352 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



bushels each. The pestles are about ten feet long, shod 

 with iron, and are lifted by cogs in a shaft, and let fall a 

 couple of feet, striking some inches down into the grain 

 in the mortar at every blow. This operation is continued 

 about two hours, which reduces the unhulled grains that 

 passed through the stones to powder, and also takes off 

 the pellicle from the hulled grain. It pounds best, but 

 breaks most in warm weather. When sufficiently pounded, 

 the pestle is thrown out of geer and the mortar emptied 

 and refilled from spouts, and the pounded rice again ele- 

 vated to another screen that separates the flour, broken 

 rice, and whole rice, and sends over the end some of the 

 largest grains and hulls, which has to be screened again. 

 From this screen, the broken rice falls into a fan to blow 

 out the flour, and the whole rice into the brush or rubber 

 that cleans off everything and gives the grain a polish; 

 and from this, it falls into the casks, which hold about 

 600 lbs. each. A simple piece of machinery keeps the cask 

 turning around while filling, and at every quarter round 

 it is struck by a wooden mallet, which settles the grain 

 and fills the cask to its utmost capacity. 



It takes about 20 bushels of rough rice to make a barrel 

 of 600 lbs. The weight of good rice is from 45 to 48 

 pounds to the bushel; and the proportion of good rice, 

 broken rice, and flour, and value, may be understood from 

 the following account of a parcel sent forward by Mr. 

 Reed, from a neighboring plantation : — 



2,150 bushels made 89 bbls., weighing 



54,222 lbs., which sold for 3c., $1,626.66 



1 barrel given away, say 600 lbs., .... 18.00 

 1 barrel middling, 628 lbs. at l%c., . . . 10.20 



$1,654.86 



4 barrels small or broken rice. 



202 bushels of flour. 



The charges on the lot for freight, 



hulling and commissions, 305.34 



Net proceeds, $1,349.52 



