252 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



Seeing, then, the influence which damp has upon the 

 flour-producing qualities of wheat, it has for many 

 years been an object of some importance with many, to 

 introduce a ready and economical means of drying corn 

 in the bulk. This object of course increases in import- 

 ance with the badness of the season ; so that a year like 

 last has probably been more fertile in the invention of 

 drying apparatus than any preceding one. The appara- 

 tus of Mr. Fourdrinier is one result of the increased at- 

 tention which the untoward features of last year forced 

 agriculturists to give to it. 



The most generally adopted method of drying corn in 

 the bulk is the old-fashioned "kiln." In this the grain 

 to be dried is placed upon tiles or iron plates, these 

 being perforated with holes, through which the heated 

 air — from fires beneath — passes, and penetrates through 

 the mass of grain placed above ; the vapours arising 

 being led off through a ventilator placed in the room 

 above. A very brief consideration will suffice to show 

 that this plan is anything but a perfect one. In the firs* 

 place, it admits of no regulation either of the rate of 

 speed at which, or the amount to which the corn shall 

 be dried. It is clear that the lower layers lying next to 

 or upon the perforated plates or tiles must be more 

 thoroughly dried than the upper layers, which are not 

 only less exposed to the direct heat of the plates, but are 

 subjected to the dam2)mg influence of the mass of vapour 

 which arises from the under layers. In fact, an ex- 

 amination of a mass of grain lying on an ordinary kiln- 

 floor will show many layers in several conditions or 

 stages of drying — a remarkable want of uniformity of 

 condition. At least, we have found this to be generally, 

 if not always the case. But these do not exhaust the 

 defects of the kiln-drying plans : the holes in the tiles 

 are apt to be stopped up with the grain, and the regu- 

 lation of the intensity of the fires beneath is very diffi- 

 cult to be attained. This last difficulty brings about 

 in some instances an over-drying of the grain — a source 

 of loss as great almost as that incurred by its over- 

 dampness. 



Many of the defects of the kiln-mode of drying grain 

 can be obviated by the plan of forcing currents of heated 

 air through the mass by means of power. This, in fact 

 constitutes the plan introduoed by Mr, Fourdrinier • and 

 an exemplification of which he exhibited at the Smith- 

 field Show (in the mews adjoining the Bazaar). The 

 apparatus may be briefly described as a large waggon- 

 reasons: " Starch is known to be composed of particles which 

 are insoluble in water; but when exposed to a heat of 180° 

 Fahr,, the pellicle of the grain bursts, and the contents are 

 liberated. lu a state of solution, it is quickly converted into 

 dextrine and glucose, or grape sugar, by the addition of a 

 small quantity of diastese (this diastese is a peculiar nitroge- 

 nous principle which exists in the grain of the cereal after 

 germinatiou ceases). If this mixture be kept in a wa?m place 

 for a few days, it acquires a new property, viz., that of con- 

 verting the glucose into lactic acid. This is denominated the 

 I iaclic acid fermentalion,' and as I have before suggested, 

 it is probably one of the causes of the souring of flour, when 

 exposed to the high sammer heats in its ordinary moist con- 

 dition. Hence it will be found, that while in some flour the 

 quantity of gluten is diminished, or its quality injured, the 

 proportion of glucose and dextrine are also, lu many cases, in- 

 creased at the expense of the starch, a change which precedes 

 the development of the lactic acid." 



shaped box, like a railway salt-truck, provided with a 

 waterproof covering. The grain lies in this on a false 

 bottom of iron plates, perforated with apertures. A 

 space is left between this and the real bottom, into which 

 hot air is forced by means of a fan, worked by steam or 

 hand-power. The air is heated by being forced in at 

 one side of a stove, passing over hot plates therein 

 placed, and out at the other side into a pipe which leads 

 it to the space between the false and real bottom of the 

 drying waggon. The apparatus is capable of drying 

 30 qrs. in a day. The work done will, however, depend 

 upon the dampness of the grain and the degree to which 

 it is to be dried. We have said that this apparatus gets 

 rid of many of the defects of the old " kiln ;" but not 

 of all. The rate of speed of drying can be greatly 

 under control certainly, by the regulation of the velo- 

 city of the fan which propels the current of heated-air. 

 But there is a lack of means to ensure a uniformity of 

 dryness without the use of the old, and we need not 

 here say the imperfect implement, the shovel. However 

 carefully used, the shovel is not adapted to turn over 

 the grain well ; besides, its use is apt to be altogether 

 neglected, or,what is nearly as bad, given only atirrcgular 

 times. Perfect uniformity in drying can only be ob- 

 tained by having it continually in motion, while sub- 

 jected to the action of currents of heated air. This 

 motion can best be kept up by the aid of Archimedian 

 screws, working within perforated tubes, and the tubes 

 arranged in a chamber through which a current of 

 heated air is continually passing. By having, as in the 

 patented apparatus of Messrs. Davison and Ilorrocks 

 (Mr. Davison of London-street, City), a series of ribs 

 placed parallel to the axis of each screw, these ribs 

 stretching at intervals between two adjacent threads, the 

 grain in its passage through the tubes is lifted up, and 

 consequently thrown over and well mixed. By this 

 means the whole surfaces of all the grain are subjected 

 to the action not only of the heated surface of the pipe, 

 but to the hot air passing continually through them. By 

 regulating, in an apparatus of this kind, first the speed 

 of the revolving screws, and second that of the fanners 

 forcing hot air into the pipe-chambers, not only the 

 rate of speed at which the corn is dried, but also the 

 uniformity of its drying, can be regulated to a nicety 

 greater than by any other apparatus now in use. 



We make no apology for the length of our remarks 

 on this subject ; its importance claims indeed a more 

 lengthened treatment, which, unfortunately, out limits 

 prevent us from giving. 



'•Prevention is better than cure," so says the old 

 adage ; and it is as true in matters agricultural as in 

 remedial, political, or social. If by the use of im- 

 proved mechanical nrrangements corn toell cut or hay 

 iccll saved can be quickly stored, and put out of the 

 reach of bad-weather influence, all necessity for the em- 

 ployment of a corn drier will be obviated. Of this time- 

 and-labour-saving class of mechanism was the " hay and 

 corn lift," the inventionof and exhibited by Mr. White, 

 of Missenden, Bucks. This consists of a " guy" or 

 " shears," forming a tripod of three tall poles or spars, 

 at the apex of which the necessary purchase or pulley- 



