172 
The Proper Office of Straw on a Farm. 
Letter from ]\rR.'JoxAS, communicating a Plan for ^Cutting and Storing 
Straw Chaff to the best advantage. 
My dear Sir, July 17th, 1860. 
I have just invented a plan for cutting straw into chaff, which gives me 
much satisfaction. I have purchased of Mr. Maynard of Whittlcsford, in this 
count}', one of his powerful chaff-cutters, wth sifting apparatus attaclied, 
which cutter I can work from a wheel or drum attached to my threshing- 
machine, which is driven by a 9 horse-power steam-engine at the same time 
that I am threshing corn. The straw, when delivered from the threshing- 
machine, is carried up an inclined plane by spiked rollers to a height of 
about 9 feet ; it then comes down an inclined rack, nearly yelnicd and ready 
for cutting into chaff. Three men yelm the straw, mixing with it a small 
quantity of green fodder, such as rye or tares. ^Yllen cut into chaff, it 
is sifted and carried into an empty barn or chaff-house and well trodden down, 
and about 1 bushel of salt mixed with a ton of chaff, so as to cause a fer- 
mentation. All this is effected with no more manual labour than would be 
required to take away the straw and stack it in the ordinary manner. Within 
the last few daj's I have threshed and dressed the corn, and at the same time cut 
the straw into chaff' from the produce of about 80 acres of wheat, at a cost, too, 
not exceeding 45s., or Id. per acre for cutting the straw produced on an acre 
of wheat. This chaff I shall not use until next October, when I purchase my 
beasts for winter grazing, and none but those who have tried this plan of old 
chaff so managed, as compared with fresh-cut chaff, can believe the advantage 
in value of the old chaff' for feeding stock. I can work oft" the produce of about 
8 acres of good strong wheat per day, thus cutting about 800 fans per day, the 
chaff' being cut shorter and better than by the hand-box. 
Three men yelm the straw and feed the chaff'-cutter, and if the threshing- 
machine be placed near the barn or chafl'-house which is to be filled, two 
men can carry the chaff into the barn ; two or three boys sliould tread it down 
close, so as to cause it to heat. The only extra expense is for from 4 to 5 cwt. 
of coal per day. If, however, the straw is stacked as threshed and cut into 
chaff" afterwards, the expenses of cutting and sifting with JIaynard's chaff'- 
cutter would be as follows : — 
£. .<!. d. 
1 man to move the straw from stack to men to yelm 0 2 0 
4 men to yelm straw : 080 
2 men to carry away chaff 0 40 
3 lads to tiead chaff' down, Ct? 0 1 G . 
Hire of engine and chaff'-cutter (this includes 1 man to 
feed chaff-cutter and engine-man) 1 10 0 
Coals, 5 cwt 04 C 
Water, carting 02 0 
£2 12 0 
This will cut from GOO fans * to 900 fans per day, according to the length 
of cut : the first cut being about 3-lGths of an inch in length, the latter 
about 3-8ths. The cost woidd be, the very short cut, Id. per fan ; the latter 
cost l-3rd of a penny per f;;n ; but, by cutting the chaff' at the same time 
you thresh, you save 47s. per day, or, in fact, cut 800 fans for 4s. 6cZ. 
Yours faithfully, 
P. //. Frere, Esq. Samuel Jonas. 
* Mr. Jonas reckons a fan of chaff to measure 5 bushels, and to ■weigh 28 lbs. 
—P. H. F. 
