5« 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
preit-ly around the lower r.hfcad z. A little fur¬ 
ther turning of the circular hook will throw the 
thread off from it, when, by the simultaneous 
tightening of the thread above, the lower thread 
embraced by it, will be drawn into the cloth and 
form a lock in the centre. 
It is surprising to see with what rapidity these 
successive stitches can be made. A quick motion 
is communicated to the needle, circular hook, 
bobbin, &c., by turning a inultyplying wheel, 
with a foot treadle. In ordinary work, eight hun¬ 
dred to a thousand stitches are easily made in one 
minute, and this, all day long ; and there is scarce¬ 
ly a limit to the speed (Think of that, ye who 
would see your wives, mothers, and daughters, 
continue bent over the hand needle, which can 
scarcely execute fifty stitches a minute, at best.) 
We ommitted to say that the cloth is moved 
forward by a simple feed motion, making long or 
short stitches according to the will of the opera¬ 
tor. An examination of the stitches will show 
that there is less thread used than is required in 
ordinaiy hack-stitching, since in back-stitching, 
there is a double thread on part of each surface, 
while here, there is but one continuous thread. 
We intended to further show, not only the kind 
of stitches, but also the mode of making them in 
the other varieties of machines, but we, have not 
been able to complete the necessary drawings. 
We will, however, describe briefly the appearance 
Fig. 10. 
of the stitches in one or two of them. 
In fig. 10, we have given, as nearly as we could, 
I lie form ol the stitch made by the Grover and 
Baker machine, where the threads are purposely 
left loose, so that the course of each one can be 
traced (It would be interesting, could we present 
at this time, drawings of the parts of the machine, 
by which the beautiful windings and interwindings 
of the threads is brought about.) A glance at the 
figure shows the course ol the upper thread, 
e, e, e , and the lower one, z, z, z, the latter being 
smaller than the former. 
Suppose we begin at the left hand, and bend 
down the upper thread through the cloth, to make 
a loop e. Next bend a loop of 2 through the up¬ 
right loop, and carry this last horizontal loop for¬ 
ward. so that the second loop through the cloth 
can be brought down through it. Then hold the 
second loop of the upper thread open until the 
second loop of the lower thread is thrust through 
it, and carried forward, to be entered by the third 
loop of the upper thread. Continuing this opera¬ 
tion gives the arrangement in fig. 10. 
Fig. 11. 
Fig. 11 shows these stitches left loosely, as they 
appear when looking upon the under surface of 
the cloth. The loop, or horseshoe, terminates ab¬ 
ruptly upon the left ol each At this point the 
vwo ends pierce the cloth, as seen in figure 10 
above. 
In the. next illustration (fig 12) we have the ap¬ 
pearance of the doth after being sewed, with the 
stitches drawn up by the machine in actuaj 
work. The cuts of course show the stitches magt 
riified. When they are made short and the threads 
are properly tightened, we can only see a small 
ontimiouF cord running along the under fcide 
of the cloth. It will be observed then, that of 
the two machines described, one makes the 
stitches on both sides of the cloth alike, the 
other gives a continuous stitch on the upper 
Fig- 12. 
side like ordinary back-stitching, with a small 
cord upon the under side. The Grover and 
Baker stitch can be unraveled, with a little care 
in getting hold of the two threads used. We 
do not see how the Wheeler and Wilson stitch 
can be unraveled at all. But in practice, it is 
next to impossible to rip a seam of half an 
inch sewed by either machine, even if the cloth 
be cut up into sections of that length. 
Fig. 13. 
Fig. 13 illustrates the Tambour or chain stitch, 
made with a single thread. This is the kind used 
in the cheaper, or rather the lower priced ma¬ 
chines. It will at once be seen that the stitch can 
be readily unraveled by taking hold of the thread 
at the left. There may be cases where sewing 
in this manner may be useful, but a glance at the 
stitch itself will show that it is not adapted 1.0 
general sewing in a family. 
Believing our readers to be deeply interested in 
this matter of sewing machines, we intend here¬ 
after to present further illustrations, showing how 
the Grover and Baker stitches, represented in fig. 
10, are made, and perhaps the same thing in re¬ 
gard to other machines. We shall be careful, 
however, not to let this matter trench so much 
upon our space hereafter, as to crowd out other 
departments of household labor which we have 
promised to discuss. 
Selecting Flour. 
The following directions for the selection of 
flour have been given by those long accustomed 
to dealing in this article. They are useful hints, 
though it requires some experience to seltct the 
best flour by the eye alone. We very seldom 
order home a barrel of flour until we have taken a 
baking from it and tried it, unless it be 
warranted by a reliable dealer of known good 
judgement. 
The directions are : It must pack into a ball 
and not fall 111 powder, when a portion is pressed 
together in the hands. When a portion is thrown 
against a smooth perpendicular surface it must stick 
in a lump or at least not scatter in a fine powder. 
When a littlte’of it is wet and kneaded, it should 
work dry and elastic, not soft and sticky 'J 
should be of pure white, without a bluish tin . 
