1877.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
27 
a few toy sleigh-bells sewed on where the different colors 
join, make them very attractive. I hardly know what to 
suggest for “the pictures of fruit-cans,” unless they 
would do for lamp-shades, one in each section, like figure 
2. Or for shaving-cases, figure 3. Cut two pieces of 
card-board any shape you choose; paste a strip of gilt 
(or other ornamental) paper around the edge, stick your 
picture on the center, cut a number of thin papers a 
Fig. 3.—A SHAVING-PAPER CASE. 
little smaller than the case, and fasten all together with a 
fine string. Ornament with a bow of ribbon, and hang 
it up by “Papa’s” shaving-stand. 
Annie Burns. —Directions for making a toilet-set, in¬ 
cluding most of the articles you mention, have been al¬ 
ready given in the American Agriculturist. If you will 
turn to the number for June last, you will find them. 
W. Parsons.— Much obliged, but we want only original 
contributions. 
Harry B. Cramer sends two puzzles for the American 
Agricultui'ist , one of them is—“ Be above making mis¬ 
chief in a family between man and wife,” and the other 
is— “ J. Underhill, Andover, Mass.” The lad says he is 
twelve years old, and made these puzzles himself. Now, 
as I happen to know that these puzzles are over twenty 
years old, Mr. H. B. C. must be older than he thinks he 
is, if he made them himself. 
Gussie.—I presume the “word which rhymes each 
time you behead it,” is “Laboratory” ; e. g., laboratory, 
aboratory, boratory, oratory; ratory, atory; tory, ory; 
ry, y. If any of you know of any other word which 
will do the same, we should be glad to hear from them. 
How Tilings are Hone in Other 
Countries.—Flour from the Grain. 
Last month we described the old and slow ways of 
thrashing, by trampling out the grain by means of horses 
and other animals, and compared this with our quick 
way of doing the same work by machinery. We also 
told you that in some countries the people do not im¬ 
prove at all in their ways of doing work, but carry on 
their farming exactly as it is described in the Old Testa¬ 
ment, in the earliest times of which we have any record. 
Thrashing is the first step towards making the grain into 
bread, and after describing this we had not room, last 
month, to say anything about the next step—grinding 
the grain—which we propose to do now. As you may 
suppose, grain that has been trampled out on an earthen 
thrashing floor will be very far from clean; it is mixed 
not only with the chaff, but also much fine earth from 
the thrashing place, and these must be separated before 
the grain is ground. In our thrashing machines a blast 
of wind blows away all such stuff, and the grain comes 
out very clean. Then almost every farmer has a “fan- 
ning-mill,” with which, if the grain is not clean enough, 
as it comes from the thrashing machine, he can finish it. 
It is also used for grain, beans, etc., that are thrashed 
with a flail. In the fanning-mill, the grain falls upon 
sieves of different sizes, where it is shaken, while all the 
while a large fan-wheel blows a strong and steady stream 
of air over it, and the grain comes out bright and clean ; 
the chaff and dust are blown away, the sieves remove all 
the small and poor wheat grains, and also the seeds of 
weeds that are often mixed with it. The work is done 
very neatly and quickly, and the wheat and other grain 
leaves the mill all ready to be ground. 
But the ancient farmers had no fanning-mills, indeed 
they were not known anywhere until about 100 years 
ago, and it was very slow work for them to clean their 
■grain, as it is to those people who have learned no new 
ways since the flood. Last month we told you that the 
Mexicans where quite as much behind the rest of the 
world in all such matters, as are the people of Eastern 
countries; we do not mean all Mexicans, but those who 
live away in the parts where there are but few people, 
and the few who do live there are much more like Indians 
than like Europeans, and if you were to live among 
them, as we have, you would get a glimpse of the ways 
in which the farmers managed before the Christian era. 
When the Mexican has trodden out his—or her—wheat, 
(for the women quite as often do it as the men), by the 
use of horses, oxen, or even goats, then it is gathered in 
a heap, and a windy day is waited for. When there is a 
good breeze blowing, the wheat is thrown, by means of 
a rude wooden scoop-shovel, against the wind; the heavy 
grains soon fall, while the light chaft and dust, are blown 
to a distance. It looks very droll to see them throw up 
the wheat as if for the fun of the thing, but they man¬ 
age it very cleverly, so that the clean 
wheat will fall in a pile, and not be scatter¬ 
ed, as you would suppose, far and wide. 
