The Litchfield County post., 1827-01-26
From the Middlebury Standard.
 STRAW.

S1 1hAVs
 In England, wheat and rye straw are as carefully preserved and as economical- lv expended for fodder as hay.-Every farmer has what he calls his staw yard, where his young stock is kept wholly on straw, and this notwithstanding the disad- vantages of the climate. In England they always have what we call very open winter, the weather changeable, and the ground bare the greater part of the time. Every one has observed the greater diff culty in keeping a stock upon straw in such winter. They also feed their straw to horses, COWS and oxen' and they would as soon waste their hay as their strw; and cannot perceive why it is not as useful for Vermont farmer to make s use of his straw for fodder as for the Eng fish farmer. I heard very intelligent and successful farmer of this county remark some years since, that he could not afford to keep stock of cattle without raising grain so that he could feed them princi- pally with straw, nor could he afford to raise grain unless he kept stock of cattle to feed upon his straw. But to make the best use of straw for the feed either of cattle or horses, it has long since been found that it is necessary to cut it in some kind of machine. The Dutch from their first settlement in the Stase of New York, kept their horses on cut straw and meal, making use of very simple machine con- slsting only of a box and knife, and this was the only machine for cutting straw known in New England until within few years past. In England various machines for cutting straw have been invented and in general use, but as is the case with most of the English labor saving machines, they are too complicated and too expensive ; those now in general use cost from fifty to eighty dollars. A variety of machines fol cutting straw have been invented in New England, more simple in their construction and less expensive the most valuable O. these is Saford's Straw Cutter. Accor ding to accounts given of Straw Cutters, straw can be cut by none of them with greater facility or despatch than with this although it costs but about one third the sum that those cost.
 A late Bordeaux paper relates the fol- lowing singular occurrence in the neigh borhood of that city: An old woman wh had formerly kept hotel, avowed to he confessor that she had amassed large sur of money which she kept in her house, Soon after this confession, made at tn tribunal of penitence, she permitted al old position who had formely lived witt her to sleep in her house. About o'clock at night some one knocked loudl at her door, and asked in pitiful voic to be admitted to her hospitality for tn night. Believing herself safe by hay ing the position in the house, the woma opened the door, when in rushed ( ma hidden by mask and armed with pistols who said, deliver me your money or will instantly kill you !'' The poor wo man at first was almost frightened to deat but gained little courage, conducted tn robber into the chamber where the post ilion was sleeping; he having heard ther coming in, hid himself behind the curtains My money is in that closet," said tn woman, at the same time showing an ol, peice or furniture almost hidden by a pill of linen. The robber, laying his pistol on the table, prepared to take possession of her riches, but the postilion who hac observed his movements with great san!