FARMFRS CLUBS.-PACKING PROVISIONS FOR THE ENGLISH MARKET. 
13 
FARMERS 5 CLUBS. 
The farmers of every neighborhood should form 
themselves into a club, and meet once a week during 
the winter for the purpose of discussing such things 
as tend to their mutual improvement. It is astonish¬ 
ing what an amount of knowledge they may thus ob¬ 
tain, and how greatly their interests will be forward¬ 
ed. These meetings may be held at some central 
building in the neighborhood, such as the school- 
house, court-house, or a respectable tavern. But the 
best place, in our opinion, for a club meeting, is at 
the farmers’ own homes; where they should be held 
alternately till the -whole neighborhood is gone 
over, and then commence anew ; and so keep on in 
regular routine. It would be well to have these meet¬ 
ings once a week in the winter, and once a month in 
the more busy season of the year. Clergymen, Phy¬ 
sicians, Lawyers, Merchants, Mechanics, and indeed 
nearly every other profession associate for mutual 
improvement, and the furtherance of their ow r n 
interests; then why should not the farmers ?—the 
most numerous and worthy class by far in every na¬ 
tion, and without whom the world would soon come 
to an end. Unite, then, for mutual benefit and in¬ 
struction in every hamlet and neighborhood—no mat¬ 
ter how few your numbers—form yourselves into 
dubs. We know of nothing so well calculated to 
instruct you, and raise you to that rank 'which your 
individual worth and importance as a class en¬ 
title you to assume. Be you the rulers as well as 
the workers of the land; and allow no other class 
whatever in this great republic to take precedence over 
you, whether in the scientific or practical knowledge 
of your profession. 
New York Farmers’ Club. —-At the meeting, De¬ 
cember 14th, Mr. Wakeman presented some mummy 
wheat received by Wm. H. Maxwell from Egypt. It 
was distributed among the members for experiments 
in sowing another year. Some conversation took 
place on the diseases of animals, but nothing partic¬ 
ularly new was elicited. The application of sea¬ 
weed was discussed and an analysis of some soils 
was read. Dr. Field exhibited his beautiful cattle 
dog, which will drive either cattle or sheep. 
Number of Animals annually Slaughtered in this 
City , and principally consumed by its inhabitants. — 
According to a committee of three butchers, there are 
50,000 beeves, average weight 650 lbs. each, making 
32,500,000 lbs.; 150,000 sheep and lambs, weight 
about 11,000,000 lbs.; 200,000 swine, weight 150 
lbs. each, making 30,000,000 lbs.; calves were widely 
estimated at from 10,000 to 25,000. We do not see 
any account of fish and poultry, of both of which 
there is a great consumption. 
Annual Meeting of the New York State 
Agricultural Society. —This will take place in 
Albany about the middle of this month, and continue 
several days. For the particulars of the programme 
of this, see our last volume, page 345. It will be a 
most interesting and important meeting, and we hope 
it will be well attended by all the friends of agricul¬ 
ture who can possibly make it convenient to do so. 
We understand that the hospitality of the citizens 
will be extended to all strangers who visit Albany 
for the occasion, and everything be done to make 
their stay agreeable. 
PACKING PROVISIONS FOR THE ENGLISH 
MARKET. 
We think we cannot do our readers a greater ser¬ 
vice, than copying the following article, addressed to 
Messrs. Hitchcock, Livingston, & Co., from an Ameri¬ 
can gentleman now in England, who has paid much 
attention to the subject. If properly cured and pack¬ 
ed, Great Britain, and her East and West India Colo¬ 
nies, would take nearly all our surplus provisions. 
It is of great importance to us, then, to adopt their most 
approved methods of packing, and if necessary, even to 
sacrifice a little to their whims and prejudices. But 
the English method is undoubtedly far superior to our 
own, and it is certain that we shall net command the 
market there till we adopt it; the sooner therefore it is 
done, the better, it will be for the interests of all par¬ 
ties concerned. 
Pork.— This is cut into four or six pouv d pieces, ac¬ 
cording to the size of the hog. Where carcase 
weighs two hundred and fifty and under, it is cut into 
four-pound pieces; large hogs are cut into six-pound 
pieces. The hog is first slit through the back-bone in 
half; then passed to the trimming-block, where the 
half-head and legs are cut off', the leaf and tender-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 proper shape and size of the 
different pieces. From the block, the strips pass to 
the scales, where the weight is ascertained, and called 
to the man at the cutting-block, who divides each strif 
into the requisite sized pieces. Both the splitting aw 
piercing require skill and judgment, as much depend? 
upon having the pieces well and sizeably cut. From 
thence it goes to the rubbing-table, where each piece 
is thoroughly rubbed 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 
hundred pounds, well covered with salt, hut no water 
or brine added. Here they remain from eight to ten 
days. It is taken to the washing trough or vat, 
where each piece is thoroughly washed in clean brine, 
trimmed, and tormented , as the process of trying is 
called. The tormentor is an instrument of wood or 
metal, the size of a small dish, and is thrust into the 
lean parts of each piece 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 wane-glass full 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 
walh clean strong brine, bunged tight, branded, and is 
then ready for market. 
The great utility of this method of curing, consists _ 
in the certainty of the meat keeping in good condition 
for years in any climate. The blood gets all drained 
out of the meat before it is barreled, and hence one 
great cause of injury is avoided. I saw pork and beef 
w'hich had been tw T o years in the barrel, w’hich was 
as sweet as w T hen first put up, and the brine was per¬ 
fectly clear. A friend in London unpacked several 
packages of Irish and Hamburgh cured provisions, by 
the side of American. The contrast w r as anything 
