Book IV. THRESHING MACHINES. 403 



this machine was also found ineffectual, as along with its doing very little work in a given time, it bruised 

 the grain^ and so materially hurt its appearance, as to lessen its value considerably in the market. 



L'K>0. The machine in its then imperfect state, was seen by the late Sir Francis Kinloch, Bart, of Gilmer- 

 ton,a gentleman well acquainted with mechanics, and who had paid much attention to country affairs; it 

 occurred to him that the machine might be rendered more perfect, by inclosing the drum in a fluted cover, 

 and fixing on the outside of it four fluted pieces of wood, capable of being raised a little from the circum- 

 ference by springs, in such a way as to press again.^t the fluted cover, and to rub out the grain as the sheaves 

 passed between them; but after repeated trials, it was found to bruise the grain nearly as much as the 

 model from which it was copied. In that state it remained for some time, and was afterwards sent by 

 Sir Francis to a very worthy and ingenious character, Meikle of Know Mill, in his neighborhood, a 

 mill-wright by profession, who had for a considerable time employed his thoughts upon the same subject. 

 After much consideration and several trials, it appeared to Meikle that the purpose of separating ;the 

 grain from the straw might be accomplished upon a principle different from any that had hitherto been 

 attempted, namely, by skutches acting upon the sheaves by their velocity, and beating out the grain, in 

 place of pressing or rubbing it out ; accordingly a model was constructetl at Know Mill, in which the 

 grain was beat out by the drum, to which it was presented through two plain feeding-rollers, which were 

 afterwards altered for fluted ones. The first machine on a large scale, executed upon this principle, was 

 done by a son of iMeikle's, for Stein, of Kilbagie, in the year 1786, which, when finished, performed the 

 work to the satisfaction of all parties, and established Meikle's principle of beating out the corn as superior 

 to all others. This superiority it still maintains, and is likely ever to do so. 



2631. Many improvements have been ?nade on these machines since their introduction. One of the most 

 useful of these, perhaps, is the method of delivering the straw, after it has been separated from the 

 corn by the circular rake, to what is called a travelling-shaker, which carries it to the straw-barn. This 

 shaker, which revolves like the endless web used in cotton and other machinery, is composed of small 

 rods, placed so near as to prevent the straw from falling through, while any thrashed corn that may not 

 have been formerly separated, drops from it in its progress, instead of falling along with it, where it would 

 be trodden down and lost. 



2632. Improved 9node of yoking the horses. It is well known that the work of horses in threshing-mills 

 is unusually severe, if continued for any length of time ; that they sometimes draw unequally ; that 

 they, as well as the machine itself, are much injured by sudden jerks and strains, which are almost 

 unavoidable ; and that, from this irregularity in the impelling power, it requires much care in the man 

 who presents the corn to the rollers, to prevent bad thrashing. It is theretbre highly desirable that the 

 labor should be equalized among the horses, and the movements of the machine rendered as steady as 

 possible. A method of yoking the horses in such a manner as compels each of them to take his proj)er 

 share of the labor, has accordingly been lately introduced, and the necessary apparatus, which is neither 

 compUcated nor expensive, can be added to any machine worked by animal iwwcr. (.Farmer'slMagazine, 

 vol. viii. p. 279. \ 2638. and^^. 3t6.) 



i633. Winnowing machines added. All well-constructed threshing-mills have one winnowing machine, 

 which separates the chaff from the corn before it reaches the ground ; and a second sometimes receives it 

 from the first, and gives it out ready for market, or nearly so. If the height of the buildhig does not 

 admit of this last addition, a separate winnowing machine, when the mill is of great power, is driven by 

 a belt from it. In either of these ways there is a considerable saving of manual labor. 



2634. Advantages of threshing machines. With a powerful water-mill, the editor of The Farmer's 

 Magaxine observes, it cannot be doubted, that corn is threshed and dressed at no more expense than must 

 he incurred for dressing alone, when threshed with the flail.^ Besides, the corn is more completely 

 detached from the straw ; and, by being threshed expeditiously, a good deal of it may be preserved in a 

 bad season which would have spoiled in a stack. The reat advantage of transferring forty or fifty 

 quarters of grain in a few hours, and under the eye of the owner, from the yard to the granary or 

 market, is of itself sufficient to recommend this invaluable machine, even though there were no saving 

 of ex])ense. 



2635. The specific advantages resulting from tlie use of the thrcs/dng machine, are thus stated in The 

 Code of Agriculture : 1. From the su{>eriority of this mode, one-twentieth part more corn is gained 

 from the same quantity of straw, than by the old fashioned method. 2. The work is done more expe- 

 ditiously. 3. Pilfering Is avoided. 4. The grain is less subject to injury. 5. Seed corn can be procured 

 without difficulty from the new crops, for those to be sown. 6. The market may be supplied with grain 

 more quickly in times of scarcity. /. The straw, softened by the mill, is more useful for feeding cattle. 

 8. If a stack of corn be heated, it may be threshed in a day, and the grain, if kiln-dried, will be pre- 

 .served, and rendered fit for use. 9. The threshing-mill lessens the injury from smutty grain, the balls of 

 smut, not being broken, aS'when beaten by the flail ; and, 10. By the same machine, the grain may be 

 separated from the chaff and small seeds, as well as from the straw. Before the invention of threshing- 

 mills, farm-servants and laborers endured much drudgery; the large corn farmer sustained, much 

 damage from bad threshing ; and had much trouble, vexation, and loss, from careless and wicked 

 servants ; but now, since the introtluction of this valuable machine, all his difficulties, in these resiMicts, 

 are obviated. 



2636. The advantage that might be derived by the public, were threshing mills used in every case, for 

 separating corn from the straw, is thus estimated by Brown of Markle, 



The number of acres producing grain in Great 



Britain, at 8,000,000 



The average produce in quarters, at 3 qrs. per acre, 

 at - - - 24,000,000 



The increaseil quantity of (jrain produced by 



one-twentieth part of the produce, or in quar^ 



ters, at---...., \ 200 000 



The value of that increased quantity at 40*. per ' ' 

 quarter - - - - ^-, - - - 1,2,400,000 



The saving m the expense of labor, at 1j. per 



Uueslung-mills, insteatl of using the flail, at ! j quarter - . . - ,1,200,000 



2G37. A variety of threshing machines have been made in England, both on the 

 rubbing and beating, or scutching principle, and some combining both modes; but none 

 have been found to answer the purpose of separating the grain from the straw so well as 

 those of Meikle, which is the kind exclusively used in Scotland and the north of 

 England. 



2638. Meikle's two horse threshing machine tvilh the neiu invented yoking apparatus 

 {Jig, 346.), is the smallest size of horse engine which is made. From the limbers, or 

 hanging pieces (a), by which the cattle draw when working this machine, proceed 

 the chains or ropes to which the horses are yoked, being united by an iron frame, 

 placed upon a lever, having liberty to turn on a bolt ; one end of each of two 

 single ropes is fixed to this iron frame, and upon their other ends are fixed small 

 blocks ; in each of which is placed a running sheeve ; and over these sheevcs, pass 

 double ropes or chains. One horse is yoked to these chains at the one arm, and the 

 other at the other, so that the chains or ropes by which they draw, l)oing connected by 

 the blocks, and the shceves having lil)crty to move either way, if oiw of the liorses relax, 



D d 2 