This operation is called winnowing, and 
it was by this that grain was cleaned in 
very old times. The grain being cleaned, 
the next operation before we can get a 
loaf of bread, is to grind it, to make flour, 
coarse or fine. In the grinding, a mill 
is used, but before we notice the ancient 
mill of the old world, let us look at a very 
ancient one of the new world. In most of 
their farming the Mexicans use the imple¬ 
ments now common in Eastern countries, 
and which are just like those of very 
early times, but in their mills, or grinding 
affairs, they borrow from another class 
of ancients. In various parts of Mexico, 
there are ruins of very old buildings and 
towns ; these are generally mere heaps 
of rubbish, but some have the walls still 
standing ; when these were built, or who 
built them, is not known ; the Indians 
of the present day know as little about 
them as we do. In these ruins, among 
pieces of broken pots of various kinds, are 
found the grinding stones formerly used 
by the people who built these now ruin¬ 
ed houses. The stones are shaped like 
that shown in fig. 1; a slanting bench of 
very hard stone, with a sort of pestle or grinder. A 
stone of this kind is called a metate, (pronounced in three 
syllables), and is a very important article in Mexican 
housekeeping. Those found in the ruins, though much 
worn, show much better work than those made at pres¬ 
ent. The way in which the metate is used is this: the 
woman kneels at the higher end, and putting- a handful 
of grain on the stone, takes the rubbing stone by 
both hands, and bearing hard upon it, crushes and grinds 
the grain into a coarse flour. It is slow work, and as the 
Mexicans are not a provident people, but live “from 
hand to mouth,” there is seldom any flour on hand, but 
if breakfast, or other meal is to be prepared, the woman 
starts with the grain, and has to make the flour before 
any bread or cakes can be baked. So far as we know, 
the use of the metate is not known in the old world, but 
it is very old in the new. The earliest mill of which we 
have any account, consists of the tw@ circular stones; 
the lower one is fi^ed, while the upper one is movable, 
and has a hole in the middle through which the grain is 
dropped, and an upright stick placed in it near the edge, 
serves as the handle by which it is turned around. The 
engraving, fig. 2, shows this mill, and the manner of 
using it. The “two women grinding at a mill,” men¬ 
tioned in the Scriptures, may still be seen in the Eastern 
countries, as they were in old, old times; indeed among 
Fig. 1.—A MEXICAN METATE. 
the country people in some parts of Ireland, almost pre¬ 
cisely snch a mill may be seen in use. Grinding grain 
by such a mill is very slow work. In Mexico we have 
seen just such a mill, only several times larger, and in¬ 
stead of an upright stick by which the upper stone could 
be turned by hand, has a projecting one, to which a don 
key was hitched. A donkey, especially a Mexican one, 
is not at best a fast animal, and when hitched to such a 
mill, he appears to try how slow he can be, and yet move. 
We do not know that our patience was ever so much 
tried, as in getting a few bushels of wheat ground with 
this most primitive mill. These grinding affairs, the me¬ 
tate, and the simple mills, leave the bran mixednvith the 
flour. This is in part separated, in Mexico at least, by 
shaking the whole, as it comes from the mill, in a sort of 
sieve, made by fastening a piece of skin to a hoop; this 
does not sift, but shaking brings the bran to the top, and 
itisblownoff by the breath; sometimes, but rarely, regular 
sieves are used. If you would see how much better and 
quicker we do all these things, yon should ask permission 
to visit the nearest flouring mill, where water or steam- 
power take the place of the woman at the metate or mill, 
and where the stones fly round with a buzz, and the ground 
wheat, when it comes from between the stones, passes 
into a big revolving sieve that separates the fine flour, 
the middlings, and the bran. Indeed, so ingenious are 
our mechanics in helping our farmers, that we have mills 
which are as complete in themselves, as the large flour¬ 
ing mills in the great wheat-growing states, and with 
which, set in motion by his horses, the farmer can turn 
Fig. 3. —ANCIENT AND EASTERN MILL. 
out the finest flour. If you will look back at last month’s 
American Agriculturist, you will see on page 456, figure 1, 
a mill of this kind, intended for farm use. We do not 
believe in boasting, but we do believe in appreciating 
the good things we have, and in feeling grateful for them. 
A large share of our boys and girls live upon farms, and 
it is only right that they should know how much better 
a farm-life is in this country, than it is in some others. 
Let them compare the rude metate, and the almost as 
rude hand-mill here described, with the very complete 
and compact mill in last month’s paper, and when they 
know that in everything that relates to farm life, and 
home comforts, the farmer in this country is as much 
better off, than those in the historic lands of the East, or 
in our neighboring country Mexico, they should be thank¬ 
ful that their lot has placed them where life is easier, 
and that one of the most necessary articles—bread, is not 
earned by quite so much “ sweat of the brow,” 
The Doctor’s Talks — A Look at 
Lapland and tlie Lapps. 
Some of you will wonder why the Doctor begins the 
New Year of his “ Talks,” with a subject so unlike those 
he usually chooses. One reason is—I like—and so do all 
of you I think—variety, and as in answering several of 
my correspondents I have had to talk about “ bugs and 
beasts,” I thought you would like to know about the 
Lapps, about which we hear so little—even less than we 
do about the Icelanders. Then again, I usually talk on 
some subject that I know something about, and it will 
be a change to take one about which I know almost 
nothing, besides in this case I shall learn something, as 
well as yourselves.—“ Yes, and take it all out of a book,” 
some bright youngster will say.—Not so fast my boy, I 
shall give you new and original matter, though it will 
not be mine, and this brings me to the principal reason 
why my “ Talk ” is this time about Lapland. A very 
good friend of yours—that is he is a good friend of the 
American Agriculturist , and of course must be of its 
family of youngsters, Mr. Krohn, who lives in Norway, 
has been off among the Lapps, and he sends us a number 
of excellent photographs, and a very full account of the 
country and the people. I have had engravings made 
