l. s. d.

In this half Year our chief Profit
is in Eggs, which, I suppose O
may be worth about

05 oo

But if we are fortunate enough to have fome. Broods of Chickens, which may be fit for killing, either about Christmas, or from that Time 'till the End of May, the Markets at first hand will value them at a Shilling apiece, and to judge at the lowest Rate, I think if we reckon twenty Chickens of that Kind, we are not much out of the Way. The Value then of Eggs and Chickens will be 1. 5 s. and I fhall not fuppofe, that above three Hens are employ'd in the Education of these Chickens. Then we have nine breeding Hens for the Benefit of the other half Year.

Their wafte Eggs may be valued at 1. which with their Chickens, reckoning eight to every Hen, one with another, at 6 d. per Chicken, comes to

To which if we add the former
Gain by early Eggs and Chic-

kens

Our total Amount in one Year is

7. S. d.

2

16 00

}

I 05 00

4 OI

e}

I ΟΙ

But the Price of the Barley for one
half Year, is
The Price of the Barley for the
other half Year at a Bufhel per
Week, is

Expence then is

2 03 06

3 05 00

Which 31.5 s. being deducted from 41. 1 s. there remains neat Profit 16 s. which being ad

ded

ded to the other Profits by Fish, Rabbets, &c. makes 31 l.

The Turkeys, if they are well manag'd, may in Eggs before they Set, yield 10 s. and out of fix Hens, reckoning all Hazards, we may expect about eight young ones to be brought up by each Hen; and tis no extraordinary Price to reckon them at 1 s. and 6 d. apiece, one with another, then we have forty eight young Turkeys, which come to 3 l. 12 s.

Which with the 10 s. for the Tur

key Eggs, makes To which add the 31 l. gain'd as above, by Rabbets, Fish, &c. there will be clear Profit, befides the Stock

After this we find you have remaining eighty feven Rods of Ground, still to be improv'd by Gardening.

I am told, that I undervalue the Things I mention; but I think it much more reasonable to do so, than fet the Prices too high; because any one who follows thefe Prefcriptions, may have the Pleasure of an unexpected Advantage, rather than find Fault that my Calculations are too high rated. But I am fure, that if all I have treated of in this Letter be used in the Family, they will be near twice the Value I have fet down.

While I am upon the Topick of Country Advantages, I fhall give you fome Memorandums relating to the Curing of Pork and Bacon, which will admit of as much Enquiry, and I think will be of as much Ufe, as any thing I have treated of in this Letter.

Some

Some time fince, when I eat fome pickled Pork at the Houfe of one of my Correfpondents, I found his Method of curing Pork to be much fuperior to the common Way; and one has this Advantage in communicating good Things, that fometimes we find fome Pleafure from them in remote Parts, where before every thing was rude and unpolifh'd; for this Reason, I prevail'd upon my Friend to give me the following Memorandums.

First, The Hog must be full half a Year, or at most nine Months old; for its Flesh will then eat kindly, and take Salt better than if it was older.

Secondly, When we are difpofed to fat a Hog, befides his common Meat, we must give him a Quart or three Pints each Day of Horfe-Beans; this we may continue for fix or eight Days before he is put up for Fatting.

Thirdly, When he is thus prepared for Fatting, we are to take Care that he never wants either Meat or Water, and bed his Sty well with clean Straw, or Peafe-haulm; he will eat at first about three Quarters of a Peck of Pease in a Day, and decline in his eating as he grows fat; about two Bufhel and a half of Pease, or three Bushels at moft, will bring him into good Order for killing, without making him too fat.

I find then that fcalding is much better than fingeing him, for by fcalding the Pores of the Skin, are much more apt to receive the Salt, than the finged Hogs.

When this is done, let him hang up a Day before we cut him out, and then fprinkle fome common Salt over the Pieces to draw out the fresh Blood from the Flesh; for by this Means, your Pork will take Salt the better, and keep

the longer. And fome will likewise take out the larger Bones, which, they fay, helps to preserve it; for 'tis about the Bones that it first begins to grow mufty, or receive a Taint.

After this, we must provide half a Peck of common Salt, a Quarter of a Pound of SaltPetre, one Pint of Petre-Salt, and half a Pound of coarse Sugar. Thefe Quantities I ufe for a Hog weighing about fourteen Stone.

These Ingredients must be well mixed together over a Fire in an Iron Pan, and when they are very hot, Salt the feveral Pieces of Pork with them, without grudging a little Labour; for the harder we rub thefe Salts upon them, the furer we are of Succefs. I have known a little Carelesness in the rubbing on thefe Salts, has fpoil'd a whole Hog.

When we have done this, lay the Pieces clofe together in glazed- Earthen Veffels, and cover them clofe during the firft Fortnight, except only at fuch Times as it fhould be turn'd, and fresh rubb'd with the Salt, which ought to be every other Day; and when we put them again into the earthen Pans, obferve that thofe Pieces which before lay at the Bottom, do now lie at Top, and fo change them every time you take

them out.

In ten Days or a Fortnight's time, fome of the smallest Pieces, if they do not feel hard to the Touch, must have more Saft rubb'd upon them, and in three Weeks time your Pork will be fit for Ufe.

If we fhould not change our Pork in the Time of its Salting, as I have mention'd, we fhould find that thofe Pieces which lay at the Bottom would be fit for Ufe, when thofe on the Top would hardly be better than common

Pork

Pork, or perhaps not fo good. Where this changing of the Pieces has been neglected, I have known the Receipt defpifed; for there was never any but thofe Pieces which were at the Bottom, that anfwer'd the Design of the Receipt.

I remember once, by Miftake, there was put in among the Salts three Quarters of a Pound of brown Sugar, inftead of one Quarter of a Pound, and in the Opinion of very good Judges, the Pork was better than any they had tafted in England. I think for the larger Pieces, it renders them more tender.

Thus far are the Memorandums concerning the Curing of Pork; and as I am upon the Subject, I cannot help communicating to you the following Letter from Mr. Warner, of the Method used by the People of Hamburgh, and in Weftphalia, for drying of Bacon, in which chiefly the Goodnefs of their Bacon confifts.

Friend Bradley,

T

HY Favour of the 30th ult. I receiv'd; in Answer to which, I fend thee the Method tifed to cure Bacon in and about Hamburgh and Weftphalia, which is after this Manner: Families that kill one, two, or three Hogs a Year, have a Closet in the Garret joyning to their Chimney, made very tight and clofe, to contain Smoke, in which they hang their Bacon to dry out of the Reach of the Heat of the Fire, that it may be gradually dried by the Smoke only, and not by Heat; the Smoke is convey'd into the Closet by a Hole in the Chimney near the Floor, and a Place made for an Iron Stopper to be thrust into the Funnel of the Chimney about one Foot above the Hole, to stop the Smoke from afcend

I 2

ing