NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



67 



GRANT'S PATENT FAN MILL. 



Fan mills are among the most useful labor-saving 

 machines used by the farmer ; for with this he can 

 always have a breeze when it is wanted to separate 

 the chaff from his gram, and he can regulate the 

 di'aught of the wind to suit his purposes. This is 

 far better than to depend on uncertain and fitful 

 breezes. We have known some cases, of farmers who 

 lived in sheltered places, hauling their grain half a 

 mile to a bleak place to winnow it. Again, for Avant 

 of a breeze, they have sometimes delayed winnowing 

 their grain, and in consequence there was much 

 waste by rats and other small depredators, and oc- 

 casionally a large animal would get access to the 

 heap of grain, and greatly reduce it to his own in- 

 jury or danger. 



To avoid these evils, and to manage his crops witli 

 economy, the farmer needs a good winnowing ma- 

 chine, by which he will not only save labor and 

 grain, but he will prepare it in a better state for the 

 market, or for home consumption, or sowing. 



The recent invention of I. T. Grant ranks high, 

 and competent judges have pronounced it the best 

 fan machine in this country. The following state- 

 ment is from the inventor. 



" Our fan-mills have taken the first premium at 

 four of the New York State Agricultural Fail's, and 

 at the State Fairs in Pennsylvania and Maryland, in 

 1845. We were awarded the first premium at the 

 fair of the ilcehanics' Institute, held in the city of 

 New York, in 18i6, and also at a large number of 

 county fairs. Our mill received the highest consid- 

 eration at the great National Fair, recently held at 

 the city of Washington. It has uniformly and in all 

 cases taken the first premium whercA'er it has been 

 presented for competition. We have had frequent 

 trials of them against time, and find no difficulty in 

 chaffing and screening one bushel of wheat per 

 minute, (with the large sizes,) taking oiit all the chess, 

 cockle, and smut at the same time, being the only 

 mill that cleans wheat at one operation, known to the 

 inventor; (all other mills have to run the wheat 



through twice to perform the same labor.) They 

 will also clean all other kinds of grain and seed at 

 once running through the mill, (as given by the di- 

 rections.) Certificates the inventor thinks needless, 

 as we warrant our mills to perform according to rec- 

 ommendation. If necessary, we could prociu'e them 

 from many gentlemen, stating that they have saved 

 enough timothy seed in one season, while cleaning 

 their wheat, to pay for the mill." 



These mills, of various sizes, are manufactured and 

 sold, by Messrs. Ruggles, Nourse, & Mason. Tliey 

 are made in the most substantial manner, and of the 

 best materials. Seven sieves accompany each mill, 

 adapted to grains, grass seed, beans, peas, and othex 

 seeds, of various sizes, with directions for their use. 



CATERPILLARS. 



An English agricultural paper gives the following 

 method of destroying caterpillars, which was acci- 

 dentally discovered, and is practised by a gardener 

 near Glasgow. A piece of woollen rag had been 

 blown by the wind into a currant bush, and when 

 taken out was found covered by the leaf- devouring 

 insects. Taking the hint, he immediately placed 

 pieces of woollen cloth in every bush in his garden, 

 and found the next day that the caterpillars had uni- 

 versally taken to them for shelter. In this way he 

 destroys many thousands every morning. 



EARLIEST FOOD FOR BEES. 



In a conversation the other day with a worthy and 

 observing farmer, he remarked that the earliest food 

 for bees, in the spring, is maple sap. He states that 

 he has seen them gather round the sap troughs, in 

 the woods, during the warm days in the spring, 

 before the buds or tassels of the willow and other 

 trees and shrubs had put out, sipping and making 

 themselves glad with the sweets that they find there. 

 It wouldn't be a bad plan, if a person had any maples 

 in the vicinity of his hives, to tap them for the us« 

 of his bees. — Maine Farmer. 



