702 FARMERS' REGISTER— FARINACEOUS ALIMENT FROM STRAW, &c. 



harvest at Westwick, &c. for dibbling ; but some on 

 one furrow ; and many tliis year ; the dry weather 

 having prevented some breaking the lays." 



The evil complained of cannot be entirely avoided, 

 until there is something like an agricultural nomencla- 

 ture adopted. There are veiy many things necessary 

 to refer to, wlicn writing on farming, for which no names 

 are to be found in dictionaries ; and for these, techni- 

 cal, or provincial terms can only be used. The ex- 

 change of the views of distant farmers, through the 

 channel of agricultural journals, will do much good in 

 this respect, by. extending the use of such terms as are 

 already most general, or are most correct, and restrain- 

 ing the use, or limiting the application, of others. 



There are other means by v^hich the correspondents 

 of the Farmers' Register may aid in removing these 

 hindrances to the diffusion of information, and which 

 will be submitted to their consideration. It is desira- 

 ble to collect, and have defined, all the provincial terms 

 which are in sufficiently extended use, to deserve such 

 notice. Every one is able to offer some of these terms 

 correctly defined, with their locality stated, and accom- 

 panied by a responsible name as authority, to prevent 

 deception. These might be published from time to 

 time, and would serve two viseful purposes, viz. by di- 

 recting the avoidance of all such terms, whenever oth- 

 ers of more general and correct use could besustituted — 

 and by presenting the meaning of those which cannot 

 be well substituted. 



As to the confusion arising from improper, or uncom- 

 mon names being applied to ploughs and other imple- 

 ments, there may be used an additional means of pre- 

 vention, and which will be productive of other important 

 benefits. It is desirable to give correct and well execu- 

 ted wood engravings of all new implements, and even 

 such old ones as are valuable, and not generally known 

 The figures should be accompanied with a concise, Imi 

 plain description of each implement or machine, and a 

 statement of its peculiar uses, operation and price. If 

 the makers of implements will furnish the necessary 

 engravings and descriptions, they will be published in 

 the Farmers' Register, without additional cost; and 

 such publications on a I'egular and proper plan, would 

 serve as the best advertisements, both for the sellers and 

 buyers. It would, however, be required that the draw- 

 ing should be correct, and the engraving executed in the 

 best style; as otherwise, the figures would be neither 

 ornamental to the work which would give them place, 

 por useful to farmers and purchasers. 



FARIIVACEOUS ALIMENT OBTAINED FROM 

 STRAW. 



From the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture. 

 The attention of agriculturists in France has 

 been recently directed to the discovery of a me- 

 thod of converting; straw into a kind of bran, or 

 farine, for the feeding of domestic animals. This 

 discovery has been claimed by two individuals: 

 the first is a miller near Dijon, of whose name we 

 are not informed, who, it is said, on trying the 

 millstone of a new mill, discovered the possibility 

 of converting straw into nourishing food; the se- 

 cond is M. Joseph Maitre, founder of the fine ag- 

 ricultural establishment of Vilotte, near Chatillon. 

 This distinguished agriculturist, known for tlie 

 purity and perfection of his breeds of sheep, con- 



ceived the idea of converting into farine, not only 

 the straw of wheat and other orains, but of hay, 

 trefoil, lucern, santfoin, &c. flis eflbrts are said 

 to have been perfectly successful, and his discove- 

 ry arrived at, not by chance, but by long experi- 

 ment and research. The aliment which he has 

 produced, is said to be a complete substitute for 

 bran. It is given to slieep and Iambs, who con- 

 sume it with avidity, and may be given to all other 

 graminivorous animals as a grateful and substan- 

 tial food. M. Maitre, with the view of bringing 

 the process to perfection, has ordered a mill for 

 its manufacture to be erected in the midst of his 

 large farms : and he is preparing to communicate 

 a report to the Royal Society of Agriculture, on 

 the advantages in rural and domestic economy to 

 be derived from this preparation. We are not, at 

 the present moment, informed of the nature of this 

 process. If it be a simple grinding of the straw, 

 or fodder, and a separation of some of its fibrous 

 matter, we can easily imagine the advantages that 

 may result from it. We know in this country, that 

 the mere chopping of straw adds greatly to its pow- 

 ers, by facilitating mastication and digestion. We 

 may believe that a more perfect comminution of its 

 parts, will produce a corres|)onding efTect, and ex- 

 tend very widely the uses of straw and other fod- 

 der, as a means of feeding our domestic animals. 



NATURE OF EARTHS WITH REFERENCE TO 

 THE GROWTH OF PLANTS. ' 



From the Revue EiicycIopeLlique. 



The Report of MM. Thenard and Sylvester, on 

 a memoir upon this subject by M. J. St. Hilaire, 

 is to the f(:)llowing purport. The author remarks 

 that most persons who have analyzed arable earths, 

 [soils,] have taken exclusively such as had been 

 cultivated, and in which the original constitution 

 had been more or less altered. He believes that 

 the various kinds of earths in their first state have 

 peculiar powers, of nourishing particular plants; 

 and thinks that the exact knowledge of these pecu- 

 liarities would enable cultivators to put those seeds 

 in the ground whicli are most suited to it. From 

 various analyses, he draws the following inferen- 

 ces: — 1st, That all earths are composed of silica, 

 alumina, lime, lime, magnesia, &c. in different 

 proportions, together with a vegefo-animal matter, 

 which is more abundant as the earth is more fitted 

 for the nourisliment of plants ; 2dly, That plants 

 placed in earths, of which the constituent parts 

 have an analogy with the particular nature of the 

 plants, do not exhaust the soil ; 3dly, That a series 

 of observations on the different species, genera, 

 and families, which grow naturally and in great 

 numbers, perpetuating themselves on certain soils, 

 with the analyses of these soils, would be of great 

 utility in agriculture. The reporters think that 

 agiicullure would draw from such labors general 

 inductions, rather than positive directions, but still 

 that these would possess great interest. 



MONTHLY COMMERCIAL REPORT. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Sir, — To give you a commercial article at this 

 time, is almost the same as to write about a non- 

 entity. 



The commerce of Virginia and of the states 

 north of her, is at this moment limited chiefly to 

 the small business which must at all times exist — 

 that of supplying (he demand bv articles of ncces-:- 



