CHAPTER VIII. 

 FEEDING THE SEPARATOR. 



, HE importance of having a separator properly 

 fed was generally realized more fully in the 

 old days when all machines were fed by 

 hand and the power was furnished by horses, 

 than at present. Then it was evident that 

 some men could feed more grain to a thresh- 

 ing cylinder in a given period, at the same 

 time letting the horses do their work easier, than others less 

 skilled in the art of feeding. To-day, as in the past, to get 

 the best results from a separator, it must be fed so that the 

 cylinder maintains a uniform speed. 



Feeding by Hand. To become a good hand feeder, con- 

 siderable experience and practice are required. A good 

 feeder tips his bundles well up against the cylinder cap, 

 turning flat bundles up on edge, and always holding them 

 from the under-side so^ that the cylinder may take from the 

 top. But a slight movement is necessary to spread a bundle, 

 and in fast threshing, feeding from both sides, each bundle 

 should be fed almost entirely on its own side, keeping the 

 cylinder full its entire width and having each bundle in 

 position before the last of the preceding bundle has passed 

 into the cylinder. A good feeder will keep the straw-carrier 



171 



