18 THE EQUIPMENT OF THE FARM. 



the straw requires to be bruised, this is also done by the 

 machine before it is stacked or stored away. In Messrs. 

 Clayton and Shuttleworth's machine the bruising apparatus 

 consists of a series of concaves and rapidly revolving drums, 

 armed with cutting blades and bruising teeth, between 

 which the straw passes. In Messrs Ransomes' the straw 

 from the rotary spiked drums falls into a drum and con- 

 cave armed with knives, which cut it up into IJ-inch 

 chaff. The chaff then falls into a concave below, the drum 

 of which is armed with blunt teeth, which throws it out 

 macerated and it for cattle food. 



In detail there is considerable diversity in the construc- 

 tion of threshing machines and mode of attaching them 

 to steam engines. The above involves the general prin- 

 ciples. Exhaust fans for removing and bagging the chaff 

 have long been in use, and are now preferred to blast fans 

 in threshing machines. 



Winnowing -machines and Screens. The improvements 

 recently made in finishing threshing machines have re- 

 duced the demand for separate dressing machines, fanners, 

 and blowers, but they will always be required in barns and 

 granaries. In principle of construction they resemble the 

 second dressing apparatus of the threshing machine already 

 described. 



Straiv Elevators and stackers consist of a four-wheel 

 carriage, carrying an inclined trough, which can be 

 raised to a perpendicular height of from 20 to 30 feet. 

 Endless chain-rakes work in this trough, raising the 

 straw, hay, or sheaves, and delivering them on to tho 

 stack. They may be driven from the threshing machine 

 or by separate horse gear, or they may be combined with 

 tne threshing machine. 



