The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-01-15

known, many are not uOluS IL.
Too many farmers are buying part.
OR a whole, of their supply of meat
from local stores. There are two OBJ
jections to getting meat in this way.
In the first place, very cheap quail
ty of meat is usually purchased. In
the second place, this is an exceed
ingly expensive method of getting It,
as it can be grown and cured at
home for less than one-half the cost
of the purchased meat.
Many Southern farmers cou d
profitably dispose of their hogs in
the shape of cured hams, shoulders,
and sides. Very often these SIX
pieces of cured meat will bring more
on the market than can be obtained
for the whole animal when sold on
foot.
When hogs are worth eight cents
a pound a 200-pound hog will brin5
SIS on the market. This hog, if
butchered, would yield about p
pounds of cured ham, at 22 cents a
pound, S5.94; about 27 pounds OF
cured shoulders worth, at 20 cents a
pound, S5.40; 20 pounds of cured ba-
con, at % cents a pound, s4.40
These. six pieces of cured meat would
therefore be worth S15.74, or al
most as much as could be secured for
the whole hog if sold on foot. The
head, the backbone, the leaf lard,
the ribs, and the liver and heart are
al, left at home as extras.
Now before entirely satisfactory
home-cured meat can be produced
the following points must be OBJ
served:
The Right Kind of Hogs Must BE
Used.
Country-cured meat is subject
to three common faults. First, 1T
often carries too great proportion
of fat, especially the side pieces.
Second, it is often tainted with un-
desirable odors caused by improper
feeding, dressing or curing. Third,
it is often too salty. The first two
objections may be avoided by the
proper selection, feeding and dress
ing of the animals which are to be
slaughtered. The very highest class
of country-cured meat cannot be
made unless the hog is properly fat
tened upon feeds that do not taint
the meat or render it soft and fab
by. The too liberal use of kitchen
slops often produces an unsatisfac-
tory meat.
The Animal Must Be Killed Correct
ly and Scalded Promptly.
To prevent fermentation in the
stomach and intestines while the
animal is being dressed, it is wise 10
deprive the hog of all feed, except
water, for "a hours before killing
WNSu iSI IuSAtdtiou oiiSCS ehO Ados'"
is always tainted as the warm body
of the hog takes up Objectionable
odors very quickly. The peculiar
odors which oftentimes accompany
home cured meats are very largely
due to fermentations which arise II
the stomach and intestiness after the
hogs are slaughtered.
To insure complete and rapid
bleeding the hog should be as quiet
as possible several hours previous TO
being killed, and should never be ex-
cited or violently exercised imme-
diately before being slaughtered.
Many farmers stun the animals with
a heavy instrument of some kind be-
fore sticking, but it is thought that
more complete bleeding is accom-
plished when the animal, while yet
alive, is simply turned on the back
and the heart pierced, or the main
artery leading from the heart, sever
ed with long-bladed knife.
The scalding water should be
ready before the. animals are killed
The average farmer can make use of
a barrel for holding the hot water
which may be heated in kettles, or
hot stones or irons may be placed in
the barrel of water. When large
numbers of hogs are to be dressed
it will Z pay to build a scald-
ing vat. AS soon as the animal
is dead the body should be placed in
the hot water, rear end first, and
kept there until the bristles along
the back and the hair on the feet
slip readily and easily. While in the
water the body should be kept in
constant motion. 1t is usually stated
that the water should be at 100 de-
gree Fahrenheit, but the writer has
found that a much lower tempera-
ture gives much better results. After
MANY careful experiments, where 4