Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-14
Christmas Hog Killing
On Southern Farms

This is hog-killing time down south,
and | wish was home right now" said
Representative Adamscn Of Georgia.
Next to Christmas 1t is about the big
gest time the average country youth sees
during the entire year. But hog-killing
time is not what it once was in the
south, not what il was before our farm
ers gave up hog and homny' and went in
for raising cotton.
My my, but it is pleasant TO remember
those good old hog-killing days, and Wis
| ions OF backbones, spareribs, chitlins.
jowls tails, hogshead cheese, 'sassiges,
cracklins. souse, pigs foot jelly and ali
sucn coed eating, loom up before me
| I'll get home tine enough to get in on
the home stretch if my shoes hold out.
"Hog-killing time Is one of tie social
seasons in the rural districts. 1t is as
rule IA neighborhood affair, and old and
young, male and female. take part.
! There's work for all. from the eldest to
| the youngest. II there are many shoats
to kill. The man who has the largest
number CT pcrkers to slaughter is re-
| garded as the biggest man in the neigh
torhood and is loohed up to and hon
| ored as the champion hograiser He
could get to Congress without much
campaigning. but this kind of men are
know d good thing when they see it and
usually stick to it. This shows they
have the inside track on soma Of us fell
| lcWs.
The porkers are In the pen by the LIST
CT NctC her and corn in the grain and
slop made of cornmaal is poured in I'M
stintingly. To keep off disease arsenic
| is put in the Stop occasionally and il the
hogs are physically in good condition
they fatten very rapidly and are in prime
l,t hn HaS mid
of December. Then it is that the neigh
bcrs are notified that on certain morn
ing there will be hog-kiiling at Neigh
Dor So-and-So's. BY o'clock on the
morning of the killing the farmer and his
family, from the eldest to the youngest.
are astir. Great fires are kindled under
and around the big pots out in wood lot or
yard. The pots are filled with water
from nearby spring or well; stones
to be used in rubbing are thoroughly
washed and placed near the dipping
tub or trough; the gambling sticks are
| cleaned and stuck UP in a convenient
place: the, knives. which were carefully
sharpened the night before, ares placed
On table near the dipping trough. and
! all the ether preliminary arrangements
| being perfected the men 70 ks and boys
go back to the house and have IA Eight
breakfast. BY daylight and a little
after the neighbors begin to gather and
the Strengthening begins.
A%
Sometimes a hog is killed by being
knocked in the head with an ak. but in
most instances center shot from
IS always slit with keen knife so that
it may bleed freely. While the hog is
yet warm with life 1t is thrown in the
| dipping box of hot water, and after
remaining there short time is pulled
out and the work of removing the hair
and bristles begins. Some men pull off
the hair VIII their hands while others
use the stones by rubbing swiftly. When
| all the covering is off the skin is scraped
with sharp knives until perfectly free of
everything, and after a thorough washing
| in clear cold water the hog is ready to
hang up and he cleaned. After the first
hog is ready to hang up the busy time
begins. While some are busy killing
ana cleaning off hair. other men are using
their knives and taking from the hogs
all the innards,' which are placed In
large pans and taken charge OF by the
women folks. These are assorted, clean
ed and made ready for the smokehouse or
the table The youngsters. boys and
girls. see that the big pots are kept
Ding and put in all their other time
cooking certain portions of the internal
arrangement of the hogs. The cooking is
done by hooking the pieces on the end
of a forked stick and holding over the
redhot Goals of fire. 1t is mighty fine
eating, too
Long before the hogs are slaughtered
the boys have choose the bladders, and
as these are taken out they are blown
up with reed stems. securely tied with Il
strong string 10 prevent the air escap-
ing and then hung mp 10 dry to be ex-
ploded Oh Christmas morn ng. BIad-
ders are about the only fireworks many of
the country lads down south ever knew
I'D to q few years ago. There's a cart
load OF fun in bursting biadders on
Christmas morning. l have tried it lots |
of times. ! used to wish that each hog
Lad seventeen badders and that hog |
killing time came as many times Il year |
Next to an old musket, filled with pow