MACHINE USED IN LARGER PACKING HOUSES FOR HOISTING HOGS. STICKING HOGS IN A MODERN PACKING HOUSE. (Copyrighted; Reprint Forbidden.)

Men sticking hogs should be sure to make a good, large opening in the neck, three or four inches long, in order to give the blood a good, free flow. It is very necessary to sever the veins and arteries in the neck, so as to get all of the blood out of the hog. The man who does the sticking must be careful not to stick the knife into the shoulder, for if the shoulder is stuck, the blood settles there, and the bloody part will have to be trimmed out after the hog is cut up. In large Packing Houses, there is a report made out every day, of the number of shoulder-stuck hogs, and the sticker must sign this report before it is sent to the office. This shows the sticker the kind of work he is doing and makes him more careful. In small houses, most butchers stick the hogs on the floor and let them bleed there. Those who can possibly do it should hoist the hog by the hind leg before it is stuck or immediately after it is stuck, as the case may be, so as to allow the hog to properly bleed. When the hog is properly hoisted by one hind leg, alive, and then stuck while hanging, it will kick considerably and the kicking and jerking of the hog will help in pumping out all of the blood, making a much better bled carcass than if the hog is first stunned with a hammer and stuck on the floor. The better the hog is bled, the better the meat will be for curing.