824 THE FARMER'S AND 



markets. While abroad, 1 gave you the result of my 

 observations relative to butter and cheese. I now give 

 you, in as condensed a form as possible, the best method 

 of curing and preparing for the English market, beef and 

 pork, and hope it will not be without interest and profit to 

 your numerous readers, especially in the west and south- 

 west. 



PORK. 



There are various kinds or divisions of pork depend- 

 ing upon the size and quality of the hog, and the market 

 for which it is intended. There is bacon singed and 

 scalded, which is divided into whole-side bacon or mid- 

 dles. Barreled pork is divided into prime and bacon 

 mess, and is put up into barrels and tierces. 



In some parts of England, they will not purchase or use 

 scalded bacon ; in others, they make no difference. In 

 this country, the market requires but one kind ; and there 

 is but one kind that can be shipped to any profit, and that 

 is known as tierce middles. 



Whole-side bacon is prepared by cutting out the chine 

 or back-bone, cutting the head off as close at the ears as 

 possible, and the legs at the knee-joint. The ribs are 

 broken by passing a fine saw across them two or three 

 times, the shoulder-blade taken out, and the whole side 

 trimmed and made to look smooth and sightly. If it is 

 from a heavy hog, the knife is run into the ham so as to 

 enable the salt to penetrate readily to the knuckle-joint, 

 and sometimes about the fore-shoulder. From the cut- 

 ting-block, it is passed to the rubbing table. Here all 

 the holes are filled with salt, and salt is spread freely 

 over it, and rubbed in by men with a kind of iron glove 

 upon their hands. After the salt has been well rubbed 

 in, the sides are piled up on the floor, in layers of from six 

 to ten deep, flesh side up, salt being freely put between 



