32 THE CULTIVATOR. Jan. 
CORN AND COB MILLS. 
Of all the sciences, mechanics have proved the most 
useful. If implements may be characterized as the 
right hand of agriculture, mechanical science, in im¬ 
proving their form and construction, may be said to have 
given cunning to the right hand ; for mechanical science, 
testing the strength of materials, both relatively and ab¬ 
solutely, employs no more material in implements than is 
sufficient to overcome the force of resistance, and it indu¬ 
ces to the discovery of that form which overcomes resis¬ 
tance with the least power. Simplicity of construction, 
beauty of form of the constituent parts, mathematical 
adjustment and a symmetrical proportion of the whole 
machine, are at the present day characteristics of our 
implements. In saying thus much, for the science that 
has improved our implements to the state they now 
are, when compared with their state some years ago, I 
am not averring they are quite perfect. They are, how¬ 
ever, so far’perfect as to be correct in mathematical 
principles arid light in operation. No doubt many may 
yet be much simplified in construction, and I consider 
the mechanic who simplifies the action of any useful im 
plement, thereby rendering it less liable to derangement, 
does as good service to agriculture as the inventor of a 
new and useful machine. 
It has been the opinion of most farmers that the cobs 
of corn were of little or r;o value, and they have thrown 
them aside as of no use except for manure. It has 
been demonstrated by distillation that the cob contains 
13 per cent, of nutriment. It is supposed by many that 
it acts mechanically by distending the stomach, render¬ 
ing digestion not only easier but much more perfect. 
Corn or corn meal is generally considered too heating and 
too concentrated, particularly for working horses, but 
when mixed with the cob forms a very superior and nu- 
tricious food. 
My experience teaches r*e that great benefit is de¬ 
rived by crushing or grinding all kinds of grain for all 
kinds of stock, and by mixing it with cut hay or straw, 
a great saving is made. 
The introduction of portable mills for grinding corn 
and cob is of recent origin. Formerly, bark mills were 
used for crushing the ears, and then it was ground with 
stones, but the bark mills ware not very durable, and 
millers did not care to grind corn and cob at any rate. 
Some eight or nine years ago, I carried a load of corn 
to four mills; at none of them could I get it ground. 
In 1842, at the fair of the New York State Agricul¬ 
tural Society, several mills for reducing corn and cob to 
meal, were exhibited, among which, that belonging to 
O. Hussey of Baltimore, took the first premium. This 
machine I have used ever since, and its operation has 
been very satisfactory. 
Since the general introduction of horse-powers, mills 
have been in request. Demand creates supplies. The 
inventive genius of our countrymen has been aroused ; 
new mills have, as it were, sprung into existence, 
among which I would name that of Mr. Pitts of Roches¬ 
ter. This seems to me the most perfect thing of the 
kind which has fallen under my notice. It is upon the 
true principles of a mill for this purpose—that of chip¬ 
ping or cutting both corn and cob into sufficiently fine 
chop, resembling fine samp or hominy. It requires but 
little power, in comparison to some other mills, to 
drive it, and is very simple, occupies but little space, 
and works equally well, whether the corn be soft or 
hard. It consists of a cast-iron wheel about nine inch¬ 
es in diameter, armed with a series of small chisel-shap¬ 
ed teeth or knives, set like plane-irons in the face, in a 
Pitts' Com and Cob Crusher .—Fig. 12. 
very simple manner ; one set of teeth following in the 
space of the others, by which the chipping is done. This 
wheel is enclosed in a cast-iron box, and on the shaft is a 
balance wheel and pulley, five inches in diameter, for the 
power band. These knives can be taken out, ground and 
replaced in a few minutes ; and a new set can be ob¬ 
tained for two dollars and fifty cents. If care is taken 
to introduce no hard or injurious substance to the mill, 
one set of knives will last for a long time. It will grind 
from three to four hundred bushels before the knives re¬ 
quire sharpening. 
I have had one of these mills in use on my farm, 
about nine months; it is driven by a small water-wheel, 
supposed to be about two horse power. With this pow¬ 
er it will, when the teeth are sharp, reduce from five to 
six bushels of corn and cob in the hour. One of these 
mills has been in operation in this city for grinding 
feed, such as oats and corn, as well as corn and cob, 
for supplying cartmen and others with provender, for 
about one year. The owner tells me that it will grind 
from ten to twelve bushels per hour, and requires sharp¬ 
ening after three hundred bushels has passed through it; 
that it requires some skill and attention to keep it in 
order, and that.it will do more work than any other 
mill he has ever seen. 
Knowing that Mr. Geddes of Onondaga, has had one 
of these mills in operation for more than a year , I ad¬ 
dressed him a note, containing a few inquiries on the 
subject of its operation. The following is his reply: 
II Grinding corn fine,” says Mr. G. tc and also reduc¬ 
ing the cob fine, takes power, if done fast. If the mill 
is so set as to make samp, that is, to reduce the grain 
as to leave none larger than half a grain of wheat, and 
a great part of it fine, then Pitt’s mill will do more 
than any thing ever heard of. before. I think twenty 
bushels can be forced in one hour through one of them , 
if the ears are selected, and power enough is put on the 
mill. We have ground fifteen bushels without selecting 
the ears, but it was not ground fine enough. My opi¬ 
nion is, that it cannot be ground too fine, if it is fed 
raw ; but if it is to be cooked, then, if not so fine, the 
I only objection is, it will take longer to cook it. 
I “ Pitt’s mill will grind fine if the teeth are set fine, 
