HOG. 



singe the hair by burning straw over 

 the body, and tlien scraping the skin. 

 Care must be taken not to allow the 

 skin to be burned so as to crack. The 

 hog is then hung up, and the entrails 

 taken out. The inside of the body 

 is washed clean with a cloth or sponge 

 dipped in water, that no blood may 

 remain, and the next day the hog is 

 cut up. The head and feet are cut 

 off, the chine is taken out, and the 

 upper part of the ribs, with the back 

 bone, are cut out, leaving as much J 

 flesh as possible adhering to the fat I 

 outside. The small ends of the ribs j 

 remain attached to the bacon." | 



The preserved flesh of the hog is 

 termed pork when placed in brine, ; 

 and bacon when dried. The prepara- 

 tion of pork for shipping, especially to 

 England, is a matter of importance. | 

 The following is the English method, ! 

 as published by Messrs. Hitchcock 6c 

 Co.: I 



" Pork is cut into four or six-pound 

 pieces, according to the size of the 

 hog. Where the carcass weighs two , 

 hundred and flfty and under, it is cut 

 into four-pound pieces ; large hogs 

 are cut into six-pound pieces. The 

 hog is first split through the back 

 hone in half ; then passed to the 

 trimming-block, where the half head 

 and legs are cut off, the leaf and ten- 

 der-loin taken out, and the whole side 

 split lengthwise through both the 

 shoulder and ham, and as near the 

 centre as is consistent with the prop- 

 er shape and size of the different pie- 

 ces. From the trimming-block the 

 strips pass to the scales, where the , 

 weight is ascertained and called to 

 the man at the cutting-block, who di- 

 vides each strip into the requisite 

 sized pieces. Both the splitting and 

 piercing require skill and judgment, 

 as much depends upon having the 

 pieces well and sizably cut. From 

 thence it goes to the rubbing-table, 

 where each piece is thoroughly rub- 

 bed in salt in the same manner as in 

 curing bacon. After the salt has been 

 well rubbed in, it is put into pickling 

 tubs, holding from three to five hun- 

 dred pounds, well covered with salt, 

 but no water or brine added. Here 

 Ii 



they remain from eight to ten days. 

 It is then taken to the washing-trough 

 or vat, where each piece is thorough- 

 ly washed in clean brine, trimmed, 

 and tormented, as the process of try- 

 ing is called, to ascertain that it is 

 properly cured and free from taint. 

 It is then messed and weighed, so 

 that the requisite number of pieces 

 shall weigh exactly the number of 

 pounds for the barrel or tierce. It is 

 then put up in the proper package, 

 and freely salted while packing, and 

 saltpetre added at the rate of a 

 common wineglassful to the hundred 

 pounds. The last layer is pounded 

 in by a heavy iron weight, and capped 

 with coarse salt. It is then passed 

 to the cooper, who puts in the head, 

 and puts on to the barrel one, and on 

 to the tierce at least three iron hoops 

 at each end. The package is then 

 filled with clean strong brine, bunged 

 tight, branded, and is then ready for 

 market. 



"The great utility of this method 

 of curing consists in the certainty ot 

 the meat keeping in good condition 

 for years in any climate. The blood 

 gets all drained out of the meat be- 

 fore it is barreled, and hence one 

 great cause of injury is avoided. I 

 saw pork and beef which had been 

 two years in the barrel, which was as 

 sweet as when first put up, and the 

 brine was perfectly clear. The large 

 hogs, or heavy pork, which is uni- 

 formly cut in six-pound pieces, is 

 packed in tierces, and is then called 

 India or navy pork. The four-pound 

 pieces are put in barrels. 



" A barrel of prime pork should 

 contain from 25 to 30 pieces, cut 

 from the ribs, loins, chines, and belly 

 pieces, all lying between the ham 

 and shoulder, forming what is called 

 the broadside or middle. Three hands 

 and two hind-leg pieces, or three 

 hind-leg pieces and two hands, and 

 fifteen or twenty pieces from other 

 parts of the hog, except no part of 

 the head. The meat must be of prime 

 quality, firm, and well fattened, cut 

 into four-pound pieces, exactly fifty 

 to the barrel, and weigh not less than 

 two hundred pounds nett, and must 



373 



