100 HIGGLE SWINE BOOK. 



woods and farrow about the middle of April. They 

 live on the nuts, roots and berries they find in the 

 woods. In the fall, after the corn, sweet potatoes and 

 peanuts are gathered, they are turned into the fields 

 and begin to pick up rapidly on what has been left. 

 They are then put in pens and fattened quickly by 

 giving them all the corn they will eat and pure water 

 to drink. They are kept clean and are killed when not 

 too fat nor too lean, weighing from 125 to 190 pounds. 

 They are carefully slaughtered, the hams being the 

 first consideration. The curing is as follows : The 

 hams are first placed in large trays of fine Liverpool 

 salt. Then the flesh side is sprinkled with crude salt- 

 petre, using three or four pounds to 1000 pounds of 

 ham. The whole surface is then covered at once with 

 fine Liverpool salt. The hams are next placed in piles 

 not more than three feet high, and let stand for three 

 days. Each ham is then resalted with fine salt and 

 piled again, one day for each pound in each ham ; a ten- 

 pound ham thus stands for ten days. At the end of 

 this time they are washed with tepid water until the 

 hams are clean, and when nearly dry rubbed with fine 

 ground black pepper. They are then smoked slowly 

 and gradually for from thirty to forty days, using green 

 red oak or hickory. The hams are then repeppered to 

 guard against vermin and are bagged. The average 

 weight per ham is about ten pounds. These hams sell 

 for an average of twenty-two cents per pound at Smith- 

 field. The remaining parts of the hog are cured in the 

 same way and are largely consumed at home. 



I believe there is no reason why with much the 

 same care and close attention to details, the same 



