rature
of about ten degrees below that of those fed corn. To the connoisseur
of well cured hams and bacon this low melting point is not a
detriment but a distinct improvement.

The colonists adapted the Indian practice of using smoke to aid in
the curing of meat. The natives built platforms of poles supported by
posts about six feet from the ground. The meat to be cured was salted
and spread on these poles. A small fire was built underneath to
furnish the smoke. This arrangement was called by the Taino Indians,
a _barbacoa_ from which we get the English equivalent, _barbecue_.

By 1636, hogs, sheep and goats had increased in such numbers that
ships coming to Jamestown could supply their needs for meat from the
colony's surplus. This was advantageous to shipmasters and furnished
a market for a product of a growing industry in the colony. Prior to
that time ships coming to America from Europe had to take on food
stuffs for the round trip.

Another benefit accrued to the colony. The combined curing process of
salt and smoke imparts a delicious flavor to hams and bacon that has
never been excelled by any other method. This applies especially to
meat from hogs fattened on mast or peanuts.

Virginia hams and bacon soon became noted for their excellence all
over the world. The fame of these products has never waned.
Unfortunately, most hotels and restaurants in the United State now
use the term "Virginia ham" on their menus to designate this sort of
meat regardless of its origin or cure. New England ships, plying a
coastwise traffic with the Caribbean countries, frequently stopped in
Jamestown for cargoes of salted meats. This trade was especially
desirable during times when the price of tobacco fell to ruinous
levels. Most of the hogs ran wild. Some planters marked their animals
by ear-cuts, and then could claim an entire drove, if they had a
number of their branded hogs in it.

CATTLE

Neat animals were kept near Jamestown in the early years, but they,
like the swine, had to gather their own living. A few were trained
for draft purposes. In new grounds where stumps and roots prevail,
oxen are more useful than horses. They do not get in a panic when
obstacles interfere. Then too, they can be slaughtered for beef when
they become too old for work. During the period under study, cattle,
in Virginia, often brought good prices. Many were purchased by the
New England colonists as it was cheaper to buy animals, in America