THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



309 



Little Giants &c. 



It is against our rules to permit a maker of 

 implements or machinery to appear in that 

 portion of our columns devoted to reading, as 

 distinguished from advertising matter, for the 

 obvious reason that they might be all filled up 

 with praises of such commodities. But the 

 following communication from Mr. Hedges is 

 an exception to the rule ; because he really 

 warrants what he sells. He is not only the 

 maker of the Little Giant, but of another 

 thing which we deem still more valuable ; and 

 that is a steam boiler for cooking food for cat- 

 tle. We hope soon to have one of these uten- 

 sils on trial, and shall report progress on it, as 

 soon as we have tested it, in order, if it comes 

 up to the description, to give our readers an 

 opportunity of supplying themselves with them 

 before the commencement of next winter. We 

 think it is true of the Little Giant that Mr. 

 Hedges warrants that. We know he warrants 

 the Boijer because he told us so not three weeks 

 ago ; and he means by the warranty that if 

 the Boiler does not come up to his description 

 he will take it back. This is honest ; and we 

 shall try and help every man who comes be- 

 fore the agricultural public with a plausible 

 invention, and shows that he is disposed to act 

 so fairly by them. 



Moreover, we liked what we saw of Mr. 

 Hedges ; and we thought of him, as we do of 

 our friend " George Watt, the Ploughmaker," 

 as he loves to call himself, that he was a man 

 out of whom any sensible farmer might " make 

 expenses" in an hour's chat. 



For the Southern Planter. 



Mr. Editor : — In perusing your valuable 

 paper, my attention was arrested by the article 

 in the March number in which you have no- 

 ticed the contest between the Little Giant and 

 Young America Com and Cob Mills. For the 

 complement bestowed upon me for my inge- 

 nuity and mechanical skill, I am duly grate- 

 ful. But there are limits to human efforts. 

 In regard to making cheap mills, strong mills, 

 and at the same time durable ones, some points 

 are involved that can hardly be combined in 

 one and the same mill, although you will find 

 that nearly all who have tried their hand at 

 the cast-iron mill business claim for theirs all 

 these and many other desirable qualities. 



The following points in construction and use 

 of mills we are compelled to observe : 1st. All 

 cheap mills must run slow, as gearing will in- 

 crease expense and liability to derangement. 



2d. The rate of grinding will be in proportion 

 to the space or openings through which the 

 meal has to pass. 3d. The durability will be 

 in proportion to the depth of the grooves, the 

 amount of surface exposed to wear, and more 

 especially, as to the angle at which the grooves 

 or cutting edges cross each other ; for if the 

 meal is made to slide by the great angle of 

 grooves, much power will be required, and rapid 

 wear the consequence. In our experience, we 

 have adopted, as the best means of obtaining 

 the desired object, (of economy in feeding 

 stock,) so to construct our mills as to obtain 

 the greatest amount of grinding surface, with 

 as little diameter of mill as possible ; by which 

 means we have no trouble in making true and 

 strong mills. We make such depth of groove as 

 to enable us to grind to suit the majority of 

 feeders, and with sufficient speed to enable a 

 farmer to feed an ordinary amount of stock 

 with a few hours' work of grinding. But, as 

 we were well aware, for more than twenty 

 years past, just as soon as the farmer's at- 

 tention could be fully brought to the system of 

 cooking food for stock, he would surely adopt 

 it ; in which case, fine grinding would not be 

 requisite. We have looked to that era with 

 confidence ; and I now predict that five years 

 will not elapse before every farmer, who stu- 

 dies the true philosophy of economy, will not 

 only grind but cook his feed for his entire 

 stock. I am aware that many difficulties pre- 

 sent themselves to the mind of the feeder, but 

 it matters not, for difiiculties to the mind of 

 the Anglo-American are like disease in a 

 strong and vigorous human constitution, which 

 if not doctored too- much, will work its own re- 

 lief. The greatest obstacle to agricultural ad- 

 vancement is in the tendency of inventors and 

 mechanics in their incipient efforts in getting 

 out new machines to yield to the pressing de- 

 mand for very cheap ones, and hence they 

 sometimes get them so cheap as to be worse 

 than valueless, for they not only fail on the 

 hands of the farmer, but deter him thereby 

 from trying a good article from fear of a simi- 

 lar result. Most implements have increased 

 in price owing to the increase of construction. 

 For instance, twenty-five years ago I made 

 threshing machines and sold them for $65. 

 Good machines now cost from $250 to $350. 

 I sold good ploughs for five and six dollars , 

 they now cost from ten to fifteen. We sold 

 corn mills at first at $40. We have sold more 

 at our Cincinnati establishment at $50 the past 

 season than at any less price ; and in the in- 

 terior of Kentucky, they prefer our $60 mill. 

 Farmers, in selecting implements, consider the 

 fact that they are likely to, and in fact, almost 

 sure to increase their business whereby that 

 which will answer for to-day will be insuffi- 

 cient a year hence. 



I have therefore adopted the rule of first 

 making the implement to do the business re- 

 quired, and then see what it costs ; and then 



