The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-08

leans in fiat boats before anybody so
much as dreamed of a steamboat.
In those days the crucial question
with south country farm folk was not
so much: How shall we raise cropP
but: What shall we do with 1t, after
it Is raised"
Wheat alone among grains has ever
been worth money enough to pay for
its wagon transport beyond a hundred
miles. Roughly speaking, it takes two
bushels of corn to pay for hauling one
bushel fifty miles with wagon and
team. Fofage-hsJ, sheaf oats, fod-
der and so on--is in even worse case
then as to the increment of pasture
land, before railroads, it had TO walk
away on its own four legs or stay at
home. Fat hogs even could not be
home-slaughtered in any very great
numbers. Every plantation could
handle twice, possibly thrice enough
for its own years supply. Slaughter
ing hogs means very mitch more than
cutting up and sailing dvwii-the wea-
Their is potent mist be neither too
warm nor TOO cold. Add that smoke
houses are inelastic, and that on the
excellence of the smoke house de-
ponds the keeping quality of the ba
con, and it becomes apparent that
there was need of local slaughter
houses wherever the surplus hog-crop
was considerable. The slaughter
houses were usually beside a navig-
able river. But they did not get all
the hog droves. Plenty of fine, fat
fellows went from the grass and grain
lands down to the cotton country,
there to be turned into meat. All
lower Carolina, and most of Georgia,
Alabama, and Mississippi, except along
the coast, have cold 'snaps-cold
enough for g-killing,-so plenty
of planters there bought years sup
ply of meat on the hoof.
Whatever the occasion of the des-
tiny, a drove was not the easiest thing
Ito handle. 1t was doubly fed the
night before starting, then given moth
ing at morning save dribbles of
shelled corn dropped by the regular
caller, who walked on before Now
and again he called, long and shrill--
with the result of bringing the drove
tumbling and squealing at his heels.
Toward 10 o'clock there was halt
for rest and light feed. The first
day was usually the hardest upon men
and beast. Besides the caller, there
were other men--the number depend
ing on the size Of the drove Behind all
came the wagon. with the drove owner
mounted and riding beside it.
How the Pigs Were "Subsisted" on
the Way to the Town.
There was corn for wayside feeding
in the wagon bed-enough at pinch
for a full meal But whenever pos
sible, full feeds were bought from
somebody along the way-somebody
who. for a consideration, would feed
the hogs and let them stay in a LOT
somewhere about his place. But il
such quarters could not be handily
! come by, drove and drovers camped
out--the drove huddled and snoring
dead beat, but some one among its
guardians very wide awake Hogs
that gave out, through excessive fat
ness, or got foot-sore or simply sui
len. were hoisted into the wagon, and
hauled along, squealing protest al
the while. Occasionally, a very big
or very fat animal was a wagon-pas.
senger from the outset-as where the
drove owner or breeder wished to
show what he could really do in the
way of turning out fne fat stock, OF
had special reason as a wager OF
challenge for fetching in the heav-
lest animal of the season. Droves los,
in weight invariably Whether or not
the loss diminished profit seneibly. de-
rended somewhat upon the drovers
but good deal more upon the dis
lance driven.