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VOL. XXXI.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND.. DEO. 5. 1896.
NO. 49
EXPERIENCE DEPARTMENT
How Do You Manage Your Butchering, Killing, Tempering Scalding
"Water, Cleaning, Etc.
Ij
1st. Premium -—In order to have
good, sweet, jaioy pork, the hogs
should be slaughtered while in good,
thriving condition; all moonshine
theories to the contrary. The day before
the hogs are butchered they should not be
fed in the evening, but should be brought
quietly to the pen. It spoils the meat
to drive or worry them just before they
are slaughtered. We usually heat the
water, for scalding and cleaning in kettles out of doors, and refill the kettles
with clean water each time. After making a suitable platform, on which to han-
. die and scrape the hogs. Set the scalding barrel atone end slanting towards
the platform. A good way is to shoot
them with a 22 target gun, and stick immediately. When the hogs are ready,
fill the barrel half full of boiling water,
adding a bucketful of cold water and a
handful of wood ashes. Then to be snre
the water is not too hot, dip your linger
in the water three times. If it seems too
hot add more cold water. A little experience will enable any one to get it about
right
Dip the hog in and roll around for a
2-c^^o*ctcrMme!V3n»i--_^c---_J^-f the.hair set*,
your water Is too hot; if the hair doea
not slip easily dip again. Slip the hair
off hot, then dip the other end. Scrape
and hang up. Go over them again, using
clear water. Cut the head off, wash and
hang up by the snout. Remove the entrails, wash and put ina spreading stick
to hold the sides ont, so the animal heat
will the better escape. Hogs ehould hang
at least five or six hours.
When oool take them down and cut in
two lengthwise, taking out the backbone, then the leaf and the ribs. Cut
across at the proper place near the hams
and the shoulders. If you desire nice,
smooth joints and sides there should be
no more trimming done nntil the next
day.   Then trim to suit your fancy.
Union Co. W. H. Lafitse.
Pn
2d Freminm. The first thing I do about
butchering is to haul some wood, split it
up and put it in the dry. The next thing
is to fix my kettles for use. I place a barrel near them and make a platform and
slant the barrel toward the platform for
scalding. I also buy my pepper and salt
before I am ready to kill. I do not give
my hogs anything to eat or drink for supper or breakfast before killing. I get up
early and fill the kettles and build a fire,
and have the water boiling by day light.
I put boiling water in the barrel and cool
till I can bear to put my hand in it, If lt
is too cold after trying I put in ai little
more boiling water. By all means I do
not want the water too hot. Sometimes I
shoot my hogs, but prefer knocking them
jn the head with a hammer with a long
slender handle made for that purpose. I
*g«DeralIy kill two at a time and scald
-hem. The feet and head are the first
{things I clean, and do not use a knife un-
ttil I have done all I can with my hands.
X do not believe in shaving the hairs' ofT.
The butcher knives should be ground before time for using. Oambrel sticks
and a hogs head should.also be made before hand, and if taken care of will last
for several years. I usually have my
hogs cleaned and gutted before dinner.
We follow the old rule and .kill one a
piece for the family and one for comers
jand goers. A Farmer.
A
3d Premium.—When butchering time
comes on I always try to get everything
in readiness for the job the day before I
aim to butcher; that is to grind the
butcher knives, have the kettles hung, or
set in a furnace, whichever is to be done;
the wood hand} and the pole ready to
hang the hogs on. Then early the morning for butchering tbe kettles can be
filled with water and a fire made, and by
the time the morning work is done the
water is boiling and eyerything is ready
to butch er. I never want my hogs fed th e
evening before butchering,as the entrails
are not so fall and are much easier
handled. I always * kill two or three at
once, which is generally done by knocking in the head with a small hammer
with long handle, which is the best to
use for this purpose. By doing in this
way the same scalding water will do for
more than one hog. I have a large barrel
set sloping close to the kettles for the
purpose of scalding, with platform or
scaffold in front of it. The first time
when the barrel is cold, boiling water
should be put in sullicient to scald with
about ttcvo gallons of cold water that is
enough to keep the water from setting
the hair on the hog. If more hogs are to
be scalded add a couple of bucketsfal of
boiling water and dip another hog. Clean
hogs now scalded first, by getting all the
hair off that can be got 'off with the
hands; then scrape with the knives and
they are ready, to hang; then dash hot
wator on them and scrapo down well;
then cold water and scrape again. Proceed with more hogs in the same way
until done; always filling tlie kettles
with oold water when, the hot is taken
out, to _ay.ee.boiling_ ready, for - th-» jt-**-ct
scald. We always aim to get the hogs all
bung and gutted before dinner; then by
the time dinner is over they are cool
enough to cut nice. Then the lard can
soon be got and we always aim to render
tho lard the same day we butcher.
