398 THE FARMER AT HOME. 



pedition. This thought he communicated to his wife, and joining hii 

 head to her hands the endeavor succeeded to their wish. 



STOMACH PUMP. A small pump, in this application called 

 the stomach pump, has lately been introduced into practice for re- 

 moving poisons from the stomach in cases where the action of vomit- 

 ing cannot be excited. It has already saved many lives. It resem- 

 bles the common small syringe, except that there are two apertures 

 near the end, instead of one, which, owing to valves in them, opening 

 different ways, become what are called a sucking and a forcing pas- 

 sage. When the object is to extract from the stomach, the pump is 

 worked while its sucking orifice is in connexion with an elastic tube, 

 passed into the stomach ; and the discharged matter escapes by the 

 forcing orifice. When it is desired, on the contrary, to throw cleans- 

 ing water or other liquid into the stomach, the connexion of the aper- 

 tures and the tubes is reversed. 



STRAW. In the manufacture of straw hats, the culms of several 

 kinds of grasses are used. The Leghorn straw is the culm of a sort 

 of wheat sown on poor soils, and cut green. Rye straw is much used 

 in this manufacture. The straw is cut at the joints ; and the outer 

 covering being removed, it is sorted of equal sizes, and made up into 

 bundles of eight or ten inches in length, and a foot in circumference. 

 They are then to be dipped in water, and shaken a little, so as not to 

 retain too much moisture ; the bundles are afterwards to be placed on 

 their edges, for the purpose of bleaching, in a box which is sufficiently 

 close to prevent the evaporation of smoke. In the middle of the box 

 is an earth ern dish, containing brimstone, broken in small pieces ; 

 this is set on fire, and the box covered over and kept in the open air 

 several hours. It is the business of one person to split and select the 

 straws for fifty others who are braiders. 



The splitting is done by a small machine, made principally of 

 wood. The straws, when split, are termed splints, of which each 

 worker has a certain quantity ; on one end is wrapped a linen cloth, 

 and they are held under the arm, and drawn out as wanted. Plaiters 

 should be taught to use their second fingers and thumbs, instead of 

 the fore fingers, which are often required to assist in turning the 

 splints, and thus much facilitate the plaiting ; and they should be 

 cautioned against wetting the splints too much. The finest hats are 

 made in the neighborhood of Leghorn, whence they are exported in 

 great numbers. The Dunstable manufactures in Bedfordshire, Eng- 

 land, are of a fine quality. In the English plait, the straws are flat- 

 tened in a hand mill, previous to working ; but in the Leghorn, the 

 pressure is applied after the plaiting is made. In some portions of the 

 United States the culture of straw for the manufacture of hats has 

 been carried on to a considerable extent. This is particularly done in 

 several towns in the vicinity of Boston. The articles manufactured 

 are of great fineness and beauty ; and the pecuniary product has often 



