The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1886-03-18

In short time the corn would be so
far dried that it could be shelled. 1t |
smelled of the smoke, but this did not
render the meal unhealthy. At a
very early day this first installment of
corn was reduced to meal in a mortar.
A deep little trough was dug in
log, with an ak, and long, timber
pole had fork of a sapling placed
under the middle Of it, and the large
end of the pole was staked to the
ground This threw the smaller end
high up, and over the hole in the log.
To this small end Of the spring pole
was fastened with a wythe, another
pole, the lower end Of which hung
some two feet above the trough in the
| log. Near the lower end Of this up
right pole, hole was bored and a
wooden pin driven through. Taking
hold of this pin with one hand on
each side. the grinder could jerk the
end of the pole down into the trough
in the log with force, and then by re-
laxing his pull, the spring pole above
would take the upright pole above the
trough.
A quart or so of corn would be
poured into the trough and pounded
into meal, as fine or as course as you
desired.
Well do | remember the sound
made by the mortar. Once [ was
talking with my brother-in-law, the
late Joseph Phillips, about the Pion-
eer times, and mentioned the music of
the mortar, when he said I ought to
have been on Coal River, in West
Virginia, where he was raised. He
said that on a still, frosty morniug, in
the fall, he could hear half a dozen
mortars at once, on the creeks for
miles around, going "whittle-ty-
whack, whittle-ty-whack," "'whittle-
ty-whack. -
Later in the season. when the corn
had become dry enough to be shelled,
a bushel or half bushel was shelled
and spread out ON sheet to dry. To
keep the chickens from eating it a
scaffold was made some four or five
feet high, and the sheet was spread
upon the scafold This corn, when
dried, was taken to the hand mill.
This mill was very simple and prim-
itive affair The stone was turned by
having hole near one edge, going
down two or three inches. A small
pole had its upper end wythed to a
, ioist or beam above, while the lower
, end was tapered so as to go into the
hole in the stone. By pushing this
: stick around, the stone would be
turned. A person, generally boy
or girl, fed the corn into the eve OF
, the milestone. This was tedious and
laborious way of getting meal.
! Next after the hand mill came the
horse MILL There was one short
distance from Gross Roads, owned by
! James Stephenson, one in Franklin
, township, owned by Mr. Stropes, DR.
Gabriel McNeel had one in Jefferson
township, and in the year 1882 my
! uncle, Solomon Mackley, built one {
: quarter of mile west of the place
where Portland is now located. Dur
. ing the dry weather in the summer
o and fall, when the water mills coult
not run, the horse mills were crowded
Customers took it in turn, the frs
: team on hand having the first turn
: | have arrived at my uncle's horse
mill before daylight, and found a:
many as 30horses before my turn, ano
q I would have to stay all day, and par
4 of the night There were shade tree.
t under which the horses could b.
/ hitched, and at noon they were fed by
t giving them part of the grist of corn
They were taken to water once Of
4 4 twice during the day The boys hac
fine time playing marbles and mum
4 BILE the peg, while waiting for theil
e turn
( Later in the fall, after the rains
had come, the little water mills came
to time There we could take oul
corn and leave it for day or two, as
e the deposit Of the sack held the turn
{ The sacks were set in a row, and the
: miller commenced with the first arri
val, and took the next sack in its turn
and so on until all were ground.
,