FARM BUTCHERING 503 
and pulley. When properly elevated, the skin is opened 
along the belly from the rectum to the breast. Now fol- 
low the opening of the carcass, the 
moval of the entrails and the com- 
pletion of the skinning. The final 
work is to sponge off the blood, both 
inside and out, and leave the car- 
cass'to. cool and harden. 
7. Scalding hogs—When a hog 
no longer bleeds or moves he is 
ready for the scalding vat. A hogs- 
head or large barrel is commonly 
used. The best temperature for the 
Dressinc THE SteeR  SCalding water is about 25 degrees 
.. below the boiling point. If the 
water is too hot, the hair i is hard to remove and the skin 
is injured by the cooking that the hot water gives. If 
hard wood ashes are put in the water, they serve to clean 
and brighten. up the skin. Many farmers use ashes or 
common lye. Once in the water 
the hog is moved up and down, 
turned over and ends transferred, 
after which it is placed on the clean- 
ing board and thoroughly scraped 
and cleaned. The carcass is now 
ready for dressing. 
Before butchering day, have everything 
in readiness. For heating scalding water [lie 
and rendering lard, when one has no ket- 
tles or caldrons ready to set in brick or 
stone, a simple method is to put down two 
forked stakes and lay in them a pole to 
support the kettles, and build a wood fire 
around them on the ground. In scalding keep the hog in motion by 
turning it about in water and occasionally try the bristles to see if 
they will come out readily. 
ScaLDING Hoc 
