790 



THE COMPLETE GRAZIER. 



is well and strongly made of the best materials and workmanship, 

 while the roller adjustments, together with the provisions for allowing 

 hard foreign substances to pass, are well considered and effective. 

 The grinding rollers consist of separate discs of cast steel, which 

 are interlocked one with the other for the purpose of diminishing 

 galling of the square driving shaft, upon which the discs are loosely 

 threaded." " It is," adds Mr. Pidgeon, " a remarkable sight to watch 

 the toothed rollers crunching up huge horse heads and shoulder blades 

 as if they relished the gruesome meal." 



The general use of oil-cakes for feeding purposes renders it very neces- 

 sary to employ a good cake-breaker, and in addition to the two large 

 machines mentioned there are several smaller ones, fitted with one or 

 more pairs of rollers. A single pair is sufficient for hand power, but 

 when steam or horses are employed it is better to use two pairs, with 



Fig. 362. Hunt's Horse Gear. 



the coarser pair above the finer. So long as animals can get the cake 

 into their mouths, and swallow it, many feeders are satisfied, but con- 

 sidering how hard are the cakes now made, this is not sufficient. Large 

 lumps are a relic of the old practice of breaking with a hammer, which 

 made it too tedious work to break it down finely. If it is necessary to 

 crack a bean, it must at least be necessary to break hard cake like the 

 decorticated cotton-cake, which is often as hard, if not harder, down to 

 the size of a bean. 



The machine shown in fig. 361 is one of Messrs. Barford & Perkins's 

 oil-cake breakers, suitable for working by hand. Larger machines are 

 made with a double set of rollers, and fitted with a pulley for the driving 

 band. 



Horse Gears. Notwithstanding the common use of steam as a motive 

 power, horse gears are found very necessary for many of the minor opera- 

 tions on the farm, such as pumping, pulping, chaff-cutting, &c., where 



