The Florida agriculturist., 1907-10-16

head, all Of which are turned into
hams and bacon of the kind that had
tasted so good to her in Georgia.
They taste equally we'll to others, and
to secure customers it was only neces-
sary to give them bite. This girl,
now grown to middle age, has made
a fortune out of her venture. She
can sell every pound Of her meat at
twice the prevailing price for the
ordinary kind, and could dispose of
much more had she the facilities for
production. Her meat is not rushed
through "while you watt" as is the
method of the packing house people.
Not a pound of it is sent to market
until it has hung in her smokehouse
for year. Nor is there any pre-
tended smoking with creosote; only
hickory and oak chips are used. This
process lasts for six Or eight weeks,
after which last coat of sugar curing
is applied, the meat is covered with
a layer Of flour and water, and then
sewed up in thick canvas bag. It
is again hung up, and for several
months the smoking is renewed every
few days for a day or two at time.
The celebrated Smithfeld hams, of
which we hear SO much, are made
substantially as above described and
out of the same kind of hogs If
any Of the enterprising young farmers
who read this magazine desire to go
into the business, there is every pros
pect Of success and profit All they
have to do is to get a supply Of
razorbacks from Arkansas, Georgia,
or other sections of the South, where
they are obtainable, learn the methods
of dressing and curing, attend to the
business industriously, and there is
no agricultural enterprise which prom
1ses a better return from the invest
ment. What the Maryland girl has
done can be done by many thousands
Of patrons Of the American Farmer
They will find themselves embarked
in a pursuit that is both pleasant and
profitable. They will find no difficulty
in securing a market for all their
product. The packing house product
can not compete with the kind of
hams we have been describing. The
only reason the former S bought at
all is because better can not be OBJ
tanned. The Maryland girls custom
ers gladly give her more than twice
the price of the ordinary bacon Of
commerce, and loudly clamor for
more. 1t will not be possible to make
enough of these delicious hams to half
supply the market. But remember,
if you go into the business you must
not be tempted by the get-rich-quick
devil to skimp Or shorten the methods
necessary to turn out the right kind
of article Time is necessary, and
this must be taken, Notwithstanding
any eagerness to shorten the process.
Make them right and there will be
no difficulty in selling. The razor
backs are the cheapest Of all hogs,
as they are largely self-supporting.
The meat is sweeter and more nutri-
tious when the animal is forced to
work for it's living 1t is only neces-
sary to pen and feed the razorbacks
about six weeks or two months. Too
much fat is what destroys the taste
of ordinary bacon, and the thickness
of the hams and shoulders of the large
breeds renders it difficult to cure
evenly. AS we write, our mouth
waters for a taste of one Of those
hams 1--WE have eaten them many times
in the past), and we hope to hear
Of a large increase in the production
as a result Of the facts set forth IN
this article.