790 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Tlie consumption of afiricultural niuchinery is said to have risen during the 

 last 30 to 35 years from £S35,840 to £12,581.870. 



Methods and benefits of grading and cleaning grain, II. E. Houton (Trans. 

 Auki: »S'of. A{j>'. I'jnyin., 7 (I'Jl.i), pp. J/l-aO, fujs. Jf). — Attention is called to the 

 loss to farmers due to weeds, and methods of grading and cleaning grain are 

 described with tests. 



It is shown that the cleaning machine removes the chaff, dirt, and light 

 part of the seed, the blast machine sorts the grain according to weight, and 

 both machines remove some of the w^eed seed. To remove all the weed seed the 

 so-called trieur, which consists simply of a metal cylinder lined with cells of 

 various depths and diameters, is necessary. The trieur separates pieces of 

 broken grain and w-eed seed corresponding to the insert in use in the machine, 

 separates grain berries according to size, and separates one grain from another. 



Other machines for grading and cleaning grain described are the grain 

 <'eatrifugal, the snail separator, the oscillating table, the revolving cylindrical 

 sieve, and the endless belt. 



It is pointed out in conclusion that in order to secure the best seed grain 

 the grain should be subjected to a painstaking examination with sieve, scale, 

 and microscope. 



The explosibility of grain dusts, D. J. Price and II. II. Brown (*Sct. Amer. 

 Sup., 78 {19 J. 'f), No. 2031, p. 308). — The results of a cooperative study of the 

 explosibility of grain dusts and of methods pertaining to the prevention of 

 such explosions are reported. The following causes have been assigned to 

 rnany of the explosions in milling plants in this country and abroad: (1) Use 

 of open lights or naked flames, such as lamps, torches, gas jets, lanterns, 

 candles, matches, etc., (2) property fires, (3) introduction of foreign material 

 in grinding machines, (4) electric sparks from motors, fuses, switches, and 

 lighting systems, and (5) static electricity produced by friction of pulleys and 

 belts, grinding machines, etc. The investigation has indicated that a large 

 number of the recent ex]>losions and fires have been caused by the introduction 

 of foreign material into grinding machines. 



Disposal of tannery waste, A. Roth (Jour. Amer. Leather Clicm. Assoc, 9 

 {1914), No. 12, pp. 512-522).— The results of tests of different methods and 

 equipment for the disposal of tannery wastes are reported. 



A continuous-flow tank for sedimentation is said to give the best results. 

 It should be batlled at the inlet and outlet and should have ample sedimentation 

 and sludge capacity and good sludge-removing facilities. Sedimentation by the 

 aid of a chemical coagulant was found to be uneconomical in such systems. The 

 sludge was best disposed of by drying on sand beds and using as a fertilizer. 

 The low average rate for the irrigation of tannery sewage is said to limit the 

 use of sewage farming as a means of final disposal to very small tanneries or 

 to tanneries where a large acreage of land is available. Intermittent sand 

 filtration was found to be the best method of final disposal. 



The design of permanent farm buildings, E. S. Fowler (Trans. Amer. Soc. 

 Agr. Engin., 7 (1913), pp. 106-117. figs. 4). — The author draws attention to the 

 economic importance of permanent farm buildings and describes and illusi- 

 trates the design of an all-concrete barn, which includes horse and cow stalls 

 and a haymow. 



Brief instructions for building a pit silo, C. Larsen (SoittJi Dakota Sta. 

 Bui. 154 (1914), pp. 83-96, figs. 4). — This is a popular bulletin describing the 

 construction and use of the pit silo and methods for hoisting the silage out of 

 the pit. In four experimental pit silos no trouble was encountered from poison- 

 ous gases. Analyses of the silage from these and the college farm are reported. 



