158 FIVE ACRES TOO MUCH. 



Weeville had given me an accurate recipe for pre 

 paring the brine that was to cover him : it was to be 

 composed of salt and water boiled, and strong enough 

 to bear an egg, with a modicum of saltpetre. The 

 hams and shoulders were to be rubbed well with 

 brown sugar, with a view to their being smoked, and 

 the brine was to be poured over the pork after the 

 latter had been carefully packed in the barrel, and 

 then a weight was to be laid on top. 



These directions were very explicit, and it seemed 

 impossible to make a mistake; but, unfortunately, 

 Weeville forgot to mention that the brine must be 

 allowed to cool before it is used. Being ignorant of 

 this important particular, I poured the boiling pickle 

 over the meat, which had been carefully disposed in 

 the bottom of a huge hogshead, and calmly awaited 

 the effect. Without entering into farther particulars 

 on this painful subject, it is sufficient to say that we 

 did not eat our own salt pork that year. It would 

 undoubtedly have been remarkably fine, and far su 

 perior to any thing that is to be had in market, for 

 it is my firm impression that that pig had eaten three 

 or four times its weight in corn before it had con 

 sented to harden its flesh, which my scientific neigh 

 bors tell me is the object in feeding corn. I bore 

 the disappointment as well as I could, but it is to 



