Farm, Field, Garden

A Pennsylvania correspondent, writing to Country G-entleman, says: My preference is for the plain, unadulterated smoked ham, and I vill describe my plan for a cheap and handy smoke house: Not believing a permanent smoke house an ornament as an outbuilding, I dispensed with it and have made a portable one, which may be placed in any convenient shed or building and kept smudging away without Sanger from fire and without compelling the operator to expose himself to wintry rtonns. I used light basswood boards, and made a box about 7 feet long, 3 f eet wide and 15 inches deep. When in use the box stands on end. The upper end has numerous hooks on which to hang hams or bacon. The box is three boards wide, and the cracks in back of box are closely battened on the inside. The middle board in front is not nailed, but the cracks are battened by nailing the battens to the permanent boards on each side of the middle movable board. There is a strip fastened across the front of the box between the two permanent boards two feet from the lower end. The movable board is here cut in two, so that the lower piece may be removed without disturbing the upper piece. After hanging the hams the upper movable board is put in place and held there by wooden buttons. It is not to be disturbed tül we wish to examine the meat. The lower piece is also held in place by wooden buttons, so that it may be easily removed and replaced as occasion requires. Some iron vessel is placed in the box back of the short, movable board, a few coals put in and corn cobs to fill the vessel. As the box ia nearly air tight, the cobs will smolder without blazing and furnish smoke for many hours. The board may then be removed, the vessel again filled with cobs and the board replaced. Wlien we have finished the smoking process and are ready to make some disposition of our emoked meat the empty box is easily thrown upon some loft, there to remain till again needed