106 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



OCT. » I-4V. 



courage our agricultural friends to Mini before ] believed the account ; but finally all were obliged 

 they at<— to have a reason that will bear exaniina- 1 to believe the fact, though reluctant to repeat the 

 tion for every step in the management of a sick or i experiment. I am this year using the same discov- 



injured animal — to remember they have a powerful 

 assistant in nalure, if she is fairly used — and that 

 specifics, as they are called, are umch fewer and 

 less to be trusted than their proprietors would 

 have us believe. We might, indeed, almost sum 

 tip what we would desire in one general direction 

 of five words — raKAT tour BRtJT.':s like men. — 

 f^armer^s Cabintt. 



From the Allmny Cuilivalor. 



GRINDING CORN IN THE EAK. 

 "Messrs Editors — Gan you, or any of your 

 subscribers, give any information on the additional 

 value that would be conferred by grinding the 

 cobs with the corn for feeding animals; and if any, 

 what kind of mill would be the best for grinding ? 

 A Corn Grower." 

 Some experiments have been made in this conn- 

 try to test the value of the cob when ground with 

 corn, as an article of food, and we believe they 

 uniformly proved successful ; but the difficulty of 

 providing fixtures for grinding, and the little atten- 

 tion usually paid in this country to savings of this 

 kind, has had the efiect to prevent the attention of 

 farmers from being much directed to this mode of 

 preparing food for animals. That a great saving 

 would be made in feeding corn meal, by grinding 

 the cob with the grain, might be reasonably infer- 

 red from the fact that when corn meal is fed to 

 horses, it requires to be mixed with some coarser 

 food, such as cut straw or hay ; and that so mixed, 

 a smaller quantity causes the animal to thrive bet- 

 ter, and perform work as well, as a larf;er quantity 

 of meal without such mixture would. Pure corn 

 meal does not appear to sufficiently distend the 

 stomach to bring into exercise its -digestive facul- 

 ties fidly, without taking so much as to clog that 

 organ and impair its functions eventually. For 

 this reason, a mixture of less nutritive materials is 

 desirable ; and one of our most successful feeders 

 of pork has assured us, that he always mixed oats 

 with his corn, in the proportion of one fourth, pre- 

 vious to grinding, and thinks he should find a profit 

 in exchanging corn for oats, bushel for bushel, 

 rather than feed the former to his pigs clear. It 

 appears, from recorded experiments, that the cob, 

 though doubtless possessing no inconsiderable por- 

 tion of nutriment in itself, make about the requisite 

 mixture with the grain, and hence is of great value 

 for the purpose of feeding. 



In the N. E Farmer, for IS'-i.*), may be found a 

 communication from the Rev. H. C. Perley, giving 

 the history of some experiments made by him in 

 feeding with corn and cob meal. V.r Perley broke 

 his corn and cobs together by pounding, and the 

 mixture was then ground in common corn mdlstone.". 

 "Meal made of this composition, I scalded, and 

 made about as thick as common hasty pudding ; or 

 mixed about one peck of meal with three pecks of 

 boiled potatoes, thickened to the consistency of 

 pudding. With this kind of (ood and what wash 

 was made in the family, I constantly fed my swine; 

 there were none in the neighborhood grew so fast, 

 or were fit to kill so early in the autumn. The 

 neighbors were surprised that my hogs looked so 

 while and grew so well, being fed as they were, 

 with I ob meal, potatoes, and the wash of four cows. 

 Some ridiculed the notion, others disputed and dis- 



ery and process of cob meal, and can show better 

 swine than any of my neighbors can produce of the 

 same age." Mr Perley had one batch of bread 

 made of this mixed meal, combined with rye flour 

 in the usual proportions, and found it as light, 

 moist, sweet, and palatable, as that made from pure 

 corn meal. 



According to Dr Mease, the practice of grinding 

 corn witli the cob, is common among the German 

 inhabitants of Pennsylvania. They consider the 

 practice as a great improvement in the feeding of 

 corn, and many of their mills have an apparatus for 

 grinding. Dr Mease adds, that "corn meal alone 

 is too nourishing or heating, and it is, therefore, 

 by those who use it, mixed with a portion of cut 

 straw, and coarsely ground rye or shorts, and in 

 this state constitutes the daily food of that fine 

 body of draught horses that do so much credit to 

 our carters and draymen of Philadelphia, and the 

 industrious farmers of the state at large." 



That the cob of corn contains considerable imur- 

 ishmcnt in itself, is very probable; indeed, instan- 

 ces are on record, in which poor people, in times of 

 a scarcity of food for animals, have converted them 

 to a good use by pounding and boiling tliem, and 

 feeding out with a small quantity of cut corn leaves 

 or straw. On such food, cattle have some time 

 subsisted, and even seemed to be in good heart, if 

 not to thrive. 



In the Mass. Agric. Reports for 18'-J3, is a com- 

 munication from Mr Rice, of Shrewsbury, on the 

 subject of feeding cattle, which constituted a part 

 of his business, in the course of which he gives an 

 account of one of his experiments in using cob 

 meal. 



