THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



95 



*^ances from each other of oue-and-a-quarter inches, so 

 as to extend from one end of the cylinder to the other. 

 As these partitions revolve, they drag the grain up the 

 side of the cylinder, but not over or round the shaft or 

 centre. As the cylinder in its revolution carries round 

 these partitions or segmental plates, they dip into the 

 corn lying on the under side of the screen, and rubbing 

 against it, tend to arrange the individual grains on a 

 line with the meshes, and to facilitate their escape from 

 the screen. The action of the plates is also to spread 

 the corn over a large surface of the screen, giving a 

 greater operating surface than is usually obtainable in 

 ordinary revolving screens. The simple means here 

 adopted has also, it is said, the effect of obviating the 

 defect of ordinary winnowing machines, namely, the 

 passing of " kernels " or " pickels " of the same speci- 

 fic gravity as the best corn, but which are smaller and 

 thinner in size. Mr. Palmer informs us that his ma- 

 chine effectually overcomes this difficulty. To keep 

 the meshes of the screen clear, a brush of steel wire is 

 applied at one side and near the upper part of the cylin- 

 der. Messrs. Reeves make the wires of which the 

 brush is composed curved ; this increases their elasticity, 

 and enables them better to thrust inwards any grain, 

 seeds, or other substance which may get fixed between 

 the wires of the screen, or be carried up to the level of 

 the brushes. 



(5.) In this class of machines we have to notice 

 another novelty, namely, the " adjusting screen " of 

 Mr. Roby, whose "corn screen" is well known to 

 many of our readers. By a simple arrangement the dis- 

 tance between the wires of the screen can be adjusted so 

 as to suit different sizes of grain. If the reader will 

 imagine two tiers or series of wires placed parallel to 



each other, the upper row or series of which is fixed, 

 forming the permanent screen over which the grain 

 passes, while the wires of the lower row or series are 

 capable of being moved simultaneously from side to 

 side, so as to occupy any position between the wires of 

 the upper row, thus — 



he will have some notion of the method by which dif- 

 ferent gauges or width of spaces between the screening 

 wires are made, so as to suit different sizes of grain. 

 The necessary adjustment is very easily made. 



(6.) We may here notice, as closely connected with 

 this department of mechanism, the barley aveller, or 

 hurnmeller, exhibited by Messrs. Barnard and Bishop, 

 of Norwich, and invented by Mr. Holben. Our 

 readers are doubtless aware of the " hand hurn- 

 meller," consisting of a square frame of iron, open 

 at top and bottom, and two of the sides of which 

 are connected by a cross or curved bar carrying 

 an upright handle. The space between the sides of the 

 frame is filled up with cross divisions of the same depth 

 as the sides of the frame, and so arranged as to form a 

 series of square cells, open at top and bottom. The 

 barley, to he got rid of awns, is placed on the floor of 

 the barn ; and the frame with its divisions worked by 

 means of the handle gently up and down amongst it. 

 The friction of the thin edges of the frame and its divi- 

 sions on the grain, and of the particles of grain upon 

 each other as they are forced up into the cells, gradu- 

 ally removes the awns. Mr. Holben takes this contriv- 

 ance, and in place of working it by hand, gives it a 

 reciprocatory motion up and down by means of a 

 cranked shaft, to the end of which a fly-wheel is keyed 



on ; and to the other a small pinion, which engages with 

 a spur wheel, put in motion by an ordinary winch 

 handle. To the frame-work supporting this mechanism 

 a hopper, with regulating or feed-plate, is connected. 

 The barley to be avelled is put into this, and is passed 

 at the rate of from ten to twelve quarters per hour, in 

 a thin stream or layer, below the reciprocatory frame 

 with its square cells. 



An adaptation of this apparatus to a winnowing ma- 

 chine was also exhibited. In this a series of elevators 

 take tlie grain as it is passed from the winnowing- 

 machine, and carry it up to the hopper, from which 

 it is passed to the hummelling frame. 



(7.) Mr. Simpson, engineer, of Petersham, Surrey, ex- 

 hibited a new hay and straw band-making machine, which 

 presents some features worthy of notice. The appa- 

 ratus consists of an oblong frame, supported on four 

 standards ; in the centre of the frame a shaft, with fly- 

 wheel and small pulley, revolves in bearings. From 

 the small diameter pulley fixed on the shaft, power is 

 taken, by means of a belt, to two other pulleys of same 

 diameter, fixed on the shafts revolving in bearings near 

 each end of the framing. To the outer extremities of each 

 of the shafts the hook, to which the hay or straw to 

 form the band required, is attached. Under ordinary 

 circumstances the hooks do not revolve, although the 

 shafts to which they are connected may be revolv- 

 ing ; but as soon as the straw or hay is attached, 

 and the^ " drag" — made by the operator as he walks 

 outward from the machine — put on, the hook is pulled 

 outwards till it engages with a catch on the driving 

 shaft, and it immediately partakes of its motion ; on 

 the " drag" being stopped, the hook is pulled out of 

 connection with the catch of the shaft by means of a 

 spring. By this arrangement three separate lengths of 

 bands may be made; and as each hook is in a quiescent 

 state when no band is attached to it or dragged on it, 

 should one operator be finished with his length before 

 another, he can commence a new attachment to the 

 hook without necessitating the stoppage of the other 

 two, which would be the case if the hooks had no move- 

 ments independent of the shafts to which they are at- 

 tached. 



(8.) In the department of machines for the preparation 

 of food for stock, we have little novelty to describe. Mr. 

 Bentall exhibited his patent root pulper. As this is a 

 comparatively new machine, we may here shortly de- 

 scribe it. Its main feature is the employment of a 

 central barrel or drum revolving in the lower part of 

 the hopper which receives the roots on which the 

 machine operates, in close contact with, and parallel to, 

 a small worm or archimedean screw. The large barrel 

 or drum is provided with a series of projecting teeth of 

 a hooked or curved form ; these are not arranged in 

 parallel lines in the periphery of the drum, but are set 

 spirally, forming a helical line, the pitch of which cor- 

 responds with that of the small archimedean screw 

 noticed above. To one end of the shaft of the central 

 barrel or drum the fly-wheel is keyed on, to the other 

 a spur wheel engaging with a pinion fixed on the end of 

 the archimedean screw shaft. As the screw revolves, 

 the thread or blade passes continuously between the 

 projecting teeth of the drum, and the combined acrion 

 thus resulting, the tearing of the teeth and the lateral 

 or side squeezing of the blade of the screw, rapidly re- 

 duce the roots subjected to it to a fine pulp. As the 

 projecting teeth of the drum are not cast on it, but are 

 wedged into slots or apertures provided in its periphery, 

 should any break they can easily be replaced by new 

 ones. 



(9.) In the department of chaff-cutters, Messrs. Rich- 

 mond and Chandler exhibited a new form, which is 

 noticeable for Its compactness of parts and neatness of 



