56 
Report on the Agricultural Implements at 
2 5 inches from the face of the bars. The concave is made in three parts, with 
an adjusting screw, shown at V. The teeth on the drum, as they revolve, pass 
close to similar teeth in the concave. Such portions of the grain as are not 
separated by the blows from the teeth on the first contact are drawn with great 
force past the concave teeth, and thus the heads are combed out. Neverthe- 
less, portions altogether escape, as is shown by the delivery from the return 
spout. The drum revolves from 1000 to 1300 times per minute. The drum 
pulley is 7 inches in diameter with 82-inch face. The grain and straw fall 
together on to the grain-belt D, an endless belt about 10 feet long, composed 
of stout duck, on which are nailed cills or buckets, b, of maple, 1 2 inch wide, 
with intervals of 1^ inch. The grain drops into these intervals and the straw 
rides on the top, its progress being expedited by the action of the beater E, an 
iron shaft with lour arms furnished with fingers, e, driven from the oppo- 
site side of drum-shaft, and making about 400 revolutions per minute. This is 
an important feature, preventing the clogging of the machine, which would 
otherwise frequently happen in the case of damp straw. The supporting 
rollers c, c, c, c, being hexagonal, give a jerky motion to the grain-belt, which 
separates any loose grains lodged in the straw. • The triangular revolving 
picker F, placed just above the end of the belt and between it and the straw- 
carrier, prevents the straw passing downwards with the grain, and assists its 
passage forward on to the straw-belt G, made of slats of wood nailed at short 
distances from each other to two leather belts, and forming an endless ladder 
running over the pulleys /,/. H is the agitator, a bar rocking on its centre, 
so that the ends /(, /;, shake the straw-belt alternately, giving it a jerky motion 
which effectually causes the separation of any loose grains which may have 
hitherto escaped separation, and which now fall through the open spaces of 
the straw, on to the inclined board J, whence they find their way to the 
shoe. The chaff is separated from the grain by the action of the fan N ; the 
grain falls through the screen T, on to the fine sieve P P, which forms part of 
the bottom of the shoe. Weed-seeds, &c, escape into a box whilst the grain 
drops into the grain conveyor Q, a trough with a revolving screw, and is dis- 
charged at the side. The cavings, which include the unthreshed or partially 
threshed ears, pass over the end of the screen T, fall into the conveyor-box R, 
and are delivered by a similar screw to the elevators, by which they are carried 
back to the drum and re-threshed. A longitudinal motion is given to the 
riddle by means of the eccentric L. A light straw-elevator is attachable to 
the end of the machine, a portion of which with the side frame removed is 
shown at x, also the means by which the same can be fixed at any angle, viz., 
by a rope wound round a pulley with a ratchet and pawl to secure its position 
at any point ; this is a very slight affair, and would hardly resist a strong 
wind, but it has the merit of cheapness and probably answers sufficiently well. 
My next illustration of a machine of somewhat similar construction is the 
Paragon Threshing-Machine (Fig. 48), made by John Abell, Woodbridge, 
Ontario, which has some original features. 
The revolving grate D, a small wheel furnished with a series of sharp 
sections, is a patented arrangement for assisting the passage of the grain from 
the drum, and at the same time acting as a rubber to separate whitecoats. 
This latter office is only, however, very imperfectly performed ; and the chief 
advantage of the grate is that it forms a convenient medium for transporting 
the grain from the drum to the cills of the carrier. The latter is, both as to 
length and construction, very similar to the same apparatus in the Pitts 
Machine, only the friction-pulleys that support the carrier are round instead of 
hexagonal ; there is also a slight difference in the form of the beaters and 
pickers, which will be at once seen by a comparison of the drawings. The 
picker G 1 makes about 1400 revolutions a minute, materially assisting the 
transfer of the straw on to the rakes, which travel at about halt that pace and 
