SLAUGHTERTXG AND CURING 5O9 



ashes has l)een thrown "to make the liair sHp," scraping 

 with knives and hoes, and then hfting by main strength 

 tlie naked, shppery hog to a pole or some appHance tem- 

 porarily provided, from which he can be suspended for 

 gutting, washing and cooling is still followed on a large 

 majority of farms. 



A barrel or cask is not the most convenient vessel in 

 wliich to scald a hog, and any farmer who each year 

 butchers a half-dozen or more good-sized porkers should 

 provide himself with something different, and in which it 

 is possible to maintain the water at a suitable temper- 

 ature. As to what this temperature should be and the 

 proper length of time the hog should be immersed few 

 farmers apparently have definite ideas, and to ascertain 

 what those who slaughter in a wholesale way have found 

 to be the right degree of heat the author has made in- 

 quiry of some of the leading packers. Among the re- 

 plies Armour & Company of Chicago write: "For light 

 hogs the temperature range should be 140 to 145 de- 

 grees \\, and the time of scalding from a minute to a 

 minute and 15 seconds. For heavy hogs the temperature 

 should be 150 degrees and the time from a minute to' a 

 minute and a half." 



Morris & Company of Chicago say: "The temperature 

 we use for scalding is about 145 to 147 degrees. We al- 

 low the hogs to remain in the water from ij^ to two 

 minutes." 



Swift & Company, Chicago, write: "Ordinarily a tem- 

 perature of 145 degrees F. is the most suitable for scald- 

 ing hogs, and three minutes the time they should remain 

 in the water. However, both the temperature and time 



