THE FARMER'S MAGAZLNE. 



495 



means of set S3rews the knives can be easily adjusted 

 to, or taken from, the cylinder for repair, &c. Straight- 

 edged knives certainly possess this advantage of being 

 easily sharpened, and new ones made by country 

 mechanics to replace those which may be broken. 



In corn-cloaning apparatus, Messrs. Ransomcs and 

 Sims exhibited a " self-cleaning and adjustable rotary 

 screen," which displayed features of considerable in- 

 genuity and efficiency. The frame of the machine is of 

 cast-iron, and carries the hopper into which the corn to 

 be cleaned is put, and the rotary cylinder through which 

 the corn is passed while being cleaned. The frame is 

 carried by two wheels, and a foot is provided at front, 

 which supports it when at work : two handles afford 

 facilities for wheeling Ihe apparatus from place to place 

 as desired. 



The axis of the revolving cylinder is placed at an 

 angle, giving the grain passed into the cylinder a 

 tendency to pass from the upper to the lower part. 

 The gradual descent of the grain, combined with the 

 rotary action of the screen, turns it over and over, and 

 keeps it in constant motion as it passes through the 

 cylinder. The cylinder, strictly speaking, is made up 

 of two separate cylinders, one within the other. Each 

 cylinder is made up of two circular ends, joined by six 

 longitudinal ribs, the spaces between which are filled up 

 by spiral threads, or coils of wire. The smallest cylinder 

 moves upon independent centres: these are adjustable, 

 so that by moving them the two cylinders are brought 

 to a greater or less degree of eccentricity to each other. 

 This adjustment is made by means of a handle working 

 a small double eccentric. Thus, while the wires at one 

 part of the cylinder are on the same plane, that is per- 

 fectly flush with each other, at the opposite part of the 

 screen they arc at the greatest distance apart, one set 

 projecting beyond the other, this distance being equal 

 to the difference between the diameters of the cylinders. 

 On the grain to be cleaned being put into the hopper, 

 it passes from thence and into the interior of the 



cylinder, both of which partake of a similar motion, at 

 the points where the wires of both cylinders are in the 

 same plane or flush with each other : the large grains 

 would pass over to another part till they come to a part 

 where, by the increasing eccentricity of the two 

 cylinders, spaces large enough to let them pass would 

 be met with, through which they would fall. By the 

 proper adjustment of the two cylinders any required 

 degree of opening between the wires may be ob- 

 tained. 



Messrs. Owen and Co., of Tottenham Court-road, 

 exhibited Child's corn-dressing machine, of which a 

 short description and illustration may be acceptable. 

 The action of this machine is two fold : in the first series 

 of operations the grain is subjected to the combined 

 action of the l)last and the reciprocating riddles ; these 

 clear the grain from the small seeds and from the larger 

 foreign substances with which it is too often mixed. 

 The principal peculiarity in the part of the machine 

 carrying out these operations is the form of the surface 

 of the upper riddle, by which the substances larger than 

 the grain are passed from it and delivered to the spout. 

 In the second and final operation, the grain previously 

 cleaned and sorted according to size, is subjected to a 

 second test, namely that of weight or gravity. The 

 grain as it passes from the last fine riddle is delivered 

 into a pipe or tube, up which a strong current of air 

 passes, to supply the fanner which cleans the corn in the 

 first series of operations. By adjusting the strength of 

 this current, the grain which is too light is carried away 

 and deposited in a chamber, from which it passes off by 

 a spout, while the heavy grain falls down and is led off 

 where desired. The nice adjustment necessary to secure 

 the proper strength of current, so that the proper select- 

 tion of grain is made, is obtained by the use of a self- 

 adjusting valve placed at the entrance to the chamber. 

 By the use of this valve the irregular motion of the fan 

 does not affect the uniform strength of the exhaust cur- 

 rent. 



'"iim" 



The same firm exhibited a " corn -cleaning or smui 

 machine," the arrangements and action of which are de- 

 serving of notice. The apparatus consists of a tall 

 cylindrical vessel, into the upper part of which the corn 

 is delivered, passing out cleaned at the lower. The 

 cylinder is not in one length, but is made up of four 

 sections, with a lower chamber. Each section is com- 

 posed of two rings bolted together, and provided with 



grooves in their edges : into these grooves a series of 

 iron circular rods with flattened ends are placed, leaving 

 spaces of 1 -10th of an inch between them. The outside 

 of the tall cylinder is thus composed of horizontal rings 

 with vertical rods between them. Each ring carries on 

 its lower edge a ledge which projects inwards at an angle 

 of 45 degrees, the upper surface of which is ledged or 

 corrugated. The cover of the cylinder is corrugated on 



