Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-14

der. hogs bladder IL the thing for max
ing a noise on Christmas day.
But let's get back to hog Killing While
the women folks are UP to their elbows
sorting out and cleaning the 'innards.'
making ready for gatherings souse.
cheese. liver pudding and other delight
full eatings. the men continue to slaugh-
ter. clean and cut-up Each part Is
carefully trimmed and thrown in its
proper place. The cutters are masters
OF their art. for there is art In hog
killing. The feet and heads so to the
women. too for in their hands de,icacies
are made from these.
when the slaughtering is over. when
the last OF the porkers has sQuealed his
farewell squeal and is ready for the
cutters, when the gatherings are in the
big pans. the parts for sausage ready for
the grinder. the lard meats in the big
pots and billing the other fixings ready
for the final touch. the hams, shoulders
and sides all nicely trimmed and ready
to be salted down. breakfast is announced
and all hands quit work. And such a
oreak as; and such appetites. Royal
good eat.ngs, good times and feelings OF
neighborly fellowship and perfect CON
e"tment. 1t is genuine enjoyment OF the
kind which only southern hog Killing
can produce After breakfast is over
everybody gets busy again. The men
get a payday movement sailing down
and getting the meat IN the smokehouse.
while the women look after the boiling
of the lard. making cracklings. liver pud-
d.ngs. acuse. hogshead cheese, sausage
and whole row OF such other things.
The men manage to finish up In about
day. but the women are on the 20 for
several days before their work can be
declared finished.
The work of the boys is not completed
Tor two or three weeks. The hams.
shoulders and sides are strung UP TO the
crossbeams in the smokehouse. II Is the
work OF the boys to see that the meat is
we'll smoked, A smodering fire OF hickory
or red oak chips is built on the moor In the
center OF the smokehouse, and this Is
Kept going tor two or three weeks.
Every crack Is 'chinked' UP and the
smoke becomes dense enough to cut. BY
this smoking process the meat Is cured
to perfection and most delightful flavor
Is impaired When cured In this way
its flavor Is as different to western meat
bought from stores nowadays are about
as juicy as an iron firedeg. and the side
meat would not have been fed TO negroes
in slavery days. No, sir. negroes In the
south were not even fed on the meat OF
'razor-backs' In the days before they were
| freed. They had just what the white
folks had-the best and sweetest meat.
And speaking about 'razor-backs.' they
produce the most tasteless meat OF any
hogs en- earth. He would not be At to
XII II he was fed on corn until Judgment
day. His condition is just. as good in
August as at Christmastimes. You
might as well attempt to fatten a stove
pipe as razor back The more he eats
the thinner he gets. and ne will never cut
any figure in a hog killing down south.
As porker he is a fa.lure-a dismal one
In my state the 'razor-back' is an inhab-
liant of the piney woods, and civilization
Will never accomplish anything for him.
Crossing him with the Berkshire or any
other breed of swine does no good-he Is
still the same slab-s:ded. ungainly looking
creature. with no curve in his tail, which
hangs like a limp dshrag'