The Holt County Sentinel

Skill and practice are needed to take out the Intestines neatly, without cutting or breaking and soiling the flesh. Run the knife lightly down marking the belly straight, cut to the bone between the thighs and in front of the ribs and below and split the rear bones with axe carefully, not to cut beyond them: open the abdomen by running the hand or two fingers behind the knife with its edge turned outward. Little use of the knife is required to loosen the entrails. The fingers rightly used will do most of the severing. Small strong strings, cut in proper lengths, should be always at hand to quickly tie the severed ends of any small intestine cut or broke by chance. An expert will take the entire offal in a large tin-pan or wooden vessel, holding it between himself and the hog. Unskilled operators, as those opening very large hogs need an assistant to hold this. The entrails, after the liver, heart, etc., being all removed, thoroughly rinse out any blood or filth that may have escaped inside. Spread the cut edges apart by inserting a short stick between them to admit free circulation of cool air. When dripping is over, or the hanging posts are waited for other carcasses remove the dressed ones, and hang them in a cool cellar or other safe place until the whole flesh is thoroughly cooled through. Or if for convenience and easier work, the carcasses are cut up before cooling, let all the pieces lie apart for at least half a day. Removing the lard from the long intestines requires expertness that can only be learned by practice. The fingers do most of this cleaner, safer and better than knife. A light feed the night before killing leaves the intestines less distended and less likely to be broken.