A Harrison County Farmer.
The way we manage our butchering is
to have sufficient help engaged on call;
then select a day not too cold for outdoor
work. In the morning fill the kettles,
start a fire and get the scalding barrel in
position before breakfast. Then as soon
as the water is hot you are ready to begin. Kill the largest hogs first. A hog
weighing from 150 to 175 pounds is the
choicest for family use. Transferring the
water to the barrel will cool it, and a
heated stone or two may be dropped in,
and two or three shovelfuls of ashes will
be a help. In hanging I use a tripod,
three poles fastened at top, with rope and
pulley. This does away with heavy lifting. Remove entrails; dash a bucket of
cold water inside, and let bang until
night. Then remove to smoke house and
next morning cut in shapely pieces and
salt. Never salt meat while there is a
snspicion of animal heat in it. Do not
use a barrel which has contained beef, or
one in which brine has soured. The
amount of salt required varies, but better
too much than too little. Havo plenty of
brine; keep a weight on the meat, a tight
cover on the barrel, and a lock on your
smoke house door, and it will give you no
further trouble. W. A. B
REVIEW.
It is becoming quite common here and
elsewhere to pay our local butcher one
dollar apiece to kill, cut, render lard and
make sausage. This takes a dirty,
"nasty" job away from the home. The
butcher is an expert, has all appliances
handy and does a very neat and satisfactory job. It is more convenient to many
farmers to do this work themselves. We
certainly are under obligations to our
correspondents for their plain story as to
how to do this kind of farm work.
People in the city would be surprised
to learn how many farmers can do this
job to perfection. The Dutch, however,
"take the cake" in this kind of work. Remember the writei's said "don't worry
the animals."
One of our neighbors uses a thermometer, but the hand soon "catches on." 1 believe 100° 1 about right.
lt looks thrifty to see a few clean, white
porkers hanging in,a back farm yard,
and a few snow flakes falling about. At
Antioch college Prof. Orton asked our zoology class what hogs were good for.
One finely dressed lady turned up her
nose at the thought of "eating hog meat."
The Professor said, "Well I think we
ought to give the hog credit for furnishing the pioneer and the laborer the most
warmth producing and ^strength giving
meat at the lowest price. The hog has
furnished food to hew down our forests;
it has dug our canals; has built our
railroads and has turned a wilderness
into a nation of homes. No other meat
could have been grown so easily and
have supplied this great need so
cheaply."
Notes—Monday Nov. 30th the Institute
ball starts to rolling. All counties will
enjoy one or more institutes between
now and April lst. Wo always hold one
at Carmel whether we get the State
money here or not. The best institutes
are seldom the largest ones. I have often talked In a court room packed to the
walls, and one cannot be heard so well,
neither can his illustrations be seen. He
can't dwell on the little points as well. I
hope to meet faco to face a large number
of our farmer family this winter and to
know you better. I go to Brown county
Dec. lst and 21.
Our corn shucking is tedious. The last
efew-years-eive would go.4hrough n'-sl-oak:
fast, pulline* down several stalks ta
find few ears. This year many stalks
have two ears each. The reports in various papera give some promise of a little
better market for pur potatoes.
No. 40, Dec. 12—The best method of
rendering lard, mixing and saving sausage, making souse, etc.
No. 41, Dec. 19 —How can I best cure
and smoke meat for family use?
No. 42, Doc. 2G.—Send in a number of
nice little talks about Christmas—what it
means to you and yours How observed,
etc?
leading, strong organization, as broad as
our land. Subordinate, county, State and
national, through which every farmer and
his family may be benefited, as they can
be in no other way. Let us strive for
this, brothers, and when we find our
efforts in vain, then our grumbling will*
be more excusable. P. B. Ewan.
