The Pork Business of the West.—Protection of Coarse Wool. 
stream, as if an army had been slain to feed 
its bubbling course. We did not get over 
the appalling sight for months, and it would 
be no small temptation that should ever in¬ 
duce us to enter a slaughter house again. 
At the packing houses there is nothing 
disagreeable, and we visited them with plea¬ 
sure. After getting thoroughly cool, gene¬ 
rally the second day from killing, the hogs 
are brought here, and cut up and salted, and 
barreled into pork, or prepared for bacon, as 
is most desirable, and the lard taken out to 
be pressed into kegs, or manufactured into 
oil and candles. And here a pig is prepared 
to be cured with even more despatch and 
scientific skill than he is killed and dressed. 
Two men take their positions on opposite 
sides of a large cutting block, each armed 
with a cleaver and knife, while two others 
stand by with hooks, to throw the animals up 
as fast as wanted. At the word of com¬ 
mand, “Hog up,” these last swing him on 
to the block. “ Head off,” cries the most 
adroit cutter, and down comes the cleaver, 
and at one stroke it is done. “ Turn him 
over,” is the next order, and three strokes 
divide the carcase in length through the 
back bone. Each of the cutters now goes to 
work with his half. One blow with the 
cleaver, for each leg below the knee, or gam¬ 
bol joint; one belly cut with the knife, and 
the fat is peeled off; then six more, each one 
with their cleavers, dispatches the sides for 
barreling; the hams and shoulders being 
taken away to be trimmed, and the hog* is 
finished at twenty two strokes, about as fast 
as one can count. In addition to the cutters 
and their two aids, a sufficient number of 
persons are employed at the same time there, 
to bring the hogs to the cutting block, and 
salt the meat, and try out the lard, as fast as 
prepared. 
The packing houses of Cincinnati are gen¬ 
erally large, substantial brick buildings, with 
every thing ample and complete within and 
without. The cutting up and salting, and 
pressing out the lard is done on the first 
floor; the deep cool cellars are appropriated 
to the storage of the lard, and pickling hams 
and shoulders. Here also is the furnace for 
the fire, while overhead, all the way to the 
roof, the smoke-house is partitioned off from 
the other rooms of the building, where a pro¬ 
per number of posts and slats, and beams in 
tiers, are arranged over each other, for the pur¬ 
pose of suspending the pieces to be smoked. 
To give an idea of the capacity of one of 
these houses for the business, the intelligent 
proprietor informed us, that 1500 hogs could 
be cut up in a single day, 800,000 lbs. of 
bacon could be smoked at a time, and 
4,000,000 lbs. within a season of about three 
months. 
During the season ending February, 1839, 
not less than 210,000 hogs were cut up at 
Cincinnati, averaging 175 lbs each, and mak¬ 
ing 36,750,000 lbs. In 1840, 150,000 heads, 
averaging 210 pounds each, and making 
31,500,000 lbs. The numbers since this 
have been somewhat lessened; that of 1842, 
was supposed to be not over 110,000 hogs* 
Various causes are assigned for this falling 
off in Cincinnati, such as the low price of 
pork, not making it sufficiently tempting to 
bring it, in some instances, to market; rival 
packing establishments built up in the coun¬ 
try ; and an unusual number of hogs driven 
over the mountains, for a higher price at the 
Eastern markets. 
The business of purchasing and packing, 
for the three past years, has been ruinous to 
many engaged in it; for the market during 
this time has been constantly falling, and 
neither buyer or seller could make any cal¬ 
culations in reference to it. But we think 
pork has now reached its lowest price. It 
will not be the all engrossing product as 
heretofore, when it brought such high prices, 
and since the reduction of duty upon it in 
England, larger quantities will be exported 
hereafter; and by the late regulation of 
our own tariff, our artisans and mechanics 
will be on the increase and more fully em¬ 
ployed; so that the market for pork, both at 
home and abroad, is likely to undergo a 
gradual improvement the coming season. 
Another great reason why the price of pork 
should improve, is that lard now in large 
quantities is manufactured into oil and can¬ 
dles, making it a profitable business to try up 
whole animals, if very fat, for this purpose, 
without reserving any part of them for pork 
or bacon. We trust that the present low 
price of pork will increase the spirit of im¬ 
provement among our farmers in the breeds 
of their swine, rather than slacken it; for 
when the article is low, the more pains 
should be taken to cheapen its production, 
by adopting a superior animal, which again 
will be likely to increase the consumption ; 
for the better the meat, the more there will 
be eat of it, and the less of other things. 
Protection of Coarse Wool. 
We have had numerous enquiries and com¬ 
plaints as to the supposed inadequacy of our 
present tariff, for the effectual protection of 
our coarse wools. In reply, we beg leave to 
