Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-08-18

Soit, th'u nttth IL away LOT lWO Weeks.
After this il is coated with Il prepara
tlon in which satpctrc aud brown
sugar are the principal ingredients
and hung up in the house ana smok.
ed.
THE smoking of the meat is one
of the points about which our old
planter friend was most particular
remember lie cautioned my mother
against the use of pine wood---light
wood he called it-telling her that
oak anu hickory chips were the only
proper combustiblc to be used. He
may have been wrong: any other wool
, may be as good for the purpose, but
his meat was just the thing wished
to make, so | have always followed
his directions.
In his letter his son wrote that
his father sometimes added the hair
taken from the pigs to the fire used
In smoking. He said that personally
he didn't think the haid Mt all mcces-
| sary as ii was only burned when 1t
was not wanted for something else
and he had never been able TO detect
any difference in the taste of the
, meat.
"Aitor the smoking has gone on for
six or eight weeks last coat of the
sugar curing is applied, the meat is
covered with layer OF flour and wa
! ter and then scwcd up i'll a thick
canvas bag. 1t is not yet packed, but
again hung in the top of the smoke
house where it remains until the
, time comes for me to fill my orders
Prom time to time during tlys
hanging period have the smoke re-
newcd for day or two at a time
"a
ditional smoking when there Is an un-
usually wet spell OF weather and
sometimes | throw little saltpctrc on
the fire.
While | think much depends on
the curing of the meat also am cou
WINGED that the breed and care of the
porkcrs have much to do with the
quality ana taste of the meat Our
old friend I'm Georgia was convinced
that meat was swcctcr and more nut
tritious where the animal had lpen
forced To work for its living.
He said that too much fat destroy
cd the taste OF bacon and for that
reason six weeks or two months was
as long rs Il hog should be pcncd
ana fattencd. He didn't believe in fhe
sweetness of the round limbcd vario-
ties OF porkers, not only because they
were prone to take on too much fat.
but also because the thickness of the
hams and shoulders rendered II diff.
cult 10 cure evenly.
-Four years ago did experiment
with half a dozen berkshire pigs
bought them of II ncighbor ana put
! them in Il pen to fattcn at the Same
time that | began TO fatcH my other
/ stock. fed them with the same food,
slaughtered them in the same way
ana in every particular the curing
! was the same.
| There was no mistake about Il.
there was a great difference in the
taste of the meat. The Berkshire
hams were not to be compared to the
/ razorbacks. My mother said it was II
waste of food and advised me to let
well enough alone.
"'rhe only addition that have
{ made to my fathers little farm was
, by the purchase of field infested
{ with nut grass. You know that grass
kills out everything in the way of
crops and SO far as have ever l,ecn
I able to learn there Is no way of get
ting rid of it.
| THE neighbor was willing to get
i rid of his patch of grass ana 1t was
! the only addition needed To make
my hog pasture all that our old plan.
ter friend considered necessary. There
! are several acres of 1t and morning,
noon and night when the hogs are in
that pasture they are busy on it,
Like all other animals, to be heal
thy and in good condition hogs must
be kept well nourishcd and clean.
have been just as careful of my pork
crs as have of my horses and as
n result | have never had one die or
disease.
ITO any woman thinking of under
taking such business | will say that
she has public sentiment i'll her favor
Careful people are only too glad 10
get bacon about which there is no
doubt AS to cleanliness and health
Tho work is not hard, and so far as
snpcrintcnding the slaughcrng and
curing-wcll. our grandmothers al
ways did it and have never heard
that they were any less womanly
than the present generation.
That. believe, is the modern wage
earning woman's greatest opportuni
ty. doing for market the little homcly
things that our grandmoihcrs used to
do for their own immediate families.
So far as I'm a judge good common
sense energy and strict integrity are
the only essentials for the success of
any woman along these lines New
York Sun.