190 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Mat, . 
Threshing Machines and Separators.— 
“The Vibrator.’''’ 
The Cotton-gin is often cited as the great 
contribution of invention to agriculture ; im¬ 
portant as it is, we have but to imagine the 
acres of last year’s wheat waiting to be 
Fig. 1. —THE TOOTHED AND BLANK CONCAVES. 
threshed by the flail, to see in the Thresh¬ 
ing Machine, an invention at least quite as 
valuable. Good judges have estimated that the 
gain in the saving of grain by the use of the 
machine, instead of the flail, amounts to five 
per cent of the whole crop ; but no one, so 
far as we are aware, has told us what propor¬ 
tion of the crop is still wasted by imperfect 
machines and their hurried and careless work¬ 
ing. The wheat-grower can not know wheth¬ 
er his crop has been a profitable one or not, 
until the grain is measured. When his grain 
is harvested and in sheaves, it is not beyond 
all danger of loss, for it still has to run the 
chances of the Threshing Machine. That 
there is a loss, every one who has watched 
the operations of the machines that go about 
the country is aware. The average gang of 
threshers seem to regard quick work as more 
the object than thorough work, and appear to 
forget that separating is quite as important 
as threshing. It is claimed that there is a 
great difference in machines in respect to 
waste, and whoever is about to purchase a 
machine, whether for his own use, or to do 
threshing for others, should regard the com¬ 
pleteness with which it does the work of sep¬ 
arating and saving the grain as the first point 
to be considered. Among the threshing ma¬ 
chines claimed by the makers to present 
marked improvements in this respect, is 
“ The Vibrator,” which, in a new style of Sep¬ 
arator, and other points to secure simplicity 
and effectiveness, is so different from the old 
style of machines, as to make it, they claim, 
the type of a new class of threshers. The 
essential parts of a threshing machine, of any 
kind, are, first: the Cylinder, the spikes or 
teeth on which, opposed to other teeth in the 
Concave, beat the grain from the heads—the 
thresher proper, and second,.the Separator or 
arrangement to separate the grain from the 
straw and chaff. Of course there are various 
accessories, but these are the parts chiefly en¬ 
gaged in doing the work, and which, it is 
Fig. 3.— THE SEPARATOB. 
claimed, are, in “ The Vibrator,” greatly 
improved. The grain, just as it enters the 
machine, meets the first of these improve¬ 
ments in the Concaves and their arrange¬ 
ment. There are, as in figure 1, two Con¬ 
caves, each with two rows of teeth and a 
Blank Concave, or grate, marked M, which 
may be placed either at the front of the two 
Concaves (as in fig. 1), between them, or at 
the rear. This arrangement is regarded as a 
most important feature, and is claimed to be 
peculiar to this machine. The changes are 
made to suit the different conditions of the 
grain, and to adapt the working to various 
kinds of grain and seed. Placing the Blank 
Concave in front, as in the engraving, causes 
the machine to draw in the grain faster. On 
the other hand, if the Blank be placed at the 
rear, the grain is taken in much slower, and 
this position is used when the straw is unusu¬ 
ally long and limber, or otherwise in bad con¬ 
dition, as it prevents the straw from winding 
around the cylinder. The usual position, in 
ordinary conditions of grain, is, with the 
Blank between the two Concaves. For very 
fine seeds, such as Timothy, the Blank is not 
used, but a third toothed Concave is put in its 
Fig. 4.—“ THE VIBRATOR 
place. The most complicated portion of 
threshing machines is usually that which 
separates the grain and straw after they leave 
the Cylinder and Concave. The makers of 
“ The Vibrator ” present a strong claim for 
the greater shnplicity of their machine in this 
respect, and forcibly illustrate 
it, by publishing in their pam¬ 
phlet, an engraving showing 
the parts found in some other 
machines, and not in theirs; 
this miscellaneous collection 
of endless aprons, raddles, beaters, cog¬ 
wheels, rollers, bands, shafts, and other parts, 
is exhibited in striking contrast with their 
own veiy simple Separator. This (figs. 2 and 
3), consists of two shakers, suspended one 
above the other, and vibrate in 
opposite directions. The mix¬ 
ed straw and grain passes 
from the Cylinder to the upper 
shaker, fig. 2, where it meets 
with the sets of fingers there 
seen; these alternately rise and fall, giving 
the straw a tossing, with muoh the same ef¬ 
fect as if it were taken up in forkfuls and 
shaken, causing the complete separation of 
the grain, which falls through to the lower - 
shaker, whence it passes to the sieves. These, 
the Concaves and the vibrating Separator, are 
claimed as the leading distinguishing features 
of this machine. The general external ap¬ 
pearance of “The Vibrator” is given in fig. 
4 ; it includes a number of improvements of 
less importance, such as the arrangement of 
the stacker, methods of adjusting the con¬ 
caves, the cylinder cover, a belt-tightener, an 
improved side-gear, etc., all of which are ful¬ 
ly illustrated in a handsome pamphlet, issued 
by Messrs. Nichols, Shepard & Co. Abun¬ 
dant testimony is given as to the effective 
work done by this machine, not only with 
wheat and other cereals, but with the various 
grass and other seeds. The makers claim that 
their machine is the only one which threshes 
flax with as much ease as it does grain, 
flax being the most troublesome of all 
plants to thresh. As flax culture is likely to 
take a new start in this country, every im¬ 
provement that tends to facilitate the utiliz¬ 
’ THRESHING MACHINE. 
ing of the crop is especially welcome. We 
may add that the makers of “ The Vibrator” 
manufacture improved Horse-powers for 
driving it, as well as Steam Engines. In 
many wheat-growing localities, straw is at 
present looked upon as a nuisance ; where 
wood or other fuel is scarce and straw is in 
excess, the engine made by the firm, under 
the boiler of which straw may be used as 
fuel, will no doubt be gladly welcomed. 
“ Some One will Eat tlie Fruit.”— 
Some years ago the writer dined in May with 
a well known General of the Army whose 
duties then required him to live in New York 
City. It was with no little pride that he took 
us to his back yard, probably 25 by 30 feet, 
where he had set out various shrubs and 
hardy plants, and against the fence were sev¬ 
eral newly planted grapevines. “But,” we 
said, “you do not expect to live here long 
enough to see the fruit of these vines.”—“ Of 
course not,” said he, “ but there are the vines 
and some one will eat the fruit. I make it a 
rule, wherever I may be stationed, to plant 
one or more vines.” If every one would do> 
Fig. 2.— THE UPPER SHAKER OF SEPARATOR. 
