72 EIGHTH REPORT OF THE 



black seeds were sifted into a receiving-box, the cones and refuse remaining on 

 top being thrown into a heap to be used for fuel. 



One man can thrash ten bushels per hour, but the work should be arranged 

 so that the thrashing should not last over an hour or so at a time. It should be 

 done in a separate room or out of doors, because in pounding the cones the dried 

 pitch is pulverized and fills the air so that breathing becomes difficult. To 

 alleviate this annoyance each man wore a wet sponge over his mouth and nose 

 while thrashing. 



Cleaning tl)e 3eeds. 



The small size of Spruce seed renders the cleaning process difficult. The seeds 

 and dirt that fell through the screen into the box were sacked and stored in the 

 drying-house, where they would not gather dampness, to await the final process 

 of cleaning. When the time came to take up this part of the work the seeds and 

 fine dirt were taken from the sacks and rubbed through a screen with a fine mesh 

 to remove the larger particles of dirt, after which the seeds were put through a 

 fanning-mill. The wings of the seeds were broken and removed, for the most 

 part, in the thrashing, but some pieces, together with other material, still clung 

 to the seeds, and a fanning-mill was necessary to thoroughly clean them of all 

 chaff and dirt. On this job no mill was easily obtainable, and so I constructed 

 one to suit the emergency. It had four fans on its shaft, and was provided with 

 a double row of sieves. A four-inch pulley was attached to the shaft and belted 

 to a grindstone for the power. It was a crude, home-made arrangement, but it 

 did the work all right. 



When the mill was in motion the seeds were emptied into it, just back of the 

 fan and in front of the first sieve. The heaviest ones fell directly down, through 

 the mill, in front of the sieve and into a bag, while the dust and lighter seeds 

 were carried back where they received a further winnowing. The heavier seeds 

 that fell in front, freed from chaff and impurities, were kept separate. The lighter 

 seeds that fell through the farther opening were put through the mill again, and 

 these were also kept separate. Any seeds that were blown beyond the front 

 screens a second time were thrown away, as they evidently were not well filled. 



As a final result we obtained 375 pounds of seed, or nine and three eighths 

 bushels, from the 200 bushels of cones. Of this amount 205 pounds were seeds of 

 the first quality. The following summary of facts, obtained during the course 

 of the work, may be valuable for future reference: 



Six to eight bushels of cones can be picked, on the average, by one man in a 

 day's work of eight hours. 



