30 On Threshing out Wheat by a Roller* 



The manner of treading wheat, which I propose for 

 consideration, is with a roller drawn by three horses. A 

 broad-axe, saw, auger and drawing-knife, are the only in- 

 struments necessary in its construction. A small quanti- 

 ty of timber, and a few pounds of iron from the black- 

 smith, with the price of the labour, make up the expense, 

 is will be seen in the following description. 



Take a piece of good, tough white oak, 6 feet 6 inches 

 ion;;, and 12 or 15 inches square. Then make it 8 square, 

 and reduce each end to a circle, a little and gradually par- 

 ed down, beginning 3 inches from the end, and secure the 

 ends by iron bands two inches wide. This is necessary 

 to prevent the wood from splitting. In the centre of each 

 end of the roller is to be inserted an iron axis, to which 

 the frame is to be fixed. The axis should be an inch in 

 diameter, and should penetrate 12 or 14 inches into the 

 roller, and project 4 inches beyond it, to be received into 

 the frame. The part which enters the roller must be 

 square, the other round. On each square of the roller 

 bore a number of holes, with a two inch auger, at the dis- 

 tance of 6 inches from centre to centre, in a direct line 

 with one another, beginning on any square as the first, 

 near to the iron band, and so till 12 holes are bored. The 

 next square must be begun about 3 inches from the iron 

 band, and so let every other square be bored, by which 

 means there will be 12 holes in 4 squares, and 11 in the 

 other 4 ; and the holes will be in every other row, op- 

 posite to each other ; or, in common phraseology, they will 

 hit and miss. Let pins of w r ell seasoned white oak be 

 prepared, 12 or 13 inches long, and 2 by 3 inches square. 

 The ends must be rounded and inserted into the roller, 

 the longest sides of the pins being placed lengthwise 



