THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



297 



From the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture. 



FARINACEOUS ALIMENT OBTAINED FROM 

 STRAW. 



The attention of agriculturists in France has 

 been recently directed to the discover}'- of a 

 method of converting straw into a kind of bran, 

 or ^^^rina, for the feeding of domestic animals. 

 This discovery has been claimed by two indi- 

 viduals. 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, dis- 

 covered the possibility of converting straw into 

 nourishing food. The second, M. Jos. Maitre, 

 founder of the fine agricultural establishment 

 of Yilotte, near (Jhatillon. This distinguished 

 agriculturist, known for the purity and perfec- 

 tion of his breeds of sheep, conceived the idea 

 of converting into fiirina, not only the straw 

 of wheat, and other grains, but of hay, trefoil, 

 lucern, sainfoin, &c. His efibrts are said to 

 have been perfectly successful, and his disco- 

 very arrived at — not by chance, but by long- 

 experiment and research. The aliment which he 

 has produced is said to bo a complete substi- 

 tute for bran. It is given to sheep and lambs, 

 who consume it with avidity, and may be given 

 to all other graminivorous animals, as a grate- 

 ful and substantial food. 



M. Martin, 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 communi- 

 cate a report to the Royal Society of Agricul- 

 ture 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 separa- 

 tion of some of its fibrous matter we can easily 

 imagine the advantages that may result from 

 it. W e know in this country that the mere 

 chopping of straw adds greatly to its powers, 

 by facilitating mastication and digestion. We 

 may^ believe that a more perfect comminution 

 of its parts will produce a corresponding effect, 

 and extend very widely the uses of straw and 

 other fodder, as a means of feeding our do- 

 mestic animals. 



DISCOVERY OF COFFEE. 



About the year 1258, a dervis named Hadji Omer, 

 was driven out of the community of Mocha. Hun- 

 ger induced him to roast the Kaldva berries which 

 grew near his hiding place. He roasted and ate 

 them as his only means of sustaining life. Steep- 

 ing them in the water which quenched his thirst, 

 he discovered very agreealjle qualities, and also 

 that this infusion was nearly equal to solid food. 

 His persecutors, who had intended him to die of 



starvation, regarded his preservation as a miracle. 

 He was transmuted into a saint. Such are the facts 

 relating to coffee. There are now supposed to be 

 3000 cofiee rooms in Constantinople. 



SOME WORDS ABOUT MULES. 



In the "Republican Banner," of Nashville, 

 Tennessee, we find a long and interesting letter 

 written by Mark R. Cockrill, one of the most 

 distinguished farmers and eminent stock-growers 

 of that State, from which we take these con- 

 cluding remarks about mules : 



" Whilst upon the subject of live stocky I 

 will be excused whilst I make a few sugges- 

 tions upon the mule. In these opinions I may 

 not be sustained by the majority; but I throw 

 them out for consideration, as they are now 

 presented for the action of the Society. 



" The mule is the great field laborer in the 

 commanding staples of the South, cotton, sugar 

 and rice, as he is one of the annual export of 

 Tennessee, and as he will continue to be so, he 

 is destined to hold even a higher position than 

 heretofore among the live stock of the State. 

 The large, heavy boned mule produced from 

 overgrown jacks of excessive heavy bone, or 

 improper pampering, are generally lazy, or soon 

 become so by labor, and become very slow; 

 their driver may force them on, but in a few 

 steps they take their slow, natural gate again. 

 Such mules are therefore almost worthless, and 

 should not be bred if it can be avoided. The 

 most perfect mules are not to be expected from 

 the excessively large, coarse-boned jacks, or 

 excessive high feeding, but from the laws of 

 nature carried out to the greatest perfection by 

 skilful breeding and feeding. 



"An error has existed for many years, and 

 still exists, concerning the size of mules. Size 

 has been made a measure of value in the mule, 

 almost regardless of form and spirit, and so it 

 has been in their sire, the jack. 



"I have been employing a mule team for 

 twenty-five years in the cultivation of cotton in 

 Mississippi, and my team now numbers one 

 hundred. In this time I have used every va- 

 riety of mule, (except the most inferior kind,) 

 that has ever been grown. 



"At the commencement of my planting ope- 

 rations I adopted the prevalent error, that size 

 was the measure of value, and pursued it for 

 many years, much to my prejudice. By long 

 trial, and by comparing the relative perform- 

 ances and lastingness of the large team which 

 I have used, aided by observation and reflec- 

 tion, I am fully satisfied that the medium sized 

 mule, full of spirit and action, with a neat firm 

 leg and a round body, with his levers set right 



