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THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 SAVING PORK. 



Mr. Editor, — As the season for the slaughtering 

 of hogs for bacon is near at hand I venture, at the 

 risk of being considered a bore, to add a scrap to 

 others which I have already written for the Planter. 

 I wrote for it some years ago a series of short arti- 

 cles, and among them one upon my present sub 

 ject. Though a trite and hackneyed subject it is an 

 important one. 



The error still prevails that it is wrong to salt 

 pork until it is rid of the animal heat, and a mis- 

 chievous error it is. It may be wrong to pack it, 

 but it is not far wrong to apply salt to it, for the 

 salt will rid it the sooner of the animal heat, and 

 propare it the sooner for " salting down" and pack- 

 ing. I have known house-keepers, in doubtful 

 weather, to slaughter their hogs, split them down 

 the spine, and keep them lying out of doors all 

 night, to clear them of animal heat. In the name 

 of animal chemistry and common sense, I ask why 

 not sprinkle them with pure salt and keep apart, 

 either in the house or out of doors 1 They get cool 

 the sooner by so managing, and by the time the 

 animal heat gets out, the salt gets in nearly to the 

 bone. This I know from many years' experience ; 

 yet some of my neighbors have said to me " 1 have 

 tried your plan, and my meat is tainted by the hot 

 weather." But on inquiry, they salted and packed 

 while the meat was warm — whereas, if they had 

 salted first, and after it had got cool then re-salted 

 and packed, they would have had sound bacon, as 

 I had the same seasons, upon the plan which I am 

 advocating. 



I will not trespass upon your columns by com- 

 menting upon the almost innumerable expedients 

 for making good bacon, nor pretend to originality 

 which I do not claim, except it be original with me 

 to write and talk upon a common-place practical 

 subject, rather than upon a more ideal one. It was 

 well said by a medical writer, in his prefatory re- 

 marks upon an excellent essay upon burns and 

 scalds, that a man who could make an improvement 

 in addition to the knowledge which we had in the 

 treatment of our prevalent fevers, would deserve 

 more credit than would the discoverer of an infal- 

 lible remedy for hydrophobia. 



T. II 



From the New England Fanner. 

 HOUSE PAINTING. 



The item of painting, paper-hanging and 

 glazing, is no small one in New England, where 

 there is, without question, a more general use 

 of paint than in any other section of the world. 

 Nowhere will you find less unpainted buildings, 

 in proportion to the number, than here. Every- 

 body uses paint — we are sorry not to be able to 

 except even some of the sweet heart confec- 

 tionary people. All are interested more or 

 less in its cost and preservation. The general 

 subject, with appropriateness of the various 

 hues for the different purposes of use and or- 

 nament, will be the subject of these articles. 



I need not say to those who understand the J 



subject, that it is one which is usually far too 

 little understood ; coming as it does under every 

 day observation, it would seem to be well for 

 all to know its most simple details. 



Since the recent extensive manufacture of 

 zinc, white as a pigment, there has been great 

 inquiry as to its merits, in comparison with 

 lead. Having given the subject personal at- 

 tention for the past two years, I am prepared 

 to recommend zinc, because it is not so poison- 

 ous, an equal number of pounds will cover 

 more surface equally well, and it is more beauti- 

 ful. And besides, I know no reason why it is 

 not more durable. There is a mistaken notion, 

 which is very prevalent, that white lead is the 

 oxide of lea d. It is the subcarbonate — litharge 

 is the oxide, and red lead the deutoxide, while 

 white zinc, as it is called, is the oxide of zinc ; 

 and not a carbonate, like white lead. 



The drying process is not by evaporation like 

 varnish, but by the absorption of oxygen from 

 the atmosphere. Inexperienced painters fre- 

 quently complain that zinc does not cover so 

 well as lead ; the reason is they use it too thin ; 

 it has to be mixed apparently thicker and 

 spread on more flowing than lead ; so treated, 

 it is more satisfactory, and still not so expen- 

 sive as lead. The idea has been extensively 

 promulgated, that painting done in the fall of 

 the year, is far better than at any other season. 

 It is easy to see the origin of this notion and 

 the means of its continuance. Painters always 

 have a special rush of work in the spring ; all 

 nature is then thawing out of winter quarters. 

 Man feels the renovating influences, and then, 

 if ever, a desire to assist nature in the beauti- 

 fying processes going on round him, to make 

 improvements and repairs. All want their 

 work done " right off," but they can't all be 

 accommodated at once; the painter must be 

 idle most of the year, or have his work distri- 

 buted through the season. Some shrewd one 

 starts the idea that it is actually better to wait — 

 the economical ones do wait — and the idea is 

 extensively diffused ; everybody believes it, and 

 the painter is benefited, and the story has per- 

 formed its mission. Now the proper time to 

 repaint is, when your buildings need it; when 

 they begin to chalk, for even if there is an ad- 

 vantage, the loss sustained, will, beyond all 

 doubt, more than counterbalance the benefit to 

 be derived by waiting. The best time to paint 

 is when it will be thoroughly dry, before either 

 very hot or very cold weather ; were there no 

 other considerations to be taken into account. 



As to color for outside painting, a house 

 with no architectural pretensions may, with 

 propriety, be painted white, or almost any 

 other lively color, but a building, the moulding, 



