46 SCIENCE OF THRESHING. 



ered table. As the bundles move towards the 

 cylinder, they are acted upon by the band cutters, 

 which should be sufficiently near together and travel 

 close enough to the table, to insure all the bands 

 being cut. It is also necessary that the bundles 

 should be thoroughly picked apart and loosened up 

 before reaching the cylinder. The band cutters in 

 most of the feeders perform this office also, by 

 passing the knives rapidly into the bundle among the 

 straws in such a manner as to throw the top straws 

 ahead toward the cylinder. 



A separator with a properly constructed self- 

 feeder will require but very little more power to 

 thresh a given amount of grain in a given time, as 

 it divides up the bundles and feeds clear across the 

 cylinder much better than is done by hand. But with 

 the use of self-feeders the pitchers usually pass 

 the bundles along a little faster because they do not 

 have to use the same caution about placing them on 

 the table as they do in hand feeding. The only thing 

 they need to observe is the amount or quantity being 

 handled. 



