SOLON ROBINSON, 1846 19 



Scraps, &c. — 21 lbs. of feet; 213 lbs. of sausage meat, 

 and ribs and back bones and trimmings off; 150 lbs. of 

 leaf lard and fat trimmings; 71 lbs. loss in cutting, and 

 difference in weighing; 331 lbs. weight of 12 hams; 348 

 ditto 12 shoulders; 393 ditto 12 sides; and 117 do. 6 

 heads:— 1644 lbs. 



This pork when killed was worth 3 cts. a pound — I will 

 say it would only shrink the 44 odd pounds in taking to 

 market, at which it would amount to $48. The lard tried 

 out 129 lbs., a most beautiful article, the scraps not being 

 much squeezed, as that would rob the good wife's soap 

 tub. 



On the 28th of April, the bacon being well smoked and 

 dried, was ready to bag up. I weighed it, and found that 

 the twelve hams weighed 304 lbs. (loss 27) ; 12 shoulders, 

 331 lbs. (loss 17) ; 12 sides, 259 lbs. (loss 34) ; I am 

 inclined to think that an error of 10 lbs. was made in 

 the weight of the shoulders, as I have heretofore found 

 the per centage of loss about the same on these as 

 on the hams. I will therefore throw off ten pounds 

 on these, and we have 1,113 lbs. of bacon and lard in 

 good weight and order, for market, which at 6i/4 cts. a 

 pound, which is a fair average price, will come to $69.56. 

 The heads and sausage meat are worth one cent a pound, 

 $3.30; 24 feet, 14 cts., will make an even sum of $73; 

 from which take the $48 price of hogs before cutting, 

 and it leaves a very pretty little sum to pay for a dollar's 

 worth of salt and saltpetre, and the little trouble of 

 handling. But it must be small-boned fat hogs, as these 

 were, to do it. In this case I could sell the bacon and 

 lard at 4i/^ cts., and be well paid for trouble and cost of 

 making bacon, because the heads, &c., are worth much 

 more than I stated them at in any family. 



The principal object in this statement is to inform 

 those who have had less experience in this matter than I 

 have, whether it is most advantageous to sell their hogs 

 fresh, or cut and salt; and for that purpose I have en- 

 deavored to be accurate. Each person in his own place 



