ARTIFICIAL DRYING OF FORAGE CROPS 



of forage crops, the elements of cost, and the feeding value of artifi- 

 cially dried forage. A small apron-conveyor drier of the type com- 

 monly used in drying cotton hnters was set up on the Iberia Live- 

 stock Experiment Station at Jeanerette, La., for experimental use in 

 drying crops for feeding trials (fig. 4). This machine was approxi- 

 mately 46 feet long, 1 1 feet wide, and 9 feet high. The drying chamber 

 was approximately 8 by 36 feet, and the machine would usually 

 evaporate from 500 to 1,000 pounds of water per hour under the 



Furnace manifold 



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UFan I J /* (Fan2j / k(Fan3L/ V (Fan4) v V Fan5)> s I Fan 6 



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 nanifoldx 



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at fans I and 4 



at fans 2 and 5 

 CROSS SECTIONS 



at fans 3 and 6 



Figure 4.— Apron-conveyor drier used in forage-drying experiments at Iberia Livestock Experiment 

 Station. Drying air enters fan 1 from furnace manifold and is discharged above apron, is drawn through 

 apron by fan 2 and released above it in second compartment, and then is drawn again through apron by 

 fan 3 and released outside the drier. Circulation through fans 4, 5, and 6 is similar. 



conditions in which it was operated. This drier was used for several 

 seasons, but its capacity was insufficient for drying the forage needed 

 for feeding trials. It was unsatisfactory also for drying coarse- 

 stemmed crops such as soybeans. 



In all the experimental driers discussed herein, electric power was 

 used for operating the machinery and fuel oil was used for heat, because 

 of the ease of measuring the quantities used and of controlling 

 operations. 



After the conveyor-type drier had been used for a few years, a 

 revolving-drum drier was installed. This machine consisted of a 

 single shell 6 feet in diameter and. 24 feet in length, mounted hori- 

 zontally. Flights or flanges were attached to the inside of the shell, 

 for picking up and dropping the chopped forage as the drum revolved. 



