Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-04-30

StrOkeS OF the pestlc. III the ldll vi
the year, whilst the Indian corn
was soft, the block and pesile did
very well for making meal for Jour-
neycake and mush, but were rather
slow when the corn became hard.
The sweep was sometimes used
to lessen the toll of pounding grain
into meal. This was pole OF some
springy elastic wood, thirty feet
long or more, the but end of which
was placed under the side of a
house or large stump This pole
was supported by two forks, placed
about one third of its length from
its but end, so as TO elevate the
small end about fifteen feet from
the ground. TO this was attached,
by a large mOrtise, II piece OF sap
ling about five or six inches in di-
ameter, and eight or ten feet long.
the lower end of which was shaped
so as to answer for a pestle, and a
pin of wood was put through it at a
proper height, so that two persons
could work at the sweep at once
This simple machine very much
lessened the labor and expedited
the work.
| remember that when a boy |
put up an excellent sweep at my
fathers. 1t was made of sugar
tree sapling, and was kept going
almost constantly from morning till
night by our neighborS for several
weeks.
In the Greenbrier country, where
they had a number of saltpetre
caves, the first settlers made plenty
Of excellent gnnpowder by means
of these sweeps and mortars.
A machine still more simple than
the mortar and pestle was used for
making meal when the corn was too
soft to be beaten. 1t was called a
CRATER. This was q half circular
piece of tin, perforated with punch
from the cOncave side, and nailed
by its edges to block OF wood
The ears of corn were rubbed on
the rough edges of the holes, while
the meal fell through them on the
board or block to which the CRATER
was nailed, which being in slant
ing direction, discharged the meal
into cloth or bowl placed for its
reception. This, to be sure, was a
slow way of making meal, but me-
cessity has no law.
The hand mill was better than
the mortar and crater. 1t was
made of two circular stones, the
lowest of which was called the bed
stone, the upper one the runner.
These were placed in hoop, with
a spout for discharging the meal.
A staff was let into hole in the
upper surface of the runner, near
the outer edge, and its upper end
through hole in a board fastened
to a joist above, so that two per
sons could be employed in turning
the mill at the same time. The
grain was put into the opening in
the runner by hand. These mills
are still in use in Palestine, the
ancient country of the Jews. To a
mill of this sort our Savior alluded,
when, with reference to the destruc-
ton of Jerusalem, he said, "Two
women shall be grinding at a mill,
the one shall be taken and other
left
This mill is much preferable to
that used at present in upper Egypt
for making the dhourra bread. 1t
is a smooth stone, placed on an in
clined plane, upon which the grain
is spread, which is made into meal
bv rubbing another stone mp and
down upon it.
Our first water mills were of that
description denomlnated tnb mills
1t consists of a perpendicular shaft,
10 the lower end of which hOri
zontal wheel Of about four or five
feet in diameter is attached the
upper end passes through the bed
stone and carries the runner, after
the manner of a trnndlehead. These
mills were built with very little eX-
pense. and many Of them answered
the purpose very well. Instead of
boiling cloths, sifters were IN
general use. These were mad of
deer skins in the state OF parch'
ment, stretched over a hoop and
perforated with hot wire.
Our clothing was all of domestic
manufacture. We had no other
resource for clothing, and this in
deed was poor one. The crops of
fax often failed, and the sheep
were destroyed by the wolves.
Linsey, which is made of flax and
wool, the former the chain, and the
latter the filing, was the warmest
and most substantial cloth we could
make. Almost every house con.
tanned loom and almost every
woman was a weaver
Every family tanned their own
leather. The tan yat was n
large trough sunk to the upper end
in the ground. a quantity of bark
was easily obtained every spring in
clearing and fencing land. This,
after drying, was brought in, and
in wet days was shaved and pound
ed on "A block of wood with an axe
or mallet. Ashes was used in place
of lime for taking of the hair.
Bears oil, hogs lard and tallow,
answered the place Of fish oil. The