Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1909-01-29
Hoe-kiLLlNe ON THE FARM.
How One Farmer Manages This Inn
portant Work.

own family use and although most
farmers are butchers, and each has his
own way of doing things which he con-
siders good enough, they may like to
hear how brother farmer does his |
methods. Some people do not feed |
their hogs the evening before killing, |
thinking the feed is wasted, and that |
the entrails are more likely to get rup-
tured when too full. l feed our hogs |
the night before killing. They are hun
cry as usual, expect the feed, enjoy 1t,
and 1t seems cruel not to give them
their last supper. There is not much
waste If the entrails are emptied
where the chickens can get at them.
Some men knock their hogs down
with club before sticking, others
think it more humane to shoot them
with a rifle before they are stuck.
have some doubts whether hogs will
bleed out completely when knocked on
the head or shot before sticking, con-
tinues this Pennsylvania writer In the
Country Gentleman. Others throw
box over the hog, then tip the box
over with the hog in 1t lying on his
back, his legs up. We catch our hogs
In the pen, put rope around one
hind leg and drive them to the place
of slaughter. put the rope on the leg
because, as 1 have fed them and
cleaned the pen, they are not suspi-
cious of me as they are of strangers,
and 1 can rope them quicker than
stranger from whom they are sure
to run.
When arrived at the sticking ground
the hog is thrown down and rolled
square on his back; the knife is insert
ed just forward of the breast bone
and close to 1t, then thrust back in the
direction of the tail. This is sure to
sever the big arteries in the neck and
insure a good stick" which causes
the hog to bleed out more quickly and
thoroughly, and the pork will keep
better. In sticking hog lying on his
| side, the sticker Is quite likely to
thrust the knife under the shoulder
blade and cause the blood to settle
there, to the injury of one shoulder. A
nog will bleed out cleaner if the head
S kept on lower ground than the tail.
In the great slaughter houses In Chi
cago, the hogs are never stuck until
after being hung up by one hind leg
on an iron rod overhead. Al er being
stuck, they go slowly sliding down the
rod to the place where they are low
cred into the scalding tank.
Farmers hog killing is not generally
done until cold weather comes, and
OF oft ;cty
in this locality is mostly done out of
doors. 1t frequently happens that the
day appointed it cold and windy, and
sometimes showing, but the prepara.
tions being all made, and the help on
hand, the farmer resolves to go through
with it. He does so, and sometimes
catches horrible cold, as l have done
more than once on butuhering day.
am of the opinion that on every farm
where several hogs are to be killed ev
cry year, there should be a cheap
house built on purpose for butcherine
and boiling potatoes and pumpkins for
hogs, and it could also be used as 8
washhouse for washing clothes II
should stand as near the water supply
as possible, as a large quantity of wa
ter is necessary in butchering.
My father built such a house, II
which our hogs were scalded, dressed
hung up and gutted without discom
fort even on very cold day. At one
end there was chimney with larg,
fireplace and crane, on which two bi,
kettles were hung for heating water
One end of big scalding barrel wa
put down through hole in the foo
placed at an angle of about As de
grees to make it easier to put the hog
in, surge them, and pull them out
For large, heavy hogs there was
D rope and pulley blocks attached to
rafter overhead by means of whicl
i they were easily handled and the pu
: leys were also used to hang the hog
q up. Small hogs were quicker handle
e without the use of the pulleys. TIL
s hogs were hung up to joists overhead
y where they were rinsed down, scrape
Il and gutted.
e The most important thing abou
g butchering (as every farmer knows
t, is to get good scald, so that the hal
It can be easily and quickly removed b
/. water too cold than too hot, for tn
It cold scald" can be remedied by a
e application of hotter water; but
o scald with the water too hot "sets
e the hair so that the skin, being cooke
e will scrape off with the hair, maxim
5, 1t necessary to shave off the hair wit
70 sharp knife, doing a poor job ar
s requiring much time. Some butcher
g think they can tell the proper tempe
ature of the water by putting the
hands in it, which is rather doubtfr
The exact temperature can be secure
every time by the use of thermor
If eter. For large 300-pound hogs L
,r degrees is about right For small hol
and pigs the water should not
~ above $50 or 100 degrees, and ths
N they should not be kept In the ba
too long