Western pigs have been imported and
lattcncd rs well Us cured at Smithliuld,
but all TO no purpose. The meat was
unsatisfactory, being coarse compared
with the Local product. .otrar &c to say
The anlmaI which produces the incom-
parable "Snithiield ham" is the ''raHor-
back hog, scmi-wild fricndlCss. not
TO say odiOus, variety which is found
IN the mountains OF Virginia, Kentucky
and Tennessee. This variety is de-
scribed as "long-noscd, sIab-sidcd and
like Il race HORSE" with legs Of extra
ordinary length. 1t has bad name
among farmers who breed fine stock,
but ior ham it has no equal,
Much depends on the proper feeding
ana upon the curing OF the
hams. For time in the youth Of the
"raHor- r-bAck' he is allowed in the SUM-
mur TO run wild III tho woods and gain
thus II gamcy flavor, when lie is turned
into fields from which crops have been
gathered, where he begins TO luttcn
Oi this fattcning process the report
says
= In The fall whom the crop has been
EathcrCd the hogs arc turned into the
corn fields. III these fields every other
row has been planted with black-cycd
peas and the hogs are allowed 20 gather
these and the small corn that has been
left in the field. When turned into
these fields they arc very thin. The
lccd hh"y get There causu5 tii';in TO DC
gin 10 lattcn rapidly. AS the potatoes
arc gathered the hogs arc allowed to
follow in these fields and got the small
potatoes that arc left. In the district
which produces the most Smithicld
mans there are q great many sweet
potatoes and peanuts raised and the
hogs are allowed free access TO thes,
heius as soon as tho crops arc gathered
The potatoes, and particularly tn,
peanuts, add lat with astounding rapid
NY, but the fat is vcry soft. Pcanu
lat IN particular has a translucent, oil,
character, " which from its tendency t(
drip when the hams are hung up causes
II great shrinkage in the weight"
After the razor back has cleaned uu
The hclds the nc xt step is to pen him
up and give him corn and plenty of
clean water. With this diet he fattcns
| quickly to the desired extent. The
S"t ms 10 "lel VIC iJlFCEDOOl SAT- and
sa!tpctrc, after which the hams are
washed clean and slowly smoked for
forty days, with green hickory or red
oak wood. Many farmers raise the
hogs, but few cure them. They arc
sold to skilled curers, who supply
the market with about 300, 600 pounds
of ham yearly.
If the agricultural department in
SpcctOr who wrote these bulletins had
investigated a little moro closely he
would have discovered not only that
the incompacablc razor. back hog exists
p'cntifully in Georgia and South Caro-
lima rs well as Virginia. Tcnncss &C and
kentucky, but thai men in these States
understand how TO produce hams equal
TO the Snithticld brand. Virginia
tries TO get all Of the glory for pickctL's
charge at Gettysburg, although Gcor-
Elnns were in the forefront Of that on
set. She has IL paramount reputation
Tor hams, but Georgia and South Car
DINA can at least match her in that
respect, in the excellence, if not the
reputation OF thcirprOduct.