650 



F A K M E K S > REGISTER 



The expense laiJ out in constructing the build- 

 ings and machinery o( the third building, with the 

 economicul expenditure ol' the Shal^ers, exceeded 

 ten thousand dollars, without taking into the cal- 

 culation any part oi' the cost oC the artificial wa- 

 ter-power. Levi Stevens, who has the personal 

 charge of this building, a man of about sixty 

 years, is known for some ten or fifteen miles round 

 as probably the best miller in the county of Mer- 

 rimack. 



4. The fourth building above on the stream, 

 erected belbre the mills below, is forty by thirty 

 feet, used as a factory for various purposes. In 

 this building, when visiting the Shakers on a week 

 day, we have always Ibund the venerable Francis 

 Winkleyat work. He is eighty-two years of age, 

 and served his time as an apprentice at the smith- 

 ing business at Dover, N. II., about sixty years 

 ago. He commenced with the Shakers between 

 fifty and sixty years since, and in that time has 

 manufactured with his own hand twelve thousand 

 iron candle-sticks. He has been (or many years 

 the efficient financial manager of the whole 

 establishment, and in that management has dis- 

 covered talents which might have qualified him 

 as an efficient head of almost any government. 



The machinery of this fourth building is of an 

 age of twenty years. Here the Shakers have 

 made the improved pails which have been so 

 much used and admired throughout New Eng- 

 land for their perfection and durability. The se- 

 cond family has likewise a pail manufactory re- 

 cently erected on a small stream running through 

 their premises, made after the fashion of more re- 

 cent inventions ; but the first family continue to 

 make their pails now as they made them with the 

 machinery of water-power twenty years ago ; and 

 they think their old labor-saving invention to be 

 nearly if not quite as good as the new method 

 which has been adopted in several manulactur- 

 ing towns of the interior. The water-power o( 

 this building is also used (or various other econo- 

 mical purposes ; among them was a cannon ball 

 in a mortar turned lor the purpose of pulverizing 

 barks and medical roots — a machine for polishing 

 metals, and machines for turning and boring. 



6. The fifth building upon the stream was the 

 clothing works, where the beautiful woollen cloths 

 and flannels manufactured by the sisters are fulled 

 and dressed. Here were samples of all wool, mix- 

 ed worsted and cotton cloths that would havedone 

 credit to the best modern manulaeturing esiablish- 

 niente. Calvin Goodalo had the charge of this 

 clothing establishment ; he was educated to the 

 business here. He made use of teasels in raising 

 the nap upon the cloth ; and he exhibited to us a 

 specimen of that article which he had improved 

 by the selection of the seed, the points of ihe pricks 

 being turned so as to strike the surface of the cloth 

 in the best direction, and the head being a perfect 

 cylinder instead of a cylinder split in the middle of 

 half the size. From repealed observation, we do 

 not doubt that many vegetables have been and 

 may be perfected and improved in shape, size and 

 quality by attention in the selection of seeds, in 

 the preparation of the soil and the care of cultiva- 

 tion. 



6. The sixth building on the stream covered a 

 tannery and bark-mill in the liasemont story, and 

 a mill for the mainjfacture of shingles and a 

 thrashing machine room. The last machine was 



an invention of the shakers and had been used by 

 them for thrashing their grain .'or more than 

 twenty years. Tiie old machinery and gearing of 

 this mill had been just taken down, and a sell- 

 acting arm, or wheel made of lubes of cast-iron — 

 a recent invention — had been procured to supply 

 their place. The head and fall at this mill is fif- 

 teen leet; the water is forced into the iron tubes 

 which revolve under the surface of the water. A 

 small quantity of water pressing continually from 

 above is only rcqinsite ; and where there is htile 

 head and lall the wheel works well with abun- 

 dance of water. The lube- wheels are thought to 

 be a great improvement where they have been 

 used. The works at this mill were constructing 

 under the immediate direction of Elijah Brown, 

 who had derived his mechanical knowledge with 

 the Shakers, and was both tanner and mill-wright. 

 The mill was not only undergoing an entire change 

 in the application of the water-power to a differ- 

 ent wheel, but a more copious water-channel was 

 constructing through the hard rocks. 



OKRA SOUP. 



From the Soutliern Agriculturist. 

 Take one peck of okra pods, which must be 

 very lender, cutlhem across into very thin slices, 

 not exceeding one-eighth of an inch in thickness, 

 but as much thinner as possible, as the operation 

 is accelerated by their thinness. To this quantity 

 of okra, add about one third of a peck of tomatoes, 

 which are first peeled and cut into pieces. Thia 

 quantity can be either increased or diminished, as 

 may suit tlie taste of those for wliom it is intended. 

 A coarse piece of beef (a shin is generally made 

 use of) is placed in a digester with about 2^ gal- 

 lons of' water, and a very small quantity of salt. 

 It is permitted to boil for a li?w moments, when the 

 scum is taken oH' and the okra and tomatoes thrown 

 in. These are all the ingredients absolutely neces- 

 sar}', and the soup made is remarkably fine; we, 

 however, usually add some corn, cut off from the 

 tender roasting ears, (the grains of three ears will 

 be enough lor the above quantity) — we sometimes 

 add about a half pint ol Lima or Civie beans — 

 both ol these improve the soup, but not so much 

 as to make them indispensable — so fiir from it, that 

 lew add thpin. The most material thing to be at- 

 tended to is the boiling, and the excellency of the 

 soup depends almost entirely on this being faith- 

 liilly done ; for if it be not enough, however well 

 the ingredients may have been selected, the soup 

 will be very inferior, and give little idea of the de- 

 lightful fliivor it possesses when properly done. 

 I have already directed that the ingredients be 

 placed in a digester. This is decidedly the best 

 vessel for boiling this or any other soup in, but 

 should there be no digester, then an earthenware 

 pot should be preferable, but on no account make 

 use of an iron one, as it would turn the whole 

 soup perfectly black. The proper color being 

 green, colored with the rich yellow of the toma- 

 toes. The time which is usually occupied in boil- 

 ing okra toup Is five hours — we put it on at 9 A. 

 M. and take it ofi about 2 P. M., during the 

 whole of which time it is kept briskly boiling, 

 the cook at the same time stirring it frequently 

 and mashing the difierent ingredients. By the 



