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Show HOW TO KILL HOGS A well-selected butchering outfit and a convenient place for working are important im-portant considerations at hog-killing time. To aid in this work demonstration demonstra-tion specialists of the department suggest sug-gest as a handy and complete "kit," two butchers knives, two "bell" or candlestick can-dlestick scraper, a meat saw, and a sharpening steel. The meat saw is for sawing down the backbone aud cutting i up the carcass. The candlestick scrap-i scrap-i er has detachable handles, and is used I to remove the hair and scurf. A long water-proof udron, which will pro-i pro-i tect the clothing, can be had at a small I cost. A 24 to 36 hours fast, plenty of water, careful handling. and ristbefore slaughter slaugh-ter are all important in securing meat j , in the best condition for use, either j fresh or for curing purposes. Food in j the stomach di. composes very rapidly j af.er slaughter, and where the dressing j j is slow the gas generated affects the! i flavor of the meat. Water should he 'given freely up to the tone of si augher, : as it keeps tne tempera: lr j n r n ll. j I It is highly important that the ani-: ani-: mals be not excited in any way suffici-! suffici-! ently to raise the tern p-ratui'e of the) : body. If the animal becomes heated, ; ! it is better to allow it lo rest over-! over-! night before killing than to risk spoil- , ingthemiai. It is also essential that; . the hog be carefully handled so as not ; ' to bruise its tiody. J It is customary on th farm to stun ; the hogs before sticking the n, although in some locali ies this is not done. A- r.other method is b s iooting the hog 1 through the head with a rifle, although extraordinary care should exercised in UMr.g a i i f It? around farm buildings, j After stunnin? by a heavy blow on i the center of the forehead immediately I above the eves with a poleax, heeight- inch straight-bladed knife is inserted ! into tne hog's throat in the under ?por- tion of the neck, to a point just in front ! of the chest cavity, but not into this I cavity. The knife is given a tw ist and j sideward motion to sever the blood ves-j ves-j sels and allow the blood to flow. .By laying the hog on one side and eleva-j eleva-j ting the ham end the blood will gravi-i gravi-i tate freely. A barrel is the receptacle commonly used for scalding. If it is set at the proper slant, with the open end against a table or platform of the proper height and the bottom securely fastened, there is little danger of acciilent. A strong table built for the purpose would be a desirable thing on which to work, though it it is not necessary. A box often serves very well. The water for scalding should be heated to the boiling point, this will allow for a reduction of temperature when the water is put into a cold barrel, the temperature for scalding scald-ing the hogs being from 145 degrees to 150 degrees. Be careful not to have the , water so hot as to cook the skin ot the hog. If the water is too hot the hair is likely to set. A small shovelful of hardwood ashes added to the water aids (Continued on page 8) HOW TO Kill HOGS (Continued from page 1) materially in removing the scurf from j the body, thought it has no effect in ! loosening the hair. A lump of lime, a 1 handful of soft soap, a little pine tar, or a tablespoonful of concentrated lye has the same effect. The hog should not be scalded before life is extinct or the blood vessels near the surface of the skin will be cooked, j giving a reddish tinge to the carcass, j While being scalded the hog should ' be moved constantly to avoid cooking the skin. Occasionally it should be drawn out of the water to air when the hair may "tried." As soon as the hair and scurf slip easly from the surface, ; scalding is complete. If it is mispected I that the water is too hot, scald the hind end of the hog first. If the water is too hot and you overscald the head, you will be adding to the trouble of scraping the part most difficult to clean. ' When the water is about right, begin ' bv scalding the head. The scraping and cleaning of the hog's skin should be done as soon as possible after the removal remo-val of the animal from the scalding vat. Scraping a cold hog is a difficult, if not an impossible, task. Where it is necessary to reverse the position of the hog in the barrel to complete scalding, the portion scalded should be cleaned before attempting to scald the other end of the hog. When the hair starts readily, remove the animal from the water and begin scraping. The "bell" scraper should be used with a long, sweeping movement move-ment over the sides and ends while the hog is still hot. The head and feet should be cleaned first, as they cool quickly. Pull the ears through the hands to remove the bulk of the- hair. I Grasp with the hands the lower portions por-tions of the legs and twist to assist in cleaning them. Use the "candlestick" scraper for removing the skin and scurf from the flat surfaces and as much as possible from the other parts and finish the cleaning of the entire carcass, removing re-moving all hair.scurf.and dirt by drenching drench-ing with hot water and shaving with the large knife. Cut the skin on the side of the tend- ons below the hock to expose the tendons tend-ons so that a gambrel stick mav be in- serted. The next step is to hang the . hog by his hind legs by means of the gambrel stick high enough so that his I head clears the eround. Wash down ! with hot water, shave over an unfinish- ! ed patches and wash the entire carcass 1 again to remove all loose hair and scurf. J Occasionally a hog is killed that is too , large to scald in a barrel. If it is covered cov-ered thickly with blankets or with sacks containing a little bran, and rot water: poured over it, the hair ..ill be 1 losued readily. i In removing the entrails, first split the hog between the legs, separating I the bones with the knife. Tnis can easily be done if the cut is made directly direct-ly throu-h the union of bones between the hams. Run the knife down the center cen-ter of the bjlly, snielding the puint with the fingers of the left hand and guiding it with the right. There is little lit-tle danger of cutting the intestines in this way. Split the breastbone with the knife or ax an J cut do a h through the sticking place to tne chin. Cue a-round a-round the rectum and pull it down until the kidneys are reached, using the i knife wherever necessary to sever the cords attaching it to the "bed." Remove Re-move the sexual organs, then cut across ac-ross the artery rui.ning down the backbone, back-bone, cut ar..und the diaphragm (skirt) and remove the intestines, stomach, and "pluck" that is, heart, liver, and lungs, with a backward and downward pull-grasping pull-grasping the mass of organs near the union to the backbone anu diaphragm, j Bever attachments with a knife where : necessary. In this operation the windpipe wind-pipe down to the head should be removed re-moved with the pluck. Do n,t disturb the kidneys or the leaf fat in carcasses to be shipped, except in warm weather when the "leaf" may be removed to allow quicker and more thorough co iug. if the hog is to be cut up on t farm and not intended for shipment carcass form, it is advisable to lorJ; the leaf fat from the abdominal w allowing it to remain attached to t carcass at the ham end. Open the j insert a small block to allow free dra age; then wash out all blood with c water and sponge with a cloth. In h weather the backbone should be s; to facilitate cooling. It is good pr tice to do this also where the heg is be cut up on the farm and not inter,: for shipment. Remove the fat fr the intestines before thev get cr Since it is strong in flavor it should r be mixed with the leaf fat in renlr ing. |