100 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[March, 
(CQPYr.IOHT SKCUIiKD.] 
SKETCH BY H. W. Elliott .—Drawn and .ingraved for the Americun Agriculturist. 
THE THRASHING MACHINE OF NEW 
The Thrashing Machine of New Mexico. 
Persons accustomed to improved plows, mow¬ 
ing and thrashing machines, and other modern 
agricultural'*implements, read of the primitive 
agriculture of oriental countries, with a feeling 
of pity for the people who are so far behind the 
age. But few are aware that we have within 
our own territory thousands of tillers of the soil 
whose agricultural implements and operations 
are as rude as those of the inhabitants of Pales¬ 
tine, where no improvement has been made for 
centuries. We need not go out of our own do¬ 
minions to see fields plowed with a crooked 
stick, wagons built without a particle of iron in 
tlieir whole structure, grain thrashed by the 
tread of animals, and ground by rubbing it by 
hand between two stones. Mr. H. W. Elliott, 
of Washington, D. C., sends us a sketch made 
of a thrashing scene in New Mexico, with the 
following description..“In preceding to 
thrash, a ring is made, and the earth within 
smoothed and hardened; then a pile of shock 
wheat is put into the centre, and from this sup¬ 
ply the surface of the ring is covered from four 
to six inches in depth with the wheat straw. 
Then the whole household and as many friends 
and relations as they can call in to help, take 
MEXICO.— From a 
places at regular intervals outside of the ring, 
into which twenty, thirty, or forty sheep are 
driven, according to its size. The sheep are 
kept on a constant run by the shouts and exer¬ 
tions of the drivers, who relieve one another at 
the task of keeping the “machine” in motion. 
A floor of wheat is tramped out in about ten 
or twelve hours of this exercise, then the pro¬ 
cess of winnowing and cleaning the grain from 
chaff, sand and dirt, follows, and is carried on 
in fully as rude a fashion as is the thrashing.” 
■ O • ira ^p n . » ... 
Asphalt Walks. 
The “Notes from the Pines” have been 
crowded out both last month and this. To an¬ 
swer several who have inquired about making 
walks, we give the following from the writ¬ 
er’s last contribution: Some of the neigh¬ 
bors have had asphalt walks laid by those 
who make it a business, and have, or profess to 
have, a patent on their composition. Doctor K. 
has been putting down asphalt walks himself, 
and I have kept an eye on the experiment. I 
always thought meanly of the man, who, to the 
question, “What wine do you prefer ?”—replied, 
“ That which other people pay for,” but I now 
think better of him, when I find myself so fond 
of the experiments which other people pay for. 
It is very good of the Doctor to try this experi¬ 
ment with the walks and tell how he did it and 
I felt half guilty the other day when I went, os¬ 
tensibly to make a friendly call, but really to 
find out about his ways for my own benefit, and 
for that of those who read the Agriculturist. 
Next to finding out a new or good “ wrinkle,” 
the Doctor derives the greatest pleasure from 
telling some one else how to do it. This is the 
way he makes his walks: The earth is exca¬ 
vated to the required depth, an edging of bricks 
placed on end is put down (some use plank), 
and the earth is rammed hard. Three parts ot 
coal (or gas) tar and one of common pitch, are 
melted together and boiled for half an hour. 
The composition is then mixed with dry sand 
in the same manner as a bed of mortar is mixed, 
and the material, which is of about the consist¬ 
ency of mortar, is spread upon the path to the 
depth of about three inches. Boards are laid 
upon the surface and pounded to make it level; 
a layer of sand is then strewn on-, and the sur¬ 
face rolled. The mixture in a few days, becomes 
as hard as stone, and thus far the Doctor’s 
paths are as sound as need be, and as good as 
the patented ones. They are easily kept clean, 
pleasant to use, and no weeds can grow in them. 
