862 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. {1 May, 1900. 
water, and allowing it to remain there for six to eight minutes. If the blood 
when cast into the water retains its natural colour for any length of time? 
will be found that the water is not hot enough.” 
Pras should be always killed quietly as possible, especially in the hot weather, 
to help the curing. If you have two or three or a half-dozen pigs top ae 
to kill them the same day, the best way is to have a killing-pen close eside t g 
stye, quietly run one out, take your gun and shoot it behind the ear with ® 
small ball, which will not injure the head for use. As soon as the pig 18 Bs 
have your knife ready, turn the pig up on its back and stick it. The pig 1 
being excited will bleed well. Choose cool weather for killing; avoid close 0! 
thundery weather. Great care should be taken to get the water at the ta” 
heat for scalding ; it is better to have it too cold than too hot, for a pig oe 
sealded is very hard to clean. The water should be 150 degrees Fahr. ; if the 
wind is very cold it is a good plan to put a piece of hessian or bran bag over 
the pig and pour the water over the bag or hessian. Let the pig hang 
night, and cut down when cold, very early in the morning. In summer Hm® 
get it into salt before the flies are about. If you are making bacon for marke’ 
cut it into middles, hams, and shoulders; see that the hams are a good shap® 
leaving the leg bone fairly long, so as to be able to dress it for the table; keep 
the shoulders for the home use; dealers do not care to give the same oA 
shoulders as for middles and hams, and it will not pay to take less where ther 
isa family. For salting I have a tank built of bricks and cement, measur!'s 
2 feet 6 inches by 6 feet, and 2 feet deep, with a well in the bottom so as to 7 
able to dip out the brine, and a frame made of wood with very fine net WI"? 
stretched over it to keep the flies out. It is built in my cellar, and keeps * 
60 degrees to 70 degrees Fahr. in the hottest weather. 1t will hold six pig* es 
the time. I am in favour of dry-salting for a pig weighing eight to ten s¢0” 
pounds. Use not more than 6 Ib. fine salt, 4 oz. saltpetere, 1 1b. white supa 
Rub the salt well in, especially on the outside or rind. Bacon should be nee 
every day for the first four or five days, and should not lie in salt longer 1” 
fourteen days; than take it out, lay it ona slanting bench, and with a clot “ 
cold water wash off every particle of salt; then hang it np for a few days 
dry; when dry put it into the smoke-house. This shoul 
20 feet from the fireplace, so that the smoke shall be both dry and cool. he 
best material for smoking is sawdust and a little wood. Do not smoke 4 
bacon too dark ; let it bea pale colour. Two days with the smoke kept well up 
is sufficient. 
PIG-STICKING AS PRACTISED IN AUSTRALASIA. 
Tur Otago Witness thus describes the system of pig-killing as practised in Nev 
Zealand :— i 
Having caught the pig and secured it by slipping a noose round its top A 
and behind the tusks, and another noose around its hind leg, the next thing i 
to stick it properly, so as to cause sufficient bleeding and avoid “ knifing u 
meat. Unless a man is pretty expert in the sticking business, his best pi” 5. 
to stun it by giving a sharp blow with a hammer in the centre of the forehe®®’ 
and if this is done smartly the pig will drop like a “ pithed’”’ bullock.” an 
catch hold of the upper foreleg with the left hand (the pig lying on its si0°” 
kneel on the shoulder with the left knee, press the heat weil back with Fo 
heel, so that the throat is thoroughly bare and tight; put the point of the kat 
in a little behind the gullet, and feel your way gently towards the gullet “ 
the knife until the blood gushes out freely. Then remove the heel, and knee 
Jan i8 
on the pig altogether for a few moments. Some killers do not stuD 7. 
pig, but prefer to have the head held up in a perpendicular position ; 
does not matter in the least how the sticking is done so long as the res 
satisfactory. 
t 
and} 
ult 18 
be from 12 feet to 
