On this day (June 23) in the year 1855, the following article appeared in the "Provincial Freeman" (Toronto, Canada West): - - - - - - - - United States. Colored Exhibitors at the Ohio Mechanics' Institute. ------- The annual Exhibition of this Institution, was closed Saturday evening, June 2nd. The display, though not perhaps equal to that of former years, was good, and the visitor was well repaid. We were pleased to find that both in the ornamental and useful departments, the colored people were well represented. In the first was Ball, with a magnificent array of Daguerreotypes, in neat gilt frames. The competitors of Ball may boast, each of his peculiar excellence, this one of the softness and delicacy of his pictures, that of the clearness of his work, another of the life-like truthfulness of his productions, but Ball combines the excellencies of all, and leaves nothing more to be desired in a daguerreotype. Mr. Ball was last year awarded a silver medal by the Institute, in testimony of the excellency he has attained in his art. In the Agricultural department, was Mr. Andrew J. Smith, of Piqua, Ohio, who has invented a most ingenious machine, which he calls "The Patent Corn-sheller and Cleaner." The peculiar excellence of Mr. Smith's Sheller, consists of this, that it cleans the corn, at the same time, that the shells, as much or more than any other machine in use. The corn is placed two or three ears at one time in the hopper, from whence it falls on a cylinder, revolving in a hollow iron plate, both plate and cylinder being plentifully bestuck with short iron teeth, by whose attrition the corn is nicely cleaned from the cob. Corn and cob fall together, on a perforated endless carrier, the grains drop though the holes in the carrier, while the cob is conveyed to the end of the machine and thrown on the floor. As the corn falls through the carrier, a current of wind set in motion by a fan, connected with the machine, drives out the husk at the same place where the cobs fall, and the corn falls to the bottom of the drawer, free from both. Mr. Smith was awarded a first class premium by the committee on agricultural implements, the first model of his machine, the inventor cut out with his jack knife, while at work in a barber shop. He has secured a patent for his "sheller," and is making arrangements for manufacturing them for sale. He designs having a large "horse power" machine, ready for exhibition at the State Fair next fall. --Herald of Freedom. -------------------------------------------------------------- 06-23-99