No. 4. Curing Hams. — ^g. Soc. of Prince George^s Co., Md. 



131 



are therefore more reduced in quantity than 

 those that support respiration and maintain 

 animal heat. 



As the heat given out by the union of 

 oxygen with organic substances when re- 

 duced to their natural affinities, is a fixed 

 quantity, whether that result be effected by 

 fermentation or combustion, we shall not be 

 far astray when we adopt it as a conclusion 

 governing our proceedings, that it will be 

 requisite to feed with hay that has been 

 heated in the mow, as much grain, as being 

 burned, would have produced the same 

 amount of heat, to produce the same result 

 that the hay alone would have done, had it 

 been made so dry that it would not have 

 heated. 



There are probably few agriculturists who 

 have not noticed the difference in the result 

 from feeding hay and the grass of which the 

 hay was made ; yet there are many who 

 would contend that hay is not injured, but 

 rather benefited, by a considerable degree of 

 heat in the mow. To me it would appear 

 as rational to contend that water, carbonic 

 acid, and ammonia passing into the air, can 

 sustain an animal as well as caseine, fibrine, 

 albumen, gum, sugar, starch, passing into 

 the stomach. 



E. G. Passmore. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Curing Hams. 



To THE Editor, — As the season for 

 slaughtering our cattle and hogs, and put- 

 ting them in the cellar for family use, is at 

 hand, the niode of curing beef, pork and 

 hams, is important to every housekeeper. I 

 take it for granted every one knows that in 

 curing pork, the main point is to put in a 

 great abundance of good salt. There need 

 be no fear of applying too much. If not re- 

 quired in curing the meat, it will remain in 

 the cask, and is as good as ever to be applied 

 again. In curing beef, salt should be used 

 more sparingly. Six lbs. of fine salt, four 

 ounces of saltpetre, one and a quarter lbs. 

 of brown sugar, make a good proportion of 

 ingredients for 100 lbs. of beef In twenty- 

 four hours a pickle that will bear an egg 

 end-wise, should be applied. Drying beef 

 should remain in the pickle about ten days. 

 To cure hams thoroughly, so as to have 

 them sufficiently salt to keep, and yet not 

 too salt, and to give them the real Jersey 

 flavor, is a more delicate operation, and re- 

 quires a nice hand. The following recipe is 

 a good one, and may be relied on for making 

 a first rate ham. To 80 lbs. of hams, take 



four ounces of brown sugar, three ounces of 

 saltpetre, and one pint of fine salt; pulver- 

 ize and mix them thoroughly; rub the hams 

 well all over, particularly on the flesh side, 

 and lay them on boards for 36 or 48 hours, 

 then pack them in casks, adding two quarts 

 of fine salt to every 80 lbs. of hams. In 

 fifteen or eighteen days, they may be hung 

 up to smoke. 



H. M. 



Gloucester co., N. J. 



Agricultural Society in Prince George's 

 County, Md. 



To the Editor oj the Farmers' Cabinet : — 



By invitation from some of the distin- 

 guished agriculturists of Prince George's 

 county, Md., who attended the Cattle Show 

 held at the Rising-Sun Village, near this 

 city, on the 30th of September and 1st of 

 October last, I was induced to make a visit 

 to them for the purpose of attending the ex- 

 hibition to be given by their Agricultural 

 Society at Upper Marlborough.^ 



Myself and the gentlemen who accompa- 

 nied me were kindly and hospitably received 

 and entertained, by Col. Capron of Laurel 

 Factory, by whom we were most pleasantly 

 conveyed to Marlborough, a distance of 27 

 miles, partaking of the kindness and hospi- 

 tality of his relatives and friends, at their 

 delightful mansions on the road. The coun- 

 try through which we passed is gently un- 

 dulating, affording many fine views. The 

 soil is naturally a rich sandy loam, with an 

 abundance of the finest marl, and which I 

 was informed, but few of the planters have 

 availed themselves of for the purpose of im- 

 proving the land. 



In many places the fields appear to pro- 

 duce good crops of corn, wheat, and tobacco, 

 notwithstanding the severe rotation of crop- 

 ping without manure. What would they 

 produce 'under different management — the 

 application of manures, sowing more grass 

 seed, keeping more stock, and ploughing 

 less land? It would be difficult to find a 

 district of country that could be rendered 

 more productive and beautiful. 



On entering the enclosure where the ex- 

 hibition was held, the first thing that at- 

 tracted my attention was a tent erected by 

 C. B. Calvert, Esq., sufficiently capacious to 

 accommodate 40 head of his splendid herd 

 of improved Durham cattle, each one having 

 its stall. At the end of the tent was a house 

 placed on wheels, having been brought for 

 the accommodation of his people who had 

 charge of his numerous stock, &c., — the 

 whole had been brought from his large es- 



