A NEW CATTLE FOOD MILL.

Press, Volume XVIII, Issue 2483, 15 April 1871, Page 3

A NEW CATTLE FOOD MILL.

On Monday last we witnessed the trial of a new crushing machine on Mr Butt's, Hust Farm, near Guildford. It is introduced by Mr J. L. Norton,; Belie Sauvage Yard, Ludgate Hill, and promises to be of immense service to farmers and cattle breeders. We found a number of farmers under a shed watching the movements of a small machine about four feet in height. A man was pouring into the hopper a sack of Indian corn, and in exactly 6J minutes the whole was crushed up and deposited into the box receptable at the bottom of the machine. Several experiments were then tried with straw, beans, peas, half-inch bones, locustbeans, gorse, and brambles. In crushing the straw it has a, very material advantage bye? ordinary cutting machine. It is well known that the hard surface of the straw, if not thoroughly broken, requires extraordinary powers of digestion in order fully to assimilate it; thus, in horse feed, the chopped straw passes through almost intact. The new crusher breads every particle of the surface of the straw, and thus makes every portion of it nutritive, Bone, used for manure, is generally broke up into half-inch size, and then laid upon the land. It takes along time, almost two years sometimes, befpre the benefit of this excellent manure can be absorbed by the land. What is wanted is a cheap means of pulverising the bone.s,, f& tjhe ground can get the benefit immediately. This it'accomplished by Mr Norton's machine with the greatest ease. The [bones are put into the hopper, the I miohine starts, and, as quickly as the beans or tbe peas, the bones fall in powder in the box. The more interesting experiments were mtde, however, with the gorge and bramble bushes. These were"criished and pulverised with singular ease and rapidity, and produced a material something like the grass from a lawn-mowing machine. Before going into the machine the gorse and the brambles wer? jparatively withpuv smell, but after | passing through there was a strong | and pleasant aroma, differing from, but with as much strength as, i new-mown hay. "We tried it with several of the horses, and both gorse ! and brambles were devoured with

s avidity. The little crusher, grinding 1 steadily on with thi ■ novel t -ttle feed, f seems to herald an «-i.»"irp!/ era in r cattle-breeding. Here is a pleasant ) green food which may be used «iil , through the winter, costing nothing • but the small expense of crushing. ' Mixed with corn, beans, and other pro- ! ducts, it will doubtless be found to be i the best and most nutritious food that can possibly be obtained. One great advantage possessed by I he crusher is , that cotton cake aud rape seed, maize and straw, or any compound required can be crushed together, so that all trouble of mixing afterwards is spared. For instance, we saw a small quantity i of locust beans ground with straw, j I and it produced a very fragrant food, ] which the cattle ate with readiness. — " Land and Water"