GRASS AND THE NATIONAL FOOD SUPPLY 



469 



This consists essentially of a furnace to burn coke, a fan, and the drier 

 proper. The fan draws air through the coke bed in the furnace, and this 

 mixes with secondary air so as to produce air at about 135° C. The fan 

 blows this under the perforated tray on which the grass is laid about 2 ft. 

 thick. The tray is about 10 ft. square. 



In order to prevent the air from blowing holes in the bed of grass, hurdles 

 are laid on top of the bed. When the grass is partially dry, and has shrunk, 



ProducUon of Grass. 1936- 



(cy^t. oF Crude Protein per acre) 



Jon Feb Mor Apl. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov Dec. 



Fig. 8. 



the hurdles are removed and more grass is added. Drying then proceeds 

 again. When the grass is becoming dry in patches on top, the fan is stopped 

 and the grass on the tray is tedded to mix it up well. The hurdles are put 

 back, and the grass is finally dried by blowing more air through it. 



The dried grass is preferably baled, but it can be stored in stacks or bins. 



Application of Grass Drying to a Farm. — Nearly four years ago, when we 

 had at last got a pretty reliable drier which would produce grass at an 

 economic cost, Colonel Peel undertook to run Dairy House Farm, near 

 Middlewich, on a system including the preservation of summer grass by 