Haydon.
—We are glad to be corrected in regard
to the shortening of the ritual aud the
reduction of expenses of the Grange. It
ought now to be very popular, as it certainly may be greatly useful. AVe always
admired the principles of the Grange,
and for several years belonged to the order, but it was tben liable to the objections we named, and to the further one
that Mr. Ewan refers to, that it could be
and was used by politicians for their personal interests.
Another friend of the order asks us how
we "figure it out that the Grange is more
expensive now than formerly." We did
not say that. What we did say was, as
quoted by Mr. Ewan above, that "the expense is a more serious matter than formerly," by which wo meant that it is
harder to pay the fees and dues now
when corn is only 18 and 20 cents por
bushel, than when the price was three
times as much. We wish the Grange all
success, and freely withdraw our objec.
tions to It, now that we have learned the
facts above stated.
If our friends will write as soon as you
can on any of these topics, your copy will
be filed away and be ready when the
topic is published. E. H. Collins.
Some Corrections.
Editors India*- Farmer:
Under the head, "Farmers should organize clubs," on page eight in your issue of Nov. 28th, the edi'or says "The.
grange plan is objected to on account of lt3 tedious ritual." . The
work in the ritual is all Interesting and
instructive, and prepares those initiated
for the Btudy and work before them, and
is used in but few meetings. The revised
rituals combine the degree work, and
make it but half as long as in the old
ritual. It is further stated that "The expense is a more serious matter than formerly." This is a mistake. Originally the
fee was $5 for males and $3 for females
Now it is $1 for males and 50 cents for females. Questions for discussions are
given out by national lecturers, and
every Grance is at liberty to discuss all
questions except those of a partisan or
sectarian nature. Farmers should have
organizations entirely apart from those
of other callings. Outside of these there
are many chances for mingling with
those who follow other callings, We are
not sure that there is any State organiza.
tiod of the F. M. II A or Alliance. Many
who have belppged to those organizations, and also to the Grange have said to
me, "The Grange is far ahead of either.
The Grange is 30 years old, and stronger
in faith and its determination to succeed
than ever before."
Perhaps no one tcing caused so much
trouble in the former history of the
Grange, as the admission'of those who
were not actual farmers, but had small
interest in the calling, and an "ax tb
grind."   We believo thore should ba one
A Prosperous Grange.
Editors Indiak- Kasuu:
Some of us farmers of Spencer township, Jennings county, havo a grango
order, hoadquaiters at Hayden. We have
a fine hall nicely furnished, an organ,
secretary's desk, stands, pictures on the
walls, walls and ceiling nicely papered
with nice paper, carpet and matting on
the floor, also a large number of chairs.
We have a membership of 44 We own the
ground 00 by 132 feet, building 20 by 50,
two stories. We do not owe a dollar and
have money in the treasury. We hava
two meetings each month on first and
second Saturdays. J. M  Lanabec
£tate llsws.
The diphtheritic scare at Ladoga is over.
Fault has been found with the foundation of the new court-house at South
Bend, and it will be rebuilt.
Two large barns belonging to John J.
Johnson, of Fisher's Station, -were consumed by fire, and 8 horses and 7 cows
were cremated.
School boys at Mitchell dropped croton
oil on crackers and gave them to their
unsuspecting playmates, by which three
boys were dangerously prostrated, while
others were made very sick.
Brown county, which has just sentenced a defendant to prison for the first
time in 10 years, has but one saloon and
one quart shop in its corporate limits,
and its county indebtedness is but $8,000.
John Frew, a coal operator, was instantly killed last week at his mines
north of Brazil. While engaged in work
the walls caved in,crushing him to death.
The deceased leaves a wife and large
family of children.
While the Rev. Mr. Devan, pastor of
the Swedish church at Porter, and a parishioner named Sherdale were riding in a ,
buggy, they came in collision with a
train. Sherdale was fatally hurt, and the
minister had an ear cut off and a rib
broken. The horses were killed and the
buggy demolished.
John Albrich, a young man living at *
Palmer, near Crown Point, while running
a corn-husker, had his right arm caught
In the machinery and horribly mangled.
The machine had Ito be taken apart in
order to release him. The arm was so
badly injured that it wai necessary to
amputate the member near the elbow.