The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-19
shrlnkawe in Curing sperk.


 give the average percentaee of shrink want to pack q few hogs every year good and sugar cured and I want to figure on expenses ftrstr.
 Fifty years ago the writer with his son mada the experiment proposed by J. RI S. It failed because we could not 'eofnpets with cottolefse and other mixtures of lard, cottoHseed oil and steariHe, which compounds at the be- ginning of the use of eottonseed oil were sold as lard just as oleomarga- riHe was first sold as butter until the dairymen and public sentiment secur- ed legislation to compel the selling of limitations Of butter for what they were. We had no legislation of that kind to protect pure lard so kettle rendered leaf lard could be sold for about the prices obtained from job- hers and groeers for lard mixtures in cans.
 While good butchers hogs turn out about fifty pounds of lard that could not be sold for the losses on lard and wastes not utilized by the farm packer robbed of legitimate profits the bus mess of making fancy hams. bacon and sausage.
 Since the time has come winch the public, and especially foreign trade, demands pure lard as we1l as mixtures
  the spriee' of pure ketfIerfendered lard he's advanced so that your Maryland inquirer has a chance to build up a fine business along the lines proposed There is no money in making only hams and bacon, The shoulders and trimmings must be converted into fam cy sausage put in sheep castings or oth- err handy and attractive package In this way the shoulder and trimmings will bring mere per pound than the ham or bacon, and with intelligent and tasteful handling of pigs feet, scrap pie and so on, one can build afp an att traetive business and; furnish select customers better pork products than the packing houses have yet been able to produce, i r 1sr...trc 5 ,e5
 But everything made must be gilt edged, Even the hogs must be grown and fed so that the meat Is superior to that of the multitude. And right here is the foundation of highest ex- celle1ee In meat products. Choicest meats can not be made by any of the arts of the packer. out of inferior ani- mals. The quality of mesF comes from the kind of animal and kinds of feed consumed by that selected animal. The pen-fed hog oan not pFoduea as sound and savory meat as the pig grown in the clover, or ons hlue-grassa and fed sound grains ito finish Filth, nns6und grains and offal make-a grade of meats as low in quality. as the feeds consume ed. ,..
 The man who has the ambition and skill to grow or have grown under his direction the pigs that never taste of anything less sound or sweet than fresh grass and clover and peas and sound corn for finish and then will kill aud cure his pork with scrupulous and uniform cleanliness. and requisite  ket for all such pork products that he can make.
 If he will count on 25 per cent. shriRkage between the pig on foot and the cooled-out carcass cut up he will have safe basis to work upon. The hams and bacon will weigh as much out of the smoke house proper ly smoked as when they went into the brine This does not mean snok- ing for a month but for a few days age of Weight in hams and bacon hung with unceasings care to get just the right shade of smoked meat, and then rushed to- the consumer. The shrink ] up in dry cool reems is big item and | in a few weeks will run up to 10 per cent or over. 4~.-.
 The blood. the hair the entrails, the hoofs, head and bones are all saved in the well organised packinghouses oi | today, but the small outfi+ of the farm eurer eau not utilize these things SC as to get. their first cost The mod ern paskinghouse wastes none of these and can give the public ham, bacon lard. sausage, pigs feet and so on al l less price than the curer who can not utilize everything. Many a country butcher tries to utilize these things | by dumping them out to hogs kept around his slaughter houses, thus lowering his product and creating g prejudice against his meats which con. sumers buy only from neeessity.--L N B., in Breeders Gazette.