No minute black specks should be found on a 
close examination. A slight yellow or straw 
color is not a bad “sign.” 
- —- 
Fond parent (to his son,)—“ Yes, New-York is 
the place to get on in. Look at Jones ; he start¬ 
ed without a penny, and has lately failed for 
$150,000. Of course, that’s an extreme case. I 
don’t expect you to do so well as that. Still, 
with honesty and industry, 1 see no reason why 
you should not, in the course of a few years, fail 
for $50,000.” 
“ Don’t rob yourself,” as fne farmer said to the 
jawy^ who him hprH nnmop 
“ I am so lame from the railroad crash of las 
week, I can hardly stand,” said a limping, hobbling 
chap.—“ Well, then, I hope you intend to sue foi 
damages,” said his friend.—“ Damages! no, no ; 
I have had damages enough by them , If I sue 
for anything, it will be for repairs.'’’ 
It was the saying of Sir Robert Peel, “ I 
never knew a man to escape failure, in either 
body or mind, who worked seven days in the 
week.” 
Why are sheep the most dissipated and unfor¬ 
tunate of animals 1 Ans.—Because they gambol 
in their youth, frequent the turf, are very often 
blacklegs, and are universally fleeced. 
Indemnity for the past—pay up. Security for 
the future—pay down. 
A Little Girl in a Court of Justice. 
Of the many excellent things written by our friend 
Samuel Hammond, formerly in the Albany Register and 
latterly in the Albany Express, we have read few narra¬ 
tives which have touched our own feelings more than the 
following, which recently appeared in the latter paper: 
I witnessed a short time ago, in one of our higher courts, 
a beautiful illustration of the simplicity and power ol 
truth. A little girl nine years of age, was offered as a 
witness against a prisoner who was on trial for a felony 
committed in her father's house. “ Now, Emily,” said 
the counsel for the prisoner, upon her being ofleied as a 
witness, “ 1 desire to know if you understand I he natuic 
of an oath 1” “ I don’t know what you mean,” was the 
simple answer. “There, your Honor,” said the counsel, 
undressing the court, “ is anything further necessary to 
demonstrate the validity ol an objection ? This witness 
should tie rejected. She does not comprehend the nature 
of an oath.” 
“ Let us see,” said the Judge. “ Come here, my daugh¬ 
ter.” Assured by the kind tone and manner ofihe Judge, 
the child stepped toward him, and looked confidingly up 
in his face, with a calm, clear eye, ana in a manner so 
artless and frank, that went strait to the heart. - Did you 
ever take an oath !” inquired the Judge. The little gm 
stepped back with a look of horror, and the red blood 
mantled in a blush all over her face and neck, as she an- 
swered, “no sir.” She thought he intended to inquire il 
she had ever blasphemed. 
“I do not mean that,” said the Judge, who saw her in is 
take, “ 1 mean were you ever a witness before.” “ Nc 
sir,” I never was in court before,” was the answer. He 
handed her the Bible open. “ Do you know that book, my 
daughter ? She looked at it and answered, “ Yes sir, it is 
the Bible.” “ Do you ever read it?” he asked. “ Yts 
sir, every evening ” “Can you tell me what the Bible 
is,” inquired the judge. “ It is the word of the great God,” 
she answered. “ Well place your hand upon this Bible, 
and listen to what I say,” and he repeated slowly and 
solemnly the oath usually administered to witnesses. 
“ Now,” said the Judge, “ you have sworn as a witness, 
will you tell me what will befall you if you do not tell the 
truth?” “ 1 shall be shut up in the State Prison,” answer¬ 
ed the child. “ Anything else 7 ” asked the Judge. I shall 
never go to heaven,” she ep. ed. 
“ How do you know this ?” asked the Judge again. The 
child took the Bible, and turning rapidly to the chapter 
containing the Commandments, pointed to the injuction, 
“ Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” 
“I learned that, before I could read.” Has any one talk¬ 
ed with you about your being a witness in court here 
against this man ?” inquired the Judge. “Yes, sir,” she 
replied. “ My mother heard they wanted me to te a wit¬ 
ness and ast night she called me to her room and asked 
me to tell her the Ten Commandments, and then we 
kneeled down together, and she prayed that I might un¬ 
derstand how wicked it was to bear false witness against 
my neighbor, and that God would help me a little child to 
tell the truth as it was before him. And when I came up 
here with father, she kissed me. and told me 10 remember 
tiie ninth commandment and that God would hear every 
word that I said. 
“ Do you believe this?” asked the Judge, w hile a tear 
glistened in his e« e and his lip quivered with emotion 
‘Yes, si., ’ sai I the child, with a voice and manner lhal 
showed her c -eviction of its truth was perfect “God 
oless you, my c . o," said the Judge, “you have a good 
mother. This witness is competent,,” he continued. 
“ Were I on trial foi my life, ami innocent of the charge 
against me, I would pray God for such witnesses as ibis. 
Let her he examined.” 
She tola her story with the simplicity of a child, as sh« 
wsm. btitUmrn w»o « .lirertnenn nbo.it il which carriet 1 
