BLATJonTEnrso.] 



AM) Tiii'i \i v.\iM(M's ni;Ki:ns. 



[rlaughtebino. 



(says Mr. Kiclmrdaon), when all the resources 

 of human skill aro broiip;ht to bear upon the 

 point, is further illustrated by an experiment 

 mailo by a very intellii^eut agrieulturist, Mr. 

 John duthwaite, of Bainessee, related at the 

 Thir.sk meeting; of the Yorksliiro Agricultural 

 Society. He laid a wager of £10, that one of 

 hi3 pig3 would lay on 10 stones in a month, 

 in place of one iu a week, which is the usual 



average of a well-fed pig. He estimated the 

 weight of the atiiinal at 32 stones ; and it 

 increased lu-arly a stone over the gain of 10 

 stones in twenty-eight days. The eye can, 

 perhaps, detect tho increaMO in pigs' flcHh more 

 readily than either in cattle or in sheep — the 

 touch being called to tho aid in both these, to 



I assist tho eye, which is scarcely ever done ia 



[ tho fat pig of any ago whatever. 



CHAPTER V. 



SLAUGHTERING; CURING BACON AND IIAMS. 



The ordinary way of slaughtering a pig in the 

 country, is to tie a rope round the upper jaw, 

 and throw it across a joist or beam. This, by 

 an assistant, is pulled just sufBciently tight to 

 force the animal to support himself upon the 

 extremities of his toes, whilst his snout is 

 raised in the air. The butcher then kneels in 

 front of him, and taking a knife, first shaves 

 away the hair from a small portion of the front 

 of the throat ; then gently passing the blade 

 through the superficial fat, he gives it a forward 

 thrust, a turn, and then draws it out. This 

 operation is followed by a gush of blood, which 

 is caught in various vessels, for the purpose of 

 being manufiictured into black-puddings. The 

 rope is next a little slackened, and life speedily 

 becomes extinct. The next process is to put 

 the pig into a scalding-tub, whence he is soon 

 withdrawn, placed upon a table, and the hair 

 and bristles carefully removed by scraping 

 with a knife. He is next disembowelled. The 

 more humane practice of stupefying the animal 

 with a knock on the head before his throat is 

 submitted to the knife, is often done ; but we 

 have heard it asserted, that a pig does not 

 scald so well unless he has some remains of 

 life in him. The ordinary way of ascertaining 

 the death of the animal, is by passing a sharp 

 knife between the claws, where the part is 

 extremely sensitive ; and the scalding process, 

 if he quivers or exhibits some lingering signs 



[ of life, is not allowed to begin utitil this ceases. 



! When this no longer appears, it is token for 

 granted that sensation has fled. An important 

 element in the production of good bacon is, 

 that the pig should be slaughtered as quickly, 

 and with as little excitement, as possible. Tho 

 animal, for at least a day, ought not to be 

 allowed any kind of nutriment ; and in killing 

 the greatest care should be taken thoroughly 

 to divide the jugular vein, so that he may 

 bleed both rapidly and completely. After this 

 comes the cutting-up. 



" The hog," says Mr. Henderson, " should 

 be left fasting for full twenty-four hours before 

 being killed ; and, after the carcass has hung 

 all night, it should be laid upon its back upon 

 a strong table. The head should then be cut 

 off close to the ears, and the hinder feet so far 

 below the houghs as not to disfigure the hams, 

 and leave room sufficient to hang them up by ; 

 after which the carcass is divided into equal 

 halves, up the middle of tiie back-bone, with a 

 cleaving knife, and, if necessary, a hand-mallet. 

 Then cut the ham from the side by the second 

 joint of the back-bone, which will appear on 

 dividing the carcass, and dress the ham by 

 paring a little off the flank, or skinny part, so 

 as to shape it with a half-round point, clear- 

 ing oft" any top fat that may appear. The 

 curer will next cut off the sharp edge along 

 the back-bone with a knife and mallet, and 



787 



