232 EVERY MAN HIS OWN FARRIER 



In killing a number of swine, what sides you may- 

 nave dressed the first day, lay upon some flags or 

 boards, piling them up across each other, and giving 

 each pitch a powdering of saltpetre, and then covering 

 it with salt : proceed in the same manner with the 

 hams, by themselves, and do not omit giving them a 

 little saltpetre, as it opens the pores of the flesh to re- 

 ceive the salt, and, besides, gives the ham a pleasant 

 flavour, and makes it more juicy. Let them lie in this 

 state about a week, then turn those on the top under- 

 most, giving them a fresh salting : after lying two or 

 three weeks longer, they may be hung up to dry in 

 some chimney, or smoke house ; or, if the curer 

 chooses, he may turn them over again without giving 

 them any more salt, in which state they may lie for a 

 month or two without catching any harm, until he has 

 convenience for drying them. Henderson practiced 

 for many years the custom of carting his flitches and 

 hams through the country to farm houses, and used to 

 hang them in their chimneys, and other parts of the 

 house to dry, some seasons, to the amount of five hun- 

 dred carcases ; this plan he soon found was attended 

 with a number of inconveniences, and therefore he in- 

 vented a smoke house. 



Henderson's smoking house is about twelve feet 

 square, and the wall, about seven feet high . one of 

 these huts requires six joists across, one close to each 

 wall, the other four laid asunder, at proper distances. 

 To receive five rows of flitches, they must be laid in 

 the top of the wall ; a piece of wood strong enough to 

 bear the weight of one flitch of bacon, must be fixed 

 across the belly end of the flitch, by two strings, as the 

 neck end must hang downwards ; the piece of wood 

 must be longer than the flitch is wide, so that each end 

 may rest upon a beam ; they may be put so near to 



