IMPROVED THRASHING MACHINE. 369 



vibrating bars or shakers {g h) 9 feet long, rising towards the end 

 of the mill where the straw is delivered. They are each sup- 

 ported at the extreme end by a bent spring (i) formed of stout 

 hoop iron, and at the lower end, when at rest, by a cross bar, 

 with guides to steady them. A shaft (J) underneath these 

 shakers carries five double cams of wood so placed that in their 

 revolution they successively lift the shakers through a height of 

 three inches, and their motion is sufficiently rapid to give a quick 

 vibratory motion to the shakers, which, when communicated to 

 the straw, effectually separates any grain which may be hanging 

 among it To facilitate this separation each shaker is made with 

 three raised ribs running the whole length, and forming channels 

 for the downward passage of the grain, as shown in the enlarged 

 cross section, fig. 2 ; the bottoms of these passages are pierced 

 with holes to allow the grain to fall through as soon as it leaves 

 the straw, to the fixed bottom (&), which conducts it to the fanner. 

 To give a forward motion to the straw, a series of rake heads, six 

 in number, are made to move along underneath the shakers, with 

 teeth projecting upwards through the spaces between them ; these 

 teeth catch hold of the straw and move it along while it is being 

 subjected to the vibratory motion of the shakers. The rakes are 

 attached to pitched chains at each side of the machine, passing 

 over wheels on the cam shaft (J) and the shaft (/), and supported 

 by the intermediate shaft and wheels (m). The bottom (k) of 

 the shaker is composed of a series of ridges aud hollows to cause 

 the grain to pass down the hollows, and it is prevented lodging 

 in them by the return motion of the rakes, the teeth of which 

 rest in the hollows, and carry everything before them to the 

 lower end. To prevent wear, these hollows are lined with iron 

 in the bottom. The grain, when it leaves the shakers, is received 

 by a vibrating shoe (n), about 7| feet in length, above the 

 fanner, embracing the concave of the revolving shaker, and the 

 lower end of the fixed shaker. This shoe has a solid bottom to 

 carry forward the grain, with the exception of about three feet in 

 length over the first or mill fanner (o), where it is formed into a 

 coarse riddle to separate the grain and chaff from any broken 

 straw which may have passed through the shakers. The mill 

 fanner, as usual, separates the chaff from the grain, which then 

 passes to the second fanner (p), where it is more effectually 

 cleaned, and where it passes to a hummeller (q), from which it is 

 delivered to an elevator, or, if not requiring hummelling, it passes 

 direct from the fanner to the elevator, which lifts it to the upper 

 or finishing fanner (r), fitted with riddles, where the light is 

 separated from the heavy grain, and the latter delivered into a 

 sack ready for the market. This arrangement of the fanners is 

 exceedingly compact, and appears to answer its purpose per- 

 fectly. In the construction of the fanners, the principal novelty 



