474, QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. {1 June, 1899. 
exactly fixed as to allow the cylinder to revolve evenly and truly. In any case, 
the fastenings should be by means of rivets, and not by any method of 
soldering. 
The majority of coffee-roasters have the bar fastened to the cylinder or 
drum, either run through it or attached to each end; but by far the most 
useful method is to have a piece of iron tubing inserted and riveted to the 
cylinder through which the axle bar can pass; the bar then having a collar 
attachment at one side to prevent. the cylinder going too far back, and being 
fixed on to the axle by a flat piece of steel running in a shallow slot in the bar, 
technically called a ‘“ key.” 
The axle bar should be about 3-inch in diameter and about 7 feet long. 
This length is necessary to allow the cylinder being slipped along, as well as to 
allow the manipulator to work some little distance from the furnace. The tube 
running through the cylinder should be just large enough to run freely on the bar. 
This method admits of the roaster being easily and quickly worked, since 
the cylinder can, by the removal of the fixing key, be slipped out of the furnace 
without the removal of the axle bar from its bearings. 
The bearings need not be elaborate, or of brass, specially turned and fitted, 
though for constant work such would wear far better and last longer. 
The door into the cylinder should be a sliding one, and need not be very 
wide ; 4 inches would be enough. It should, however, run the whole length of 
the cylinder, and not for merely a portion ofits length. This, with the cylinder, 
while still hot, is slipped along the axle bar and out of the furnace; a few 
revolutions will drop the contents into a receiving tray without handling, and a 
new lot may be putinto the roaster, without having to wait for it to cool down, 
The cylinder should be made of #; or + inch iron; + inch will do, and roast 
quicker, but will not last so long, and is more liable to warp in the heat. The 
lid should be of the same material. Inside the cylinder there should be five or 
six strips of =; inch iron, about 2 or 24 inches high, riveted along the sides at 
right angles to the ends, and running the whole length of the cylinder. These 
are to turn the coffee over, to separate beans and mix them and ensure uniform 
roasting. 
The coifee-roaster is not a complicated piece of machinery, and can easily 
be made locally by almost any blacksmith. The Peep aNe sketch is rough, 
but will, I trust, be found useful in explaining any point that may not be clear 
from the description. ; 
The size of the roaster may be reduced or increased to meet existing 
requirements, but the length of the cylinder should bear the proportion to 
diameter as nearly as possible of 2 or 23 to 1. 
A roaster of the dimensions given will take 40 lb. at a pinch, or can be © 
worked satisfactorily with only 5 1b. I would not use a smaller one, however, 
for a charge of from 22 to 380 lb. I quite agree with the suggestion of a corres- 
pondent that a series of small roasters is better than one large one; also, I 
would add that a series of roastings, even in a small roaster, will be found more 
satisfactory than a heavy roasting. Twenty pounds, in a roaster of this size, 
will be found to be more thoroughly and uniformly prepared than 40 1b. 
A roaster should be always larger than would appear necessary when 
charged, and should never be even half filled. The cylinder should be kept 
clean. A good way is to wash out with water before use, and then evaporate 
any moisture there may be, by giving it a few turns over the fire before filling. 
It is perhaps hardly necessary, but, since I have seen it done in this colony, 
I think it just as well to mention that nothing of the nature of oil, butter, or 
lard should be put into the roaster. The coffee itself contains quite sufficient 
oil for its requirements, and any deleterious matter of this nature has the effect, 
sooner or later, of turning the ground coffee rancid. 
Once the coffee has been put in, the cylinder should be slipped back into the 
furnace as soon as possible, fixed by means of the “key” to the axle, and no 
delay admitted in commencing to revolve. The turning should be regular and 
not too fast. 
