390 



FARMERS' R E G { ST E R 



[No. 7 



Thi? Iteinjr ihn raso, ihe stock of llie Raleigh 

 and Gaston Rail-Road Company would be inlerior 

 10 none in our countr)'. 



All which is rp?|icc.it'ul!y suhniitlcd. 



CiiAiir.ics F. M. GauaiiItt, C. E. 



ON THE pi;n.\sy[.vania modk of gkttfxg 



OCT CI-OVKR SKKD. 



From tin; American Farmer, 



Observing in the last number a request for " in- 

 formation mi the best mode of separating the 

 seed fi-om the head or pod of clover." It is a 

 subject that I have paid some attention to for 

 pome years past and observed the various ma- 

 chines constructed for the purpose in_ Chester 

 and Lancaster counties ; perhaps two of the first 

 counties that became eminent in the culture of 

 clover in the slate olPennsylvania. 



And perhaps as much itiirenuity exercised in 

 mechanism for the facilitating the operations ol 

 farming as any other section of the union. The 

 present state ofcultivation and the limited number 

 of hands to each farm, is a decided proof of the iiict. 



Much of the seed of clover is now taken out 

 of the chafT by 7niUs constructed for the purpose, 

 ahhongh considerable is yet trodden out by horses 

 on the floor of their commodious barns. One in- 

 stance of a late dale, I cannot injustice to (he 

 inquiry omit. 



J3ein2 in Philadelphia, and amongst the clo- 

 ver seed dealers, when a German farmer arrived 

 with a wagon load of clean seed oi the best kind, 

 seventy-one 6us/icZs, a joint concern between him 

 and his brother — on inquiry, their crop 1 found 

 amounted to one hundred and thirty bushels, all 

 taken out by treading of horses. The buyers, I 

 also found preferred it to that which was taken 

 out by mills, not being in any way injured by the 

 mill, but by reason of the milled seed not being 

 BO perli^ctly clear: in the operation of milling, the 

 broken fragments of some part of the straw or 

 other substances so tiear the size and weight of 

 the seed are visible, not being so readily separated 

 with the fi^m as that trodden out by horses. 



Yet I did not find it so objectionable as to make 

 much difference in price, but there was a preler- 

 ence in (iivor of treading. 



But as it regards ease and facility to (he farmer 

 the mills are preferred ; he has oidy to thresh or 

 tread it ofi, and separate the chafli' and pods com- 

 pletely from the straw and stalks and send it to 

 the mill, he receives the seed fit lor (he market by 

 paying the toll of one-tenth to the miller for his 

 labor. 



Those mills are erected mostl}' in a situation 

 commanding a circuit of five or six miles round 

 them, and in that distance they get as much work 

 as emplo3's them three or fijur months through 

 the winter; if well constructed one man and boy 

 are sufficient (o attend, except a press of bvisiness 

 to require running night as well as da\', which 

 will require another hand. 



A moderate water power will drive one pair 

 of stones, constructed in the movements on the 

 same principles as for grinding grain, but the 

 stones are of the softer granite kind, as they must 

 not come into close contact like the grinding of 

 grain ; in that case they would bruise the seed, 



which must be carefiilly avoided by having them 

 well adjusted to their i)usiness ; the lace of the bed 

 stone true and level, the runner true a'so, and a 

 large e3'e or hole in the centre, and well hollowed 

 to receive the soli, chaliy substance readily, and 

 a true fiice of seven or eight inches of the outer 

 skirt or circumlt'rence to cause/nc//'nn enough to 

 do the business without any furrows in either of 

 them, but picked rough. 



As the seed passes li-om the stones it is tanned, 

 and what is shed out passes off through a screen 

 or sieve, and the light, dusty part of the chaff is 

 blovvn out at a window, the remaining heavier 

 chaff that has seed yet remaining in, it is raised 

 by elevators and fiills by the stone in order to go 

 through again: all (his is done by (he water power, 

 and is contamally going on with regularity until 

 the parcel more or less becomes finished. 



This is the general principle of the mill opera- 

 tion, and perhaps as much as is necessary (o say 

 wi(hou( going into a minute specification. 



Any person who wishes (o erect mills, I should 

 advise to examine those in operation, as this is 

 (he season they are generally at work, and satisfy 

 (hemselves, as there are various modes of con- 

 struction though all on the same principle. I have 

 seen them wilh the under or bed stone running 

 instead of the upper one ; it had one advantage, 

 there was no obstruction of the feeding in the seed 

 through the eye of the upper one, yet it might 

 have its disadvantageous complexity in other parts. 



Upon every consideradon, 1 am ready (o be- 

 lieve where much clover is cultivated the mill is 

 decidedly (he best plan for dispatch, although 

 an unpleasant, and I might say, unhealthy busi- 

 ness lor the miller on account of dust. 



A neighboring farmer last season threshed off 

 his clover from the straw, the produc( of eleven 

 acres, and carried it (o (he mill, which produced 

 (wenty-two bushels, and left liim (wenty, or there- 

 about, after pa\ir.g (he miller\s (oil, he considered 

 it much easier than (o encounter the treading out 

 that quantity in his barn as he was weak handed, 

 his whole ibrcc was one man and boy beside 

 himself 



Those who are more than five or six miles from 

 a mill, think (h.e (ransportation, together with (he 

 loss of the oHiil for manure, to overbalance (he 

 gain bj' milling, and (hey mosdy (read out with 

 horses as they take frosty, win(er weather, when 

 snow is on (he ground ; and this serves for in-door 

 work — all is saved — no (oil to pay nor oflal lost 

 lr«m the manure heap. 



Perhaps information may come on this head 

 from o(her quar(ers. it will (hen be seen how dif- 

 ferent neighborhoods agree on (his business, but 

 if any thing better appears, the editor will please 

 to suppress the foregoing sketch of the subject. 



C. Kirk. 



Note. — "When barns are wanting, (lie mill must be 

 preferred. 



Brandy JVinc, 27th, IWi Mo. 1820. 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE CHARACTER AND 

 QUAT^ITIES OF HERDS, TIMOTHY AND 

 OTHER GRASSES. 



From the American Farmer. 

 Brandy Wine, 25th, 5mo, 1820. 

 Esteemed Friend — I am pleased (o find the 

 editorial no(e in last number of the American 



