30-4 
[August, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
until the stumps have rotted and the ground can be 
easily plowed. A permanent pasture will always 
be found one of the most valuable parts of the farm, 
and if in clearing the wood, a few shade trees have 
been left, it will in many cases be advisable to keep 
the land in grass, which will, under these circum¬ 
stances, grow vigorously, and recover rapidly after 
having been eaten down by the pastured animals. 
Corn Shelters and Grinders. 
The magnitude of the corn crop has made neces¬ 
sary a corresponding effectiveness in the machinery 
for disposing of it. To shell more than 1,000 mil¬ 
lion bushels of corn requires a vast quantity of 
HALLOOtV PEORIA, IU- 
Fig. 1.—GEARED SUELLER. 
machinery, and the better and more effective this 
is, the greater the saving to the growers of the crop. 
The demand for such mechanical helps has greatly 
stimulated invention, and there are now on the 
market numerous excellent shellers and grinders, 
suited to the purposes of the smallest as well as 
the largest growers, and for the most extensive 
mills, cleaning as much as 3,000 bushels per day. 
The value of a machine of this kind may be esti¬ 
mated by considering the fact that 1,000 of them at 
work constantly through the year, would be suffi¬ 
cient to shell every bushel of com grown in the 
United States. A machine of this character is 
shown at figure 1, which represents the “ Geared 
Sheller” of the Sandwich M’f’g Co., of Sandwich, 
Ill.; it is adapted to run by the 6 to 8 horse powers 
used for ordinary threshing. For use in mills, 
steam power is applied by means of a belt... .The 
same Company has a hand sheller called the “ Vet¬ 
eran,” shown at figure 2; this is able to shell ~nd 
clean 300 bushels of corn per day_Another ma¬ 
chine, of equal capacity, is shown at figure 3—the 
“Peerless Sheller,” made by A. P. Dickey, Racine, 
Wis. This is intended to be operated by one per¬ 
son, who can feed and turn at the same time, by 
haying a basket of ears at his left hand. This hand 
sheller has a capacity of 30 to 60 bushels of ears per 
hour. It is in feeding corn that we find one of the 
greatest present wastes of agriculture. The greater 
part of the crop is fed whole, and of this doubtless 
one-third is wasted, so far as regards feeding effect. 
Horses, cattle, and hogs bolt a large portion of 
wuSIS, 
Fig. 2.— THE 
1 VETERAN. 
the grain fed to them, and eject it whole and undi¬ 
gested. Frequent and careful experiments, if suf¬ 
ficient practical experience were wanting, have 
shown that ground meal is much more economical 
than whole grain, and that, not only is the cost of 
grinding repaid, but a large gain is made in the 
consumption of grain. In the writer’s practice he 
has found that a given quantity of grain, fed ground, 
will keep working horses and cattle in as good con¬ 
dition as twice as much fed unground; and the 
purchase and use of a feed mill has saved in one 
year’s feeding of 12 head of horses and work cattle 
as much as 500 bushels of grain, while the animals 
have been in a more healthy and vigorous condition, 
with less loss of time from the usual ailments of 
working-animals. Where many animals are fed, a 
feed mill is indispensable, and where but a few are 
kept, a small hand mill will be found to pay well 
for its use. Some time 
ago (American Agricul¬ 
turist, January, 1878, 
page 17) we described 
and illustrated several 
feed mills for farm use, 
among others was the 
“ IXL Mill ” of the U. 
S. Wind Engine Co., of 
Batavia, III., which has 
a capacity of 20 bushels 
per hour with two or 
four horses.... A farm 
mill, made by Livings¬ 
ton & Co., Pittsburg, 
Pa., is shown at figure 
4. This is for hand or 
for pow r er, and is cheap 
and useful for those who 
do not need a large or 
powerful mill. It has a 
capacity of 4 to 5 bushels 
per hour when run by 
power, with 500 revolu¬ 
tions per minute. For 
use where a small num¬ 
ber of stock is kept, for poultry-keepers, or for do¬ 
mestic use for grinding meal, either of the two last 
mentioned mills will be found useful, as it would 
Fig. 4.— IMPROVED FEED GRINDER. 
be to those who have a sufficient source of power 
to make it effective for a larger consumption. 
_In the illustration below something new in 
the shape of feed mills is presented in the 
“ New Improved Feed Grinder,” made by the 
Stover Wind Engine Co., of Freeport, Ill. (fig. 5). 
This mill is the invention of O. E. Winger, a 
lad seventeen years of age, and is certainly a 
wonderful example of inventive genius in a mere 
boy. Its mode of operation is quite novel, con¬ 
sisting of the oscillating action of a lever which may 
be attached to the rod of a wind mill by means of 
an angular elbow ; in fact, it is intended for the use 
of those who have wind mills near their barns ; 
although it may be attached to and v T orked by a 
common horse povver or even by hand. For attach¬ 
ment to a wind mill it has special advantages. By 
filling a capacious hopper it may be left to run all 
night as well as in the day-time, and needs no atten¬ 
tion, working while the owner sleeps. It also util¬ 
izes a cheap power, which would otherwise have 
intervals of idleness or would run empty. The 
grinder, or mill, consists of a double metal case in¬ 
closing three burrs; two of these are stationary, 
while the central one revolves ; the mill has there¬ 
PEERLESS ” SHELLER. 
fore two pairs of grinding surfaces ; in fact, is two 
mills in one, and does double duty. It will grind 
fine or coarse by adjusting a set screw, and can 
be affixed to any wind mill made in the eountry. 
Protection against the Robbing of Robins. 
After thirty years of gardening and careful obser¬ 
vation of the Robin (Turdus migratorius), we are 
prepared to give him the first place among fruit 
thieves. We admit he is a comely bird, a fair sing¬ 
er, and in the early part of the season an industri¬ 
ous hunter of insects. But after his brood is 
hatched, he seems to eschew his old provender, 
and brings up his whole family upon the costliest 
products of the garden. No sooner are the June 
days come, than he perches upon the pear tree, and 
eyes the strawberries as they redden in the rows be¬ 
neath him. Before you dream of picking any fruit, 
he begins to gouge their red cheeks, destroying far 
more than he devours. He then takes his turn at 
the cherries, the currants, the raspberries, the 
grapes,'and not satisfied w ith the smaller fruits, he 
makes love to the pears, both upon the tree, and as 
they fall upon the ground. He feeds upon the fair¬ 
est, and best, of the gardener’s products, from June 
to October. If there is a more tantalizing robber 
iu the village garden, we have not yet made his ac¬ 
quaintance. Yet this sturdy thief is so intrenched 
in the affections of the household, that it won’t do 
to suggest cold lead for him, or snares, traps, or 
poison. The nuisance must be abated by gentler 
methods. We have hit upon one this present sea¬ 
son, which is more effectual than anything we have 
ever tried. Discarded fish-nets are abundant all 
along the coast, and are sold for a trifle. The men¬ 
haden fish-net, or seiue, has about an inch mesh, is 
Fig. 5.— A FARM MILL. 
forty feet in depth, and of any desired length. It 
sells for about four cents per pound, and a dollar’s 
