The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-12-10
Of Hams

Not Of him we sing among the sons OF Noah
most singled out for fortunes buffeGngs-alter-
nateiy through the changing ages servus ser
vorum and bone OF contention among men;
but of the succulent product of that noble
specimen of the genus Porous who survived
the flood and plunglng with his mate into the
prlmevai forests the slopes of Ararat be-
came the progenitor of chat aristocrat of swine
that indefatigable rooter. the razorback hog.
No mushroom upstart he but of origin ante
diluvian and prehistoric! nor doth the tradi-
tons of humanity back to a time when
his headquarters, when properly cut, sailed,
smoked. cooked and served, were not esteemed
as primua inter pares among the good things
to ent most in favor at the headquarters OF
tho epicurean great and the nice~palated rich
Of the descendants of Adam.
Those who doubt the length and continuity
OF honorable descent through which the home
made ham from the razorback hog came to
be the pride OF the Virginia housewives herat
and the browning masterpiece of her festive
board. need not go far to seek evidence to
dssipate their scepticism. Many stnnecked
r. f. v. has a pedigree by no means so ancient
or we'll vouched for cor course It will be
understood that we do not refer to that upstart
factory product, parvenu among bluebloods,
which goes incorporating now as Smithheld
or Southampton meat) The real thing has
come down to through unbroken line of
weli-approved recipes from Agricolas and
Pomonas whose sim-snouted and thin thanked
pigs wallowed IN cool pools on the Palaune
marshes and upturned acorns beneath I'M
marial oaks the Falernian hillsides. The
modus operandl of preserving their hinder legs
by sailing and smoking through slow and elao-
CRATE processes, innocent of creosote and en-
balming fluids. passed over seas with the
Roman emperors to the British islands and
thence after many centuries the secret was
brought by English coIonists to jamestown and
tram them was inherited by the planters and
planters wives Of Tidewater Virginia and Is
st:n priced by their worthy descendants as a
precious heirloom.
The antiquity of the ancestry of che true
Virginia ham Is accurately and delightfully."-
traced In volume recently published by Mac
milan on Roman Farm Management Ths
author wells his identity under the nom ds
plume "A Virginia Farmer" and his work con-
slsts Of elegant translations Of the treatlses OF
agricultural and kindred pursuits written BY
cato and Varro in the age when farm life
was sim held to be worthy the talents of Roman
statesmen and scholars To the text are ap'
pended copious notes illustrative of the hEh DE
! gree OF perfection to which these ancients has
brought all the arts pertaining TO ttllage OF Vhs
soil and TO husoa ndry, and how well they under
stood TO put the fruits OF their industry to th'
best uses. Cato's prescription for the rearln'
y and curing of hogs is supplemented by Flr
einia recipes for the curing and cooking 0
r hams" and that the latter follow all the essen
l,{a, rules laid down by the older authority !
| nroof Of the contention with which we starte'
y out
s Apart from the attractive leatuie OF ti'
fvolune which we have singled out for com
} nent it should be noted that the translation
Y hetokens accurate classic knowledge IN IN
, translator and his rendition of the original pre-
serves not only the sense but the style. II "on'
) mt have been surprising III earlier days to nm
/ "A Virginia Farmer so learned in the anclen
Fianrnapes and SO familiar with their literature
for then the gentlemen of Virginia cultivate
i their broad acres and THE humanues WI
equal assiduity and quoted the Bucohcs as te1uat
fas tbe current prices of tobacco and whea
lRelonging to that class were the foroears "a IN
g gentleman to whom We owe TINS interesth
d ranroduction of Cato and Narro on sub1ec1
f. ortafptny To 'Roman Farm Management 10
r virginia Farmer" Caud he is really thaf)
& Mr. Fairfax Harrison, lately named TO pc pres
Y dent Of the Southern railway system VINO ann
d all rho many calls of active business caree
s 49,, ,,nt found time at once to maintain hi
70 title 70 bee called "A Virginia Farmer ana
h keen in touch with the fields 70 classic lore
O Norfolk VirgnanPilot