Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-01-23

There never was a time in the history
OF the south when it was more imPor-
tznt for the farmer to produce an abun-
dance Of meat for himself and family
In many parts Of the territory in aues-
uon the boil weevil has already les
sened the revenue the farmer has hither-
TO obtained from cotton. To Offset this
loss something else must be produced
IL is certain that the conditions for
licve stock in Georgia are so favorable
that hogs and cattle can be raised with
profit and advantage OF u more extern
slve scale than has ever been undertak-
zen in the past. Hundreds OF farmers
who are now engaged in producing their
own meat, however. md il very difficult
TO. cure it satisfactorily, hence data
bearing on this most important and es-
sential matter is very much in demand.
To this end a summary of some of the
most important factors TO be considered
in the curing OF meat is set forth in
a partial summary of a report prepared
by DR.. W. NJ Burson of the state col
lege OF agriculture on this subject
Hogs about to be butchered should be
kept of feed for -twenty-four to thirty
six hours They will then bleed out more
freely. dress easier. and the carcasses
will have brighter and less bloody ap-
pearance. They should be in stalls or
otherwise confined so that they may be
shot or stunned without being chased.
excited and overheated- Probably the
best results are obtained where proper
equipment is at hand by suspending
hogs alive by the hind legs by means or
block and tackle. or similar arrangement.
and bleeding them from the neck. When
this can be done quickly. better bleed
ing is obtained than when the animals
are shot or stunned, as the heart remains
active longer and its pulsatiOns drive
the 5.oOd out Of the body more com
pIetely.
For bleeding the hog. use a knife with
q straight blade seven or eight inches
long. Dip the knife in scalding water
and make the thrust just in front of the
breast bone and in line with the bones
OF the neck II the sticking is improp-
erly done and the knife penetrates the
shoulder or between, the ribs. the blood
will settle in the flesh aud cause the
meat to spoil.
Have the scalding water sufficiently
hot-about lis degrees Fahrenheidt- Too
hot water will set the hair and render
scraping difficult. An addition Of a small
quantity of wood ashes to the water
makes scalding and cleansing easier.
When the hog has been immersed in the
water for a short time and the hair is
found TO slip easily. the scaldlng is
complete The hog should be scraped
with a small round tool made for the
purpose 1t pulls out rather than cuts
OF the hair: After the hair is removed
and the skin is cleaned. the hog is ready
TO be hung up and eviscerated- To hang
up the hog, slit the skin on the back
part of the hind legs below the hook and
draw out the leaders, insert beneath
them the ends Of the gambrel and sus-
pend the hog by means of block and
tackle or similar arrangement A handy
Arrangement for hanging hogs is the old
fashioned well sweep
After the internal organs are removed,
the carcass must be washed out with
cold water and allowed TO cool. Small
hogs will cool sufficiently without split
ting. but for large hogs the head and
shoulders may be cut of. the leaf fat re-
moved and the carcass split or sawed
down the middle of the backbone. The
fat OF the intestines should be removed
while warm and should not be mixed
with the leaf fat as it is inferior in
flavor. The most desirable temperature
for cooling carcasses is "a to 40 de-
grees II is not desirable that the meat
freeze before cutting.
When the carcass has cooled properly
IL should be laid on a large block or
strong table and divided into cuts"
Various methods are in use in different
nF q
most popular is as follows: Remove
the head at the first joint of the neck;
cut of the shoulders by passing the
knife between the breast bone and shout
der-this leaves the shoulder free OF ribs
cut OF the hams and trim smoothly
so as to round of the corners; remove
the feet at the knee and hook joints or a
little above. preferably by saving.
Before using. pour scalding water over
saw or axe blades and dry them with a
clean rag. Remove the leaf fat together