No. 12. 



Comparative Weight of Pork and Bacon. 



371 



From the American Agriculturist. 



Comparative Weight of Pork and Bacon. 



On the 16th of December, 1846, I bought 

 twelve hogs, weighing 272, 245, 240, 237, 

 230, 229, 223, 212, 212, 206, 198, 189, mak 



ing a total of 2,693 lbs. at $1 87^ per 100 

 lbs. making $50 50. 



According to the market price in Chicago 

 this was the fair value, merely deducting 

 price of hauling. These cut up next day 

 made 



24 handsomely trim'd hams, weighing 632 lbs., to cost say 2i cts., $14 23 



24 do. shoulders, ' " ' ~ " "" 



24 do. sides clear of bone, 



Leaf, lard, and trimmings of belly, &.C., 



Triramingsof lean meat, clear of bone, for sausage, 51, it will make S52 37 



Or $1 87 more than the whole hogs cost, or 2,261 lbs., including the sausage meat 



at 2j cents a pound, it will exceed the cost 37 cts. 



Then I had the remainder as follows : 



12 joles 106 



Back bones and ribs 158 



Pates and souse 125 



Loss in cutting up 43 



2693 



I take no account now^ of anything but the 

 hams, shoulder?, and sides. For cutting and 

 curing I have charged my own time. 



I day cutting up and salting (including board) $1 25 



1 day hired man assisting 62 



2 lbs. saltpetre, 37; 96 lbs. N. Y. sail (1^ bushels) 



96 cts. 1 33 

 Dec. 30, work overhauling and resalting, 25 cts.; 



32 lbs. salt, 32 cts. 57 

 Jan. 16, 1847, preparing and hanging up meat to 



smoke 1 25 



April 2, labour of weighing bacon 25 



$5 27 



After smoking and drying from January 

 16th, to April 2nd, it weighed as follows: 



24 bams 571, loss 61, 632 original weight. 



24 shoulders 534, do. 46, 580 do. 



24 sides 6.36, do. 32,. . . 668 do. 



1741 139 1880 



This, at three cents a pound, will exceed 

 the cost of the hogs, $1 73. 



Any person can, however, fix his own 

 price upon each part, and by taking compara- 

 tive weights make his own calculation and 

 estimate of profit and loss. The weights 

 were all carefully taken by my own hands, 

 with the same steelyards. The hogs were 

 well fatted upon corn. The price of pork 

 last fall was low. The fair price of the 

 bacon now, I think, is seven cents on an 

 average. 



But as " one swallow don't make a sum- 

 mer," I will give another table, so that a 

 comparison can be made with these and the 

 former one. January 13th, 1847, I killed 

 seven hogs, weighing 331, 235, 233, 222, 

 173, 167, 150, — the three last pigs, — and at 

 same time received from a tenant the half 

 of two others, that were poorly fatted, which 

 weighed 237 and 186, making my half 212, 



and the total 1723 lbs., which at the same 

 price as the other lot, $1 87^ per cwt., 

 would make $32 30. These cut up the next 

 day were as follows : 



16 hams 413 



16 shoulders 334 



16 sides 400 



Leaf, lard and trimmings 262 



Sausage meat and tail pieces 63 



I 1472 



Joles 78 



Back bones and ribs 80 



Pates and souse 80 



Loss in cutting 13 



1723 



The per centage of loss in cutting up this 

 lot is less than the other. This is partly 

 owing to being better dressed. 



Weight smoked 370 loss, 43 413 



do. do 314 do. 20 334 



do. do 368 do. 32 400 



This at three cents, falls a little short of 

 the price fixed as cost, while the other lot 

 at the same rate exceeded it. This is owing 

 to the small hogs in this lot. The charges 

 against this lot are for 



75 lbs. of salt 75 



i do. saltpetre 14 



Cutting up and salting, 1.00 



Overhauling and weighing 36 



$2 25 



No matter what the price of fresh pork 

 is, if the farmer is sure that he could sell 

 the bacon for double that price, he will find 

 'it profitable to salt, instead of selling in the 

 I hog. For the lard, sausage meat, joles, ribs, 

 '(fee, will more than pay the cost and trou- 

 ,ble of curing, and then he will save about 

 1 40 per cent., in the weight of hauling to 

 market. 



I should like to see similar calculations 

 .upon putting up pork in barrels. 



Solon Robinson. 



' Crown Point, Lake co., la., April 25th, 1847. 



