The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1897-12-28
FRESH PORK CLUBS.
Curious Organizations Formed In the State
of Maine.


of Maine.
There are more than 1000 fresh
pork clubs in Maine today, and some
of them have been in existence for
over century. Though the state
assessors and census enumerators
furnish no statistics bearing on the
subject, it is probable that the total
membership of the Maine fresh pork
Hubs exceeds 10, 900 persons.
A fresh pork club is organized and
maintained to distribute fresh pork,
every member coming in for as
much sparerib, chop or shoulder as
he 10 willing to distribute. For OBJ
vious and anatomical reasons the
membership of any individual fresh
pork club is limited to the amount
of lean pork which an average pig
is able to furnish. AS the best fed
pig is not all fat, and as one family
is unable to consume the lean meat
of killing before it spoils, the fresh
pork club comes in and eats the un-
salted meat, thus saving the expense
of putting up ice and buying refrig
orators.
The workings of fresh pork club
are easy TO understand An average
Maine pig when fat enough TO kill
weighs about 800 pounds, and of
this perhaps 30 pounds are in spare
ribs, chops and other lean parts that
are unfit TO salt and unsuited for the
houses and refrigerators much of
this pork would spoil before the
family could cat it, so the so pounds
are divided into ten parcels Of five
pounds each aud nine of these are
sent 10 as many members of the
fresh pork club, while the tenth is
kept to bo eaten at homo.
1t is seldom that club contains
more than ten families, because
every additional member divides
the PORK into smaller parcels. Ap-
plications for membership TO the
different cluLs cften are filled years
in advance, ;nd whenever vacan-
cy occurs the lew member is mott
fed of his election by receiving a
portion OF the first pig that is killed
by member Of the club When the
number of waiting applicants
reaches nino or ten, they are noti
fed Of the fact, and they organize
as now club, with full powers to
distribute EClk, choose new mem
bers or discharge old ones.
The advantages to lie gained from
active membership in a fresh PORK
club are obvious. The pig killing
begins in September and continues
1T intervals until Christmas. The
family which is not member Of
club can have more fresh pork than
it needs fCr lolhals Il week and
must salt all tie lest. By joining u
club the same family can p1olong
the fresh polk season from the time
the first member kills a pig until
the last olLCr in the club is salted
down 1or winter Instead of eating
fresh polk once year, the club
members can have it ten times a
year and keep up the rCvels from
Labor day TO New Years. SO i'm
Iortant have tie fresh pork clubs
become in many communities that
weddings, Parties ard many social
events are arranged so they may
como cit i'll lis killing time. In
case Of birthday or wedding ami
versary che Of the club members
kills his pig a few days before the
festival III order TO supply tie
guests. The men who make and sell
leiIigerators complain bitterly, ard
the ice carts ncN er visit the neigh
LC1LcCdS wLele fresh POLK clubs
! flourish, Lut the members care little
about what leorle may say as long
as the.l roper amount OF fresh pork
comes around on time.-New York
Sun.