T he mill was made out of the trunk of a tree stood on
end, and in the centre a hole, 12 inches across at the
top, diminishing below. In this hole was placed a
heavy beam made to incline and pound against the
side the seed of a plant resembling cotton, called bang,
with a mixture of flax-seed, for making “ kunjut ” oil.
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T he machine was turned by a horse blindfolded, and
padded here and there, so that, in going round the
confined space in which it moved, the animal might
not rub or bruise itself against the walls. The traces
were made o f a bent branch of a tree. T h e oil
sold, they said, for 32 tengas, which they called
12s. 10d. a batman (say 4d. per lb.), and is used alike
for burning, cooking, and in making pilau. Oil-cake
sells from 33'. to 4^. per cwt.
Adjoining the oil-mill was a chamber with two flourmills,
the larger, in the centre, to be turned by horse
or ass, or, if they were in use, the smaller could be
turned by a woman.* In Russian Turkistan, wheat
grinding is usually effected by water power on the
A C EN TR A L A S IAN CORN-MILL.
banks of the aryks, though there are 16 windmills set
up at Kazalinsk by Russians. Our host’s mill, kept
going all day with a horse, would grind 6 cwt.
From the flour-mill we went to a stable, which
* Thus illustrating admirably the ¡ivXos ovlkos, or ass mill-stone, “ to
be hanged about a man’s neck ” (Matt, xviii. 6 ; Mark ix. 42), and the
hand mill-stone at which two women shall be grinding (Matt. xxiv. 41).
Grinding the mill was a menial occupation for a man, and was reserved
for slaves and captives. Hence the Philistines made blind Samson do
it (Judges xvi. 21}. One of Jeremiah’ s lamentations (v. 13) was, “ They
took the young men to grind,” and Isaiah (xlvii. 2) bids the tender and