358 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 6 



barrel is fiilotl. The barrel is placed on the bed of 

 the press, ami above it there is a vertical shaft, 

 Aviiich is made to revolve by a drum and band, 

 and is capable of rising anil raiiiny; through the 

 height of the barrel. At the lower end of this 

 shait there is what is called a screw, but this es- 

 sential part is very imperfectly described ; it is 

 nearly of the diameter of the interior of the barrel, 

 and appears to he a transverse section, containing 

 a single thread of a screw, and it has, of course, 

 an opening from its upper to its lowerside, through 

 which tlour may pass. The shaft, we suppose, 

 must revolve in a direction tending to raise this 

 section of a screw, and the bottom of it, Ibrminga 

 spiral inclined plane, presses upon the flour as it 

 passes through the opening, having to operate 

 upon thin successive strata only, and thus gradu- 

 ally rising to the top, when the packing is com- 

 pleted. The shaft is loaded with any amount of 

 weight which may be found necessarj', and there 

 is appended to it the apparatus necessary for rais- 

 ing and lowering the shaft rapidly, when requisite. 

 The claim made is to the en;ployment of "a 

 screw on the end of a Aveighted shaft,'" in the 

 manner described. 



The patentee says that about three minutes 

 completes the pressing of a barrel of flour; the 

 manual labor, however, not exceeding five se- 

 conds; that during the operation there is not any 

 bursting of hoops, or pressing of flour out of the 

 sides ; that with a machine made to test the im- 

 provement, one man can readily pack, weigh, and 

 nail off, about twenty barrels per hour. 



For an improvement in the Garden Hoe.: Ad- 

 na Allen, Ramapo, Rockland county. New York, 

 January 23. 



This patent is taken for the manner of attach- 

 ing the shank to the i)Iateof the hoe, so as to ren- 

 der it secure from working loose. The plate or 

 blade of the hoe, is perforated with a square hole; 

 the shank is made to fit this hole, and has a collar 

 formed on it which comes up against the plate; a 

 second plate, like a washer, passes over the shank 

 on the face of the hoe, and the whole is secured 

 together by riveting; the shank is secured in the 

 handle by a ferule, and fastened by a key driven 

 through both. The claim is to " the collared shank, 

 back plate, and rivets, viz : the collar on the 

 shank, and the principle of attaching the back 

 plate to the plate of the hoe." 



from the oratorical gi-aces in the one case, as is usually 



furnished by the reporters in the other.] 



Crows and r!inii:;!is that win; 



?liow scurce ■ 



DEBATK ON THE CROW BILL, IN THE SENATE 

 OF VIRGINIA, FEBRUARY 9, 1826. 



{Reported by a silent member.) 



[The subject of the burlesque report which, by re- 

 quest, is here published, is one of the very few on 

 which the Legislature of Virginia have acted, for the 

 purpose of aiding agricultural interests — and on that 

 account, more than for the importance, or the wisdom 

 of the action, it may perhaps deserve to be recorded 

 in tlie Farmers' Register. As to the manner of the 

 report, burlesqued and changed as was the form, to 

 suit botli the humor and the metre of the writer, we 

 can testify that the substance of each speech is at 

 least as well preserved as in the ordinary ^rose reports 

 of debates— there having been as little taken away 



; the midway air 



Skakspcare. 



Mr. M y. 



By that bill Mr. Spealcer, 'tis meant to propose 

 Tlie form of a law for the killing ol crows ; 

 A county requests us — the county Fair-/«a-, 

 To place it as one in the list of our acts. 

 I'm sure Sir that you and that every one knows 

 How vcnj destructive to corn are the crows ; 

 There is not, perhaps, any bird. Sir, that hops, 

 That puUs up as much of the cornplanter's crops ; 

 They gather by tb.ousands, and tear with their bills 

 Each plant as it peeps through the top of the hills ; 

 I see. Sir, tliis subject produces some mirth. 

 But let not a crow. Sir, remain upon earth. 

 If the West is to pay for the wolf and-its whelps. 

 Why may not the East lor the crow or its scalps? 

 I hope tlien, the Senate will pass, Sir, the law. 

 We wish not in Fairfax to hear a crow caw. 



Mr. R n. 



Mr. Speaker, I move to amend the crow bill 

 By adding to those who have license to kill: 

 Insert after "Fair.''ax" the words "Isle of Wight;" 

 "Southampton and Surry" you also may write. 

 'Tis not that / have — oh no, heaven knows, 

 A thirst, Mr. Speaker, for blood of the crows, — 

 Prince George and the crows are on very good terms; 

 We want them to eat up that pest, the cutworms. 

 But some of my counties complain with Fairfax, 

 And is'uL it rigid they should coine in for snacks? — 



Mr. M y. 



With this bill, Mr. Speaker, some wags down below 

 Are strongly suspected of "■jncking a crow.'"' 

 Against that amendment, I tlierefore shall vote, 

 We might just as well catch the bill by the throat; 

 'Twid excite such a laugh in a certain great hall 

 They'll scout from the House the amenchnent and all — 

 I hope, Sir, the bill will be then let alone. 

 This amendment will cause it to die with a groare. 



Mr. P e. 



Mr. Speaker ! ! ! 1 [ hope the amendment and bill 



Will find in the Senate no jot of good will. 



To hold out a bounty in any such case 



Is simply rewarding the vagrant and base ; 



From labor productive 'tis taking away Sir, 



Your hundreds to idle and waste all the day Sir; 



Instead of promoting the true icealth of nations 



'Tis taking men oti' from their suitable stations. 



From digging, from grubbing, and other hard blows, 



To shooting their guns at a parcel of crows. 



But Sir, I assert it — 'tis true on my word, 



The crow is in fact a carnivorous bird ; 



He does'nt like corn sir — he wovld'nt eat grain. 



He'd strut by the thing in a fit of disdain ; 



If he only could get fiesh enough for his turn, 



What you think is his passion, he'd caw at and spurn ; 



'Tis mere "Hobson's choice" with him when his scorn 



Is seen to relax, and he gobbles your corn. 



I would ask too the member who urges this tax, 



i f it be not unwise in the county Fair-fax ? 



If the end is ed'ected, this crow bill enforces. 



What is to become ol' liis mass of dead horses ? 



Mr. C /. 



It may seem, Mr. Speaker, to some of the counties 

 To be a small matter, this granting of bounties — 

 But long have I thought. Sir, 'twould be very wise 

 In planters, some plan oF the kind to devise. 

 The interests of husbandry, calling now louder, 

 Musthavc something stronger than smell of gunpowder. 



