34 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



and as it leaves the farming-mill it is driven over slats, through which a 

 current of air is forced up, blowing back into the screen all chaff and 

 light grains, so that none but clear wheat enters the bag. 



Palmer's Threshing Machine, This machine differs in all respects 

 from any heretofore invented for threshing grain, and in some partic- 

 ulars is as greatly in advance of all others, as the ordinary kind is in 

 advance of the flail or trampling of cattle. It does not thresh by a 

 spike-toothed cylinder working into a spiked concave, like the ordi- 

 nary machine, which is fed by a man who stands in front, feeding it 

 with wheat and himself with dust, to which is sometimes added a fly- 

 ing tooth or other death-dealing object. The grain is put into this 

 machine upon aprons on both sides, as fast as four men can handle 

 the unbound sheaves, which pass through a hole upon each side of the 

 case, which is circular, about four feet in diameter and six inches 

 thick, the hole being about the size of a bundle of grain, and situated at 

 the outer ed^e of the circle, about half the height from the around. 



^2 * c5 C* 



Here the heads of the grain are struck by four iron arms of l^inch 

 round iron, which are firmly set in a hub that is made to revolve with 

 great speed. This blow or blows, falling rapidly upon the heads 

 as they project from a square corner, knocks out a great portion of 

 the grain ; the straw is then carried forward by the arms through the 

 lower half of the circle, the sides of which are waved plates of iron, 

 which give the straw a tortuous motion, whipping it from side to side 

 until every kernel is whipped out. The straw is all carried forward 

 by arms over the upper part of the circle and thrown out at the 

 same side it entered, a little above. These plates are adjustable, so as 

 to be set close for timothy, or wide for coarse straw, either wheat, rye, 

 oats, rice, buckwheat or peas ; all of which it will thresh perfectly 

 clean. It is claimed for this machine, and apparently with justice, 

 that with the same power it will thresh more grain than any other. 



A valuable improvement has also been made by Mr. Palmer upon 

 the old fashioned spike cylinder threshing machines, to prevent dan- 

 ger to the person tending them when a stone or other hard substance 

 happens to be in the sheaf. This is simply by cutting off the apron 

 just before it reaches the cylinder, so that all heavy substances drop 

 down. There is also a roller in front of the cylinder to prevent 

 whole sheaves from passing, or the feeder getting his hand caught. 



Farmer's Labor Saving Machine. This machine, known under the 

 above title, was invented by G. S. Snyder, Jefferson Co., Va., and 

 is designed to thresh, clean and put the wheat in bags, ready meas- 

 ured ior market, all at one operation. It is intended to be operated 

 by two horses, and is represented as being capable of threshing and 

 cleaning 100 bushels of wheat per day. 



The same inventor has also exhibited, at the Crystal Palace, a model 

 of a machine which is much needed in many of the Southern States. 

 It is intended to separate garlic from the wheat, which no common 

 cleaner will do. In this the wheat is washed and the garlic taken out 

 and the grain dried by hot air or steam. It can be operated by hand 

 horse, or any other power, 



