Field, Forest and Farm / Things interesting to young nature-lovers, including some matters of moment to gardeners and fruit-growers

FIELD, FOREST AND FARM
FIELD, FOREST AND FARM
THINGS INTERESTING TO YOUNG NATURE-LOVERS, INCLUDING SOME MATTERS OF MOMENT TO GARDENERS AND FRUIT-GROWERS
BY JEAN-HENRI FABRE Author of “The Story-Book of Science,” “Our Humble Helpers,” “Social Life in the Insect World,” etc. TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH BY FLORENCE CONSTABLE BICKNELL
NEW YORK THE CENTURY CO. 1919
Copyright, 1919, by The Century Co.
With his nephews as willing companions and eager listeners, Uncle Paul continued his walks and talks in the pleasant summer afternoons.
“Bread is made of flour,” he began, “and flour is wheat reduced to powder under the millstone. What an interesting mechanism that is, the flour-mill, driven by water, by the wind, sometimes by steam! What wearisome effort, what waste of time, if we had not this invention and were forced to do its work of grinding by sheer strength of arm!
“I must tell you that in ancient times, for want of knowing how to grind wheat, people had to content themselves with crushing it between two stones after parching it a little over the fire. The coarse meal thus obtained was cooked in water to a sort of porridge and eaten with no further preparation. Bread was unknown.
Wheat
“What cruel masters they must have had!” exclaimed Emile.
“Yes, the slaves were harnessed to the bar like beasts of burden; and when, weakened with fatigue, they did not go fast enough, a rawhide was applied to their bare shoulders. These unfortunate millers were poor wretches taken in war and afterward sold in the market with the same indifference with which a drover sells his cattle. Such, then, were the hardships that led the way to the modern mill which to-day, with a few turns of its water-wheel, and to the cheerful accompaniment of its tick-tack , can make flour enough for a whole family.