13 



process. It is evident that if the sunflower be grown in this country 

 over large areas for commercial purposes, special thrashing machines 

 will be devised for the separation of the seed. Where, however, only 

 a few bushels are grown, even if they are for sale, the farmer may 

 employ some simple apparatus better than the flail for separating the 

 seed. Such a simple apparatus is described by Mr. Ormsbee in the 

 American Agriculturist of September 26, 1896. This machine (fig. 2) 

 consists of a wooden disk mounted in a frame precisely like that for 

 holding a grindstone and with a similar turning movement. In order 

 to run easily it should be so constructed that the axle will roll on fric- 

 tion wheels. The wooden disk or wheel should be 2 inches thick and 

 about 3 feet in diameter. This disk is prepared for its work of detach- 

 ing the seed by driving nails through it near the periphery parallel 

 to the axis and allowing them to project about half an inch on each 

 side. The width of the band of nails should be about 6 inches, and 

 the nails should be thick enough so that 

 the finger can not be inserted between 

 them. The ends of the nails should all 

 project the same distance. The peri- 

 meter of the wheel should be secured 

 by a heavy tire of iron, in order to hold _ 

 it in shape and prevent it from warp- 

 ing. This heavy iron tire also acts as a 

 fly wheel, helping to secure uniformity 

 of motion. The wheel is kept in motion 

 by working the treadle. It should re- 

 volve toward the operator. When the 

 wheel is in full motion a sunflower head 

 is held in each hand and pushed for an 

 instant against the protruding nails on either side. In a very short 

 period of time all the seeds will be detached. A man who has practiced 

 a little with this machine is easily able to shell 12 to 15 bushels of sun- 

 flower seed in an hour. It is evident that instead of having a disk as 

 indicated by the above figure, an equally effective machine would be 

 secured by having the thrashing apparatus in the form of a cylinder, 

 very much like that employed in thrashing wheat or oats, except that 

 the spikes of the roughened surface should be very much more numer- 

 ous. Such a machine works more rapidly than the simple disk, but 

 requires more power, and can hardly be driven by hand or foot power. 

 The seeds after separation should not at first be placed in large gran- 

 aries, but in barrels or small bins, to avoid any danger of heating by 

 fermentation. 



THE SUNFLOWER IN RUSSIA. 



The sunflower has assumed an economic importance in Russia 

 greater than in any other country. In fact, the variety of sunflower 



FIG. 2. Machine for separating seeds 

 from heads. 



