BACCIFEROUS. 



earth cannot yield it. Plants, and consequent- 

 ly animals, must therefore derive their nitro- 

 gen from the atmosphere." (Org. Chem.) 



B. 



BACCIFEROUS (from bacca, a berry, and 

 fero, to bear). A term applied to trees bear- 

 ing berries. 



BACK, the spine. The back of a horse 

 should be straight, in order that it may be 

 strong : when it is hollow, or what is termed 

 saddle-backed, the animal is generally weak. 



Back sore. A complaint which is very com- 

 mon to young horses when they first travel. 

 To prevent it, their backs should be cooled 

 every time they are baited, and now and then 

 washed with warm water, and wiped dry with 

 a linen cloth. The best cure for a sore back 

 is a lotion of 1 oz. of Goulard's extract (sugar 

 of lead and vinegar), 1 oz. of turpentine, 1 oz. 

 of spirit of wine, and 1 pint of vinegar. 



Back sinews, sprain of the. This is often oc- 

 casioned by the horse being overweights 1, and 

 then ridden far and fast, especially if his pas- 

 terns are long ; but it may occur from a false 

 step, or from the heels of the shoes being too 

 much lowered. Sprain of the back sinews is 

 detected by swelling and heat at the back of 

 the lower part of the leg; puffiness along the 

 course of the sinews ; extreme tenderness, so 

 far as the swelling and heat extend ; and very 

 great lameness. 



The first object is to abate the inflammation, 

 and this should be attempted by bleeding from 

 the plate vein ; by means of which blood is 

 drained from the inflamed part. Next, local 

 applications should be made to the back of 

 the leg, in the form of fomentations of water 

 sufficiently hot and frequently repeated. At 

 the same time, as much strain as possible 

 should be taken from the sinew, by putting a 

 high calkin on the heel of the shoe. 



BACON. Probably from baktn, that is, dried 

 flesh. Dr. Johnson says, and Mr. Home Tooke 

 contends, that it is evidently the past participle 

 of the Saxon bacon, to bake or dry by heat. 

 (Div. of Pur. vol. ii. p. 71.) I may, ho'wcver, 

 refer perhaps as strongly to the old French 

 bacon, which means dried flesh and pork. The 

 Welsh also have bacwn. The flesh of the hog 

 after it has been salted and dried, and it is 

 either smoked or kept without smoking, when 

 it is termed green bacon. (Todd.) 



Such hogs as have been kept till they are 

 full grown, and have then attained to a large 

 size, are for the most part converted to the 

 purpose of bacon. The seasons for killing 

 hogs for bacon are between October and 

 March, but it of course varies according to 

 custom and circumstances in peculiar districts. 

 The process of curing bacon is so well known 

 throughout the country, that it is scarcely ne- 

 cessary to add any thing on the subject ; but 

 the following practical hints may not be with- 

 out their utility. In order to have good bacon, 

 the hair should be sweated off, not scalded, the 

 flesh will be more solid and firm. The best 

 method of doing this is to cover the hog thinly 

 with straw, and to set light to it in the direction 

 of the wind. As the straw is burnt off, it 



BAKING. 



should be renewed, taking care, however, not 

 to burn or parch the skin. After both sides 

 have been treated in this way, the hog is to be 

 scraped quite clean, but water must not be 

 used. After the hog has been properly cut up, 

 the inside, or flesh-side of each flitch is to be 

 well rubbed with salt, and placed above each 

 other in a tray, which should have a gutter 

 round its edge to drain off the brine. Once in 

 four or five days the salt should be changed, 

 and the flitches frequently moved, putting the 

 bottom one at top, and then again at the bot- 

 tom. Some persons, in curing bacon, add for 

 each hog half a pound of bay salt, and a 

 quarter of a pound of saltpetre, and one pound 

 of very coarse sugar or treacle. Very excel- 

 lent bacon may, however, be made with com- 

 mon salt alone, provided it be well rubbed in, 

 and changed sufficiently often. Six weeks, in 

 moderate weather, will be time sufficient for 

 the curing of a hog of twelve score. Smoking 

 the bacon is much better than merely drying 

 it. The flitches should, in the first place, be 

 rubbed over with bran or fine saw-dust (not 

 deal), and then hung up in a chimney out of 

 the rain, and not near enough to the fire to 

 melt. The smoke must be from wood, stubble, 

 or litter. If the fire is tolerably constant and 

 good, a month's smoking will be sufficient. 

 Th>' flitches are afterward frequently preserved 

 in clear, dry wood ashes, or very dry sand. 



The counties of England most celebrated for 

 bacon, are York, Hants, Berks, and Wilts. 

 Ireland produces great quantities, but it is 

 neither so clean fed, nor so well cured as the 

 English, and is much lower priced. Of the 

 Scotch counties, Dumfries, Wigtown, and 

 Kirkcudbright, are celebrated for the excel- 

 lence of their bacon and hams, of which they 

 now export large quantities, principally to the 

 Liverpool and London markets. The imports 

 of bacon and hams from Ireland have increas- 

 ed rapidly of late years. The average quan- 

 tity imported during the three years ending the 

 25th of March, 1800, only amounted to 41,948 

 cwt. ; whereas during the three years ending 

 with 1820, the average imports amounted to 

 204,380 cwt. ; and during the three years ending 

 \\ ith 1825, they had increased to 338,218 cwt. 



In 1825 the trade between Ireland and Great 

 Britain was placed on the footing of a coasting 

 trade ; and bacon and hams are imported and 

 exported without any specific entry at the 

 Custom-house. We believe the imports of 

 bacon into Great Britain from Ireland amounts, 

 at present, to little less than 500,000 cwt. a 

 year. The quantity of bacon and hams ex- 

 ported from Ireland to foreign countries is 

 inconsiderable, not exceeding 1500 or 2000 

 cwt. a year. The duty on bacon and hams 

 being 28s. the cwt. is in effect prohibitory. 

 See PROVISIONS TRADE. 



BAIT (Sax. fcatan, German, baitzeri). A feed 

 of oats, or any other material given to an ani- 

 mal employed in travelling or labour. These 

 should always be proportioned to the condition 

 of the animal, and the nature of his labour. It 

 also signifies any thing applied with the view 

 of catching an animal. 



BAKING. The application of heat in the 

 preparation of bread. See BREAD. 



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