Methods of Economizing Labour. 
127 
it is now all done by corn-shellers, and the husk stripped off by 
huskins-machines, at least in the Northern States. 
The corn is also frequently ground on the farm, both for feed 
and for household purposes, by cast-iron mills, on the principle 
of the coffee-mill. The little giant-mill is one in which the 
application of the power to the work is delightfully direct. Its 
capacity is stated to be, with 2 horses, 6 bushels per hour, i.e. 
60 bushels per day. For finer grinding, a cutting-mill, invented 
by Blanchard, seems likely to prove the most rapid and effective 
for farm purposes. 
The mention of cattle-feed suggests the subject of hay. Timothy 
is the favourite artificial grass in America, from its standing 
drought well and yielding largely ; it grows high, with but little 
bottom, and hence does not require to be shaven so closely as 
English meadow-grass. The hay is generally stacked under a 
wooden roof, which is made to slide up and down between four 
poles, over which it is counterpoised : this is called a hay- 
barrack, and affords great convenience, since, in case of wet 
coming on before the stack is completed, the roof can be imme- 
diately lowered on that which is deposited. A permanent roof 
of this kind must certainly be cheaper than an annual thatching ; 
perhaps in England felt or tarpauling might be cheaper than 
boards. In Pennsylvania the hay is usually stored in a large 
barn, built generally on a hill-side, with a " barn cellar" below to 
contain the cattle, advantage being taken of the slope to draw the 
load into the bam from the higher ground, whilst the cellar is 
flush with the lower ground, and open on that side. This affords 
great warmth. Where the hill-side is wanting, the hay is hoisted 
up into the bam by a rope rove through a block suspended from 
the roof-tree : to one end of this rope is attached one or a couple 
of large 4:-toothed unloading forks, rake-shaped, capable of 
raising 4 to 5 cwt. at once ; to the other end the horses are 
attached, and thus the same power that has drawn the load 
speedily discharges it. There is generally a catch on the fork- 
handle, which releases and deposits the load on the jerking of a 
line attached to it. The blocks used for all such purposes are 
patent blocks, i.e. fitted with friction rollers round the pin, as 
are most of the leading blocks in American merchant ships. 
These blocks are rather more expensive than the plain ones, but 
undoubtedly prove economical in the end, by sparing the strength 
of the men, and thus enabling their ships to sail shorter-manned 
than ours ; and this consideration for the men, as shown in other 
ways besides the blocks and such-like labour-aiding contrivances, 
in the accommodations for the men and the superior quality 
of their provisions, undoubtedly contributes not a little towards 
rendering their marine popular amongst seamen, in spite of the 
