426 FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 



Suppose, for instance, that an apartment were made under 

 the roof of the burn, at one end ; in the middle of which 

 should be properly fixed an upright shaft, extending up 

 through the highest part of the roof, with four horizontal 

 arms on the upper end, and on these sails fixed for turning 

 the shaft when the winds should blow: Could there be any 

 doubt, that this could be made to turn different kinds of 

 machines, to be used for different purposes ? 



In this way, a threshing-machine and a cornshelling- 

 machine might be moved with a great saving of manual 

 labor. The cuting of straw and hay, for feeding cattle, 

 could thus be almost entirely perlormed, and the no-less 

 important business of grinding different kinds of grain, for 

 feeding and fating of cattle, could be performed with equal 

 ease. Perhaps, also, the breaking and cleaning of flax and 

 hemp could be executed in this way, to advantage. 



The raising of a constant supply of water from wells, for 

 supplying cattle, is also easily performed in this way; and 

 it is a matter of no difficult invention so to contrive the 

 machinery, that r will stop raising water when the trough 

 into which it is emptied shall be filled to a certain height. 

 Churning may also be thus performed, with a very small 

 expense, when the wind will answer. 



It is but a trifling objection against all this, that the winds 

 are inconstant, and that they blow unsteadily. The work 

 required to be thus performed requires no great steadiness 

 of operation; and days can always be chosen for performing 

 most of these labors, when the winds blow most steadily. 



The machinery for some of the purposes before mention- 

 ed should be so contrived as to be turned by hand, when 

 the winds should not serve. It is immaterial what quarter 

 the winds come from, where the sails are fixed on a hori- 

 zontal wheel, as above intended, as the wheel will still tura 

 the same way. The sails may be of very cheap materials, 

 and the cost of the whole machinery need not be much. 

 Any minute description of the machinery is here omited; 

 because verbal descriptions of such are necessarily prolix, 

 and at best difficult to be understood ; and because any one, 

 wishing to test the efficacy of this method of saving labor, 

 need not be long ignorant of the best means of puting his 

 wishes into execution. 



It is believed that Pasmore's machine for cuting straw is 

 the best that is used in Grcatbritain. His machine for 

 crushing different kinds of grain, between rollers, is also 

 good, as being very expeditious; but probably those ma- 

 chines which grind the grain, in the manner that coffee is 

 ground in small hand mills, are the best. Descriptions and 

 plates exhibiting his machines, as well as those of Salmon's 

 and Macdougal's strawcuters, may be seen in a new British 



