The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-11-19

from Genoa or Bangkok The Ma
mour asked two OF the jewelers. 70
bring their anvlIs out in the sun in
order hat i might photograph 'hsh'
and they kindly complied
A little farther on We entered the
shoe ba where score Of mer-
chants were selling red leather slip
pers turned up al the toes. ana IN a
court not far away found merchants
selling hides and leather fresh from
the tanneries. They were saIting the
hides in the square. and laying them
OUT in the sun TO dry.
in the Manchester bazaar ! FOUND
them selling cottons Of many kiads
and ~caIicoes OF gay patterns There
. were but few American goods among
them. and the chief importations were
from England and Germany saw
American sewing machines IN the pa
zaar OF the ~tailors. and understand
that they are generally used through
out the Nile VALLEY.
During my stay in this section l
bought some ostrich feathers OF a mer-
chant who sold nothing else He had
a large stock and his prices were
fixed. Ny feathers cost me about 81
apiece, but they are the long "hite
plumes Of the wild ostrich. and are far
finer than any from South Africa.
where the birds are reared upon
farms.
In the Gram Marhet~-
large part Of the grain OF the
Upper Sudan comes down the Blue
and White Niles TO Ondurman n
grain markets are close to the river
and they run for some distance along
il. There is no rain here at this time
Of the year, and hence there Is no need
for warehouses or sheds. The grain
is poured out on the hard ground in
piles and left there until sold. If you
will imagine ~erveraI hundred little
mountains Of white or red sand with
wooden measures OF various sizes
lying at their feet or stuck into the
sloping sides, you may have some idea
of this central African grain market.
You must add the tents Of canvas or
mat shelters. in which the ebony
SIX inned merchants stay while waiting
for thei" cutomers and must make a
crowd OF bl~ack-skinned, White-goWned
men and women moving about sam
ling the wares and buying or selling.
The rch watch the grain all
day and if they are forced to go away
at nightfall they smooth the hills out
and make cabalistic marks upon them,
so that they can easily know if their
property is disturbed during their abb
sence. The most common grains sold
here are wheat. barley and durra. The
latter is a kind of sorghum seed
which forms the bread Of the Sudan.
Il is ground to a flour either in hand
mills or between stones moved about
by bullocks or camels and is eaten
in the shape of round loaves of o
the circumference Of a tea plate and
perhaps two inches thick. The wheat
is Of the macaroni variety, which
grows we'll in these dry regions where
ever irrigation is possible.
The Mills of the Sudan.
Speaking of the flour of the Sudan,
/ visited one of the largest milling es-
Establishments of the country during
my stay in Omdurman. The owner is
one of the richest and most influen-
tial of the SOudanes natives. He is an
emir. and as such is one of the lead
ing men of the town. His mills were
in a great mud-walled compound,
which contained also his garden and
home. The garden was irrigated by
a well, and upon entering it l saw
two black slave girls turning the
wheels which furnished the water sup
ply.
The mills were three in number
Each was in a mud .stable-like, one
story building, Just large enough to
mold the millstones and the track for
the animals who turned them. The
stones were similar to the old-fash-
Toned grinding machines of our own
country. They rested one upon the
oliieI ana were 50 maze lndt the grain
flowed from a hopper into the top
stone. The motive power for each
mill was a blindfolded camel, who
moved around in a circle, turning the
top stone. Each of the animals wa
driven by a black boy. who sat on the
bar of the mill and rode there as he
whipped them along. The flour so
ground was fine. I picked up a
handful and tasted it and found it
quite good.
FRANK G.. CARPENTER.