AYR TO DUMFKIES. 327 



taken off, and the bones taken out, and, after being a 

 few days in brine, they are sold as salt pork or ham, 

 and eaten in the coal mines or the jerry-shops. The 

 Ayrshire people have an eye to the hide market in 

 feeding them so large, as every inch above four feet 

 considerably advances the price. Small pigs from 

 the lower parts of Ayrshire meet with a good sale, if 

 they can weigh-in at from 9st to 14st of 141bs. Once 

 500 or 600 pigs were bought out of the town of Dum- 

 fries, but none are allowed in it now. Some farmers 

 in the Stewartry feed sixty, and nearly every cottar 

 keeps one or two. The curers' agents go about and buy 

 them up everywhere, and send them to the depot either 

 alive or with their head and feet off, and unskinned, 

 which is contrary to the Belfast fashion. Very little 

 is done in " Bath chaps,^^ as farmers keep them for 

 home consumption, especially when meat is so dear. 

 The pigs are from six to twelve months old; and 

 although Irish bacon is sometimes in the market two 

 or three weeks after the cure, genuine ham and 

 bacon cannot be made under three to eight months. 

 The bacon term opens on Nov. 22nd, curiously 

 enough when the cheese one closes, and then the curers 

 are in full work, both in the workshops and the mar- 

 kets, till the second week in April. On Wednesday 

 they will be at Dumfries, on Monday at Lochmaben, 

 and at Lockerby once a fortnight on Thursdays. Cope- 

 laud of New Abbey, Provost Bell of Dumfries, and 

 Maclaren of Dalbeattie, are large curers, especially the 

 latter^ who throws out his hooks all over Galloway. 



