1848. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



125 



school master who offers gifts to those who excel 

 in their studies. In this case those whom mture 

 has done the most for, are sure of the prizes ; 

 although the other clashes may have exerted 

 themselves to their utmost, yet they have the 



Farmers and Millers. 



Messrs. Eritors : — It is with much hesitancy 

 that I offer a communication to your popular and 

 widely circulated journal, with its intelligent and 



well informed readers ; and were it not for the I mortification and discouragement of seeing their 

 hope of benefiting others by my own experience, j superiors bear off the palm. 1 have thought that 

 you certainly would not be presented with this | if the school master should tell his scholars that 

 communication. And, sirs, it is with this hope 'such of them as proved themselves the best 

 that a miller at this moment is writing. scholars by their obedience and strict attention 



As farmers cannot well do without millers, nor to their studies should be rewarded, he would do 

 millers without farmers, it is important to study Justice to his school. I find no fault with your 

 that policy which is the interest of both. And : P'-'ze plan, for it is evident that some of the 

 first, it is very essential that all grains should be 'scholars, at least, who were disappointed, were 

 sufficiently pulverized, that when taken into the !^''««^/^"«^ notwithstanding, because their best 

 stomach the digestive apparatus has only to sepa- faculties had been exerted, and exertion in a 

 rate and absorb the nutritious matler for the sys- good cause has its reward. We are all satisfied 

 tern, and remove that which is not ; and as food \ ^vith your paper. A person observed to me yes- 

 is retained in the stomach a certain length of terday that he would not be without it for double 



time, it being pulverized gives a gain of all that 



time which would be required for the stomach to 



perform that operation, the more completely to 



jparate and absorb all nutritious matter therein 



the cost ; he is a merchant too, and has nothing 

 to do with farming. 



I recollect an inquiry in one of your papers 

 for some method of destroying the ground mole 



contained. Well, then, as the farmer's first | in gardens, but I do not recollect of seeing any 

 principle in economy should be to save what he i answer, and perhaps but kw gardens are infested 

 has already acquired, and to convert it to the j with them. I have been very much annoyed 

 best possible use, (and especially uncooked grains : with them. Last spring they ate my peas and corn 

 fed to animals,) it becomes necessary for him to ! that I planted first and pretty early; they fol- 

 have his grains ground fine, and for the miller, j lowed the rows throug^h and left but now' and 

 to insure his custom, to be prepared to grind it ; then a seed. I planted the same rows the second 

 fine. And as millers cannot do full justice in time, but tried an experirtient to which I attribute 

 their business without the grain is in proper my success. I took a little tar, and put warm 

 order, it becomes of the highest importance for J water to it sufficient to cover my seed ; after 

 farmers, in order to receive full justice at the stirring the tar and water together until it was 

 hands of millers, that their grain be dry — not well mixed, I then put in my seed and stirred it 

 what some men call dry ; but if necessary it again, and found that the tar adhered to every 

 should be dried by artificial heat. And second — seed. I then turned the water off and stirred in 

 their grain should be well cleaned. dry ashes until T could handle the seed without 



One idea in regard to grinding corn and cobs, their sticking to my hands. Perhaps lime would 

 It is a notorious fact that there is nothing in cobs be better than ashes. The moles followed the 

 of the nature of grinding, and for this reason the j rows through again before the seed came up, but 

 corn that is with them must help grind them. — 'they did not seem to relish the "gravy" that I 

 Now, I would suggest to your kind readers (to [had served the seeds up in. I have full faith in 

 those who do not know it by experience,) to try! my experiment, for I treated my cucumber and 

 a composition of grains for milling, especially i melon seeds the same way. The hills were ex- 

 corn in the ear. Put with it oats, barley, or rye ; I amined by the little rascals, but the seeds were 

 see if it does not grind finer, and if your horses, not destroyed. Jas. Aldrich. 



cattle and hogs do not like it better. The prep- 

 aration may be one half oats, &c., or less accord- 

 ing as you have them. The reason of its grind- 

 ing finer is, there is more of grinding material, 

 less of cobs, and that a mixture of grains help 

 grind each other. Respectfully yours, 



S. N. Holmes. 

 Holmesville, N. Y., 1848. 



The "Farmer." — To Destroy Ground Moles, &c. 



Friend Moore : — We have received the 

 numbers of the Farmer ordered, and more are 

 wanted. 1 have had no idea of being a com- 

 petitor for a prize, for I view it some like a 



Niles, Mich., 1848. 



Salt not good for Barn-door Fowls. — Gallinaceous 

 birds, reared by the sea side, or On the banks of a salt-water 

 river, avoid the saline stream, and searoli for food and drink 

 as far inland as they can range. I know not how common 

 salt could be administered to them. It is more than doubt- 

 ful whether the hens would pick it from the ground in it« 

 chrystalline form, and it would be difficult to distribute it in 

 equal doses by means of bread, &c., soaked in saltvvater. 

 The chances are, that some of the hens would be poisoned. 



Pigeons, I think, are the only domesticated birds tflvvhoso 

 health salt is beneficial, and they prefer it in combination 

 with animalized matter : the more offensive it is to our 

 senses, the more agreeable it appears to be lo theirs. Hens. 

 too, are great pickers of bones. I have seen one devouring 

 the flesh, and cleaning the skeleton of her dead husband, 

 doubtless on the native .Australian principle of respect and 

 affection for the deceased. Salt, in a liquid state, acts as an 

 emetic with fowls, as with dogs.— Agricultural Gazette. 



