, and be devoid of all mustiness, which is present if it has got
wet or mouldy, as it is very apt to do. In new gram the husk at the point
is of a slightly greenish shade, that disappears with keeping. It is
generally supposed that new gram is not so good as when it is a few months
old; but myself, I have never seen any ill effects from its use. The only
thing to be careful about is that it is perfectly ripe, for natives have a
great trick of cutting and plucking every grain, fruit, and vegetable
before they have arrived at full maturity. Gram should be crushed or
bruised, not _ground_, so as to break the outer husk and allow the juices
of the stomach to act on the kernel. It should be crushed or bruised only,
as if ground into a fine powder a good deal goes to waste. It is
sufficient if each seed is so crushed that it is split in two. Gram,
wheat, and all other grains in the East are ground by the women of the
family between two stones, one of which revolves on the top of the other
by means of a wooden handle fixed in it. To crush gram the stones require
to be sharper set than if they are to grind any other grain into flour.
Gram can be got ready crushed from the corn-dealer (baniah) at a small
increased charge per maund (80 lbs.), or what I generally do is to pay my
head groom (syce) the regular bazaar rate (nirrick), and get the women of
his family to crush it, they providing their own mill (chuckie). The only
disadvantage of this plan is that it is necessary to weigh the grain a
second time after it has been crushed, otherwise it will be short, as
natives eat it themselves. But I found in the long run the syces would not
steal it; natives are sharp enough to see when any profit can be made, and
it was not to their advantage to give back short weight. Excellent
gram-crushing machines, working with fluted rollers, are sold by several
firms in India, and are adjustable so as to take any grain. They are made
to fit into a box for travelling, which, when in use, forms a stand for
the crusher to work on. They are, however, somewhat expensive, and
although admirable for a large stud of horses, are hardly required for a
private stable. If, however, expense is no object, they are certainly
preferable to the native mill, as they are cleaner, bits of grit not
coming off the stone, and each individual grain being crushed, which even
the best native mills will not do. Crushed grain is much quicker digested
than whole, particularly