"The second year, if I mistake not, in which I 

 made use of cob meal, I thought I would try an ex- 

 periment by feeding one ox with corn and oats 

 ground, the other with corn and cobs, having a 

 yoke of oxen so even matched, that no one who 

 viewed them was satisfied which was the best; ac- 

 cordingly I fed them as above. The cob is compu- 

 ted to make a little more than one third, therefore, 

 I mixed the other with one third oats as was my 

 former mode. I gave each ox an equal quantity 

 at a time, except the one which had corn and oats 

 sometimes became dainty, and would not eat his 

 allowance, while the other kept a regular course. 

 The allowance for both was a little over three 

 pecks per day. When taken to market and killed, 

 they weighed twentyeight hundred and a half; the 

 one fed on corn and oats weighing half a hundred 

 the most, while the one fed on corn and cob meal 

 was considered half a dollar per cwt. the best beef 

 The one fed on corn and cobs had KilJ lbs. of tal- 

 low, the other 16'i lbs." 



From this, and other experiments, it would seem 

 that cobs ground with corn, add to its value for the 

 purposes of feeding, nearly or quite as much as 

 would the same quantity of oats. If such is the 

 case, there can be little room for doubt as to the 

 propriety of making the practice of grinding the 

 cob with the corn general, where this grain is used 

 for feeding. 



The mill used in Pennsylvania, is one invented 

 by Evans, and much resembles the ordinary plaster 

 mill in its (pperations. A cast iron screw revolves 

 over a grate fixed in the bottom of a strong hopper 

 iron lined. The ears of corn thrown into the hop- 



per are taken hold of by the screw, broken to 

 pieces, and then they fall through the grate into a 

 spout, by which they are guided to the millstones. ' 

 Dr Mease, however, strongly condemns the use of 

 the same mill for grinding both plaster and cobs, as 

 wiihout great precaution, the plaster will be mixed 

 with the cob meal, and produce dangerous concre- 

 tions in the intestines of tlie animal eating it. In 

 some parts of the country a common pair of mill- 

 stones are used, the opening in the upper being 

 made larger than usual, and the stones being more 

 bosomed out, or made to fit less close in the inner 

 part, than when used for grain. It is believed that 

 corn in the cob might be broken sufficiently fine in 

 a common iron bark mill, to admit being gioiind in 

 ordinary mill stones without difficulty. We should 

 think that in any district where Indian corn is ex- 

 tensively grown, a miller would find it for his inte- 

 rest to, attach a cob cracker to his machinery, as 

 we are confident the farmers would find themselves 

 well repaid by the great saving and superiority of 

 the meal so made, for feeding. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITION OF FRUITS. 



Saturday, Sept. 26, 1840. 



From Mr William Hurd, of Newton; choice 

 specimens of Spice, Hervey, and Cathead apples, 

 Blood Peaches and Quinces. 



From Samuel Walker, Esq., Roxbiiry ; two va- 

 rieties of pears, names unknown — one of fine fla- 

 vor — a desirable kind. 



From Hon. Elijah Vose, Dorchester ; fine speci- 

 mens of Yellow Rareripe and Orange Clingstone 

 peaches. 



From S. Downer, Esq., Dorchester ; Pond's seed- 

 ling, Isabella, Catawba, and Miller's Burgundy 

 Grapes. 



From Hall J. Howe, Esq., South Boston; supe- 

 rior specimens of Isabella Grapes. 



From Joseph G. Coolidge, Esq, Cambridge; a 

 fine specimen of Red apples, name unknown, now 

 in eating — in size, color and flavor similar to the 

 Red Juneating. 



From Dr. Burnett, of , by Mr Walker; a 



fine specimen of the Burnett pear. 



From Nathaniel Clapp, Esq., Dorchester; Bro- 

 cas Beigamot pears — which for size and flavor 

 have nrt been excelled at any exhibition ; also the 

 Heathcote, not in eating. 



From Mr J. L. L. F. Warren, Brightim ; Teton 

 de Venus and Lemon Clingstone peaches of extra 

 size and beauty ; also a large kind, name unknown, 

 and a Seedling, past eating. 



From Miss Gills, Washington street, Boston ; 

 a Seedling pear, from the Bartlett. This tree has 

 shown fruit for three or four years past; and has 

 given evidence of its excellence for size, beauty 

 and flavor worthy of its progenitor. The commit- 

 tee have named it the Gill pear. 



From Frederick Tudor, Esq., Nahant; Belle et 

 Bonne, Bleeker's Meadow, Bezi Vaet, Pope's (Qua- 

 ker, Napnieon and ButTum pears ; Reinet Gour- 

 mand apples and Sweetwater grapes ; all field cul- 

 ture at Nahant. Mr Tudor has shown good taste 

 in his selection of fruits, and his cultivation is an 

 evidence that none need despair. His exhibition 

 of pears will rank with the best. 

 For the Committee, 



BENJ. V. FRENCH. 



A good life is the best philosophy. 



