FACTS FOR FARMERS. THRASHING MACHINES.

Waikato Times, Volume III, Issue 123, 18 February 1873, Page 2

FACTS FOR FARMERS. THRASHING MACHINES.

The second piifc of the Journal of the Royal Agricultural hocioty lino just been published. The volume is wrilvor.li the iA.iney which it costs, if for nothing else than the very able and lucid repot t upon implements which it contains Ihis repou w f, om the pen of Mr. C. G. Kobeits of Il.iale.nare, Suney We slull not attempt here to deal with the minor class of machines for preparing the coin, such as tbe cot n-dt easing machine ; nor shall we consider the re'atiVe oiPii'a of straw elevat jis It will be enough if we say something about thrashing machine* In the range of the mechanic U arts there can scucely be met with a combination of mechanism more complex or difficult to construct satisfactorily than the modem portable thrashing machine Of course this proposition will be disputed by many people ; but we maintain us accuracy with none tle less conli lence. A man well versed in the theory of the steam engine, and possessing a moderate acquaintance with ita details, would probably produce a f.ur deswn if called upon to do so for the (list time in his life, and the engine m.ilo accoiding to these designs would probably work veiy well .md give satisfaction ; but it is simp'y imposdible for a, nun, however clever he may bq as a mejhtnician, to pro luce a good design for a thrashing machine, unless he possesses a iare kuowledge of a host of practical details. The mere act of thrashing the grain out of the straw is a tolerably easy t.isk, but the subsequent shaking of the straw *ud cleaniu,' of the corw present problems for solution, tho difficulty o? which can only be realised by those who have had an extended experience. There is not, and cannot be a written theory of the thrashing m icbine, and as a consequence there is not a tingle distinct treatise on tho construction of this most complex combination of mechanism. It would be impossible for us within the limits of a dozen articles te supply any valuable practicle of instruction on the subject ; and none will moie fully enI dorse this statement than tho«e of our readers who hare been most successful in devising and constructing machinery for thrashing corn, Wo can, however, point out some of the defects which exist in modern thrashing machines, leaving it to others to suggest and dpply the remedied. It appears from the Cardiff trials that tho general speed of drums in all machines which thrash well and clean is a niilf-per minute : that is to say, the drum, if rolling on a level plain at tho same rate as it revolves in the machine, would get over a mile of plain per minute It has long been recognised that the normal velocity of a drum was 1,000 revolutions per minuto, and we find that this rule win very closely observe 1 in the Cardiff machines. Thus out of fifteen machines but ooe made less than 890'revolutiotw, the spee I being 889 \ but three mado less than 900 revolution*, the speed being 890, 839, an-1 891 respectively ; tho machines making over 900 revolutions and less t'rnn 1,00) were, umc in number, making 918, 995, 998, 919, 991, 939, 9 17, 929, and 97i respectively ; while two mac'imes made 1,0.">2 and 1,001 revolutions. These are very high velocities for heavy "Machinery ; bat we find, as a rule, that drums are very careMjllv baloncod, nnd as a consequence, they run very steadily. With proper concaves and Gonehor's beaters there is little difficulty ire thrashing corn properly at these speeds-. It may bo taken asproved, therefore, that there is little or no room for improvement in fie construction of drums or sheaves. Tnis remark does not, howei cr, apply to tho drum bearing*, which are frequently too short if bally contrived When it is possible, a eonp'e of belts should always be led away from fie drum shaft, at the driving side, in a direction contrary to tho pull of flic online strap ; by this means the pressure on the driving bearm;,' is lessened," and the chance of heating reduced. This principle appears to have been fairly nrppltcd in practice- by one or two of tho competitors Xo\t to doing good work, it should bs the object of all makers of thrashing mac'iiucs to do that work at the least possible expenditure of power ; this point has been hitherto practically overlooked by most engineers. Tho best firms believe that when, they have supplied good bearings and wellturned shaft*, nnd rallied the mnnber of working parts, they have done all they can dn. As a matter of fact, they leave ofT ju3t whero they ought to begin ; and wo trust they will pardon us for sny.ng that they manifest a considerablu want of intelligent appreciation of the nature of the resistances to be overcome. Tho " friction," as it is called, of thrashing-machines is enormous. For example, the lightest running machine at Ca-difF was ono by Meaars. Gibbons ; it required 0 o2 dyna n^metrical horse-power to drive it empty ; when at work it ab-torbe-l 12 43 horse-p nver. Thus this particular mjo'iuie absorbed in s)-ealled '• friction" over 52 per cent of the wholo power employed. A machine by Messrs Nalder and Xnlder required a sliale of eight hoiso-powcr to drivo it in full work, the internal resistance thus amounting to 77 per cent. The lowest power required to drivo any finishing machine may bo tuken at over G£ horse-power, or somowhero about GO per cent of tho powor required when tio machine ii at work. Mr Itjbe.-ts g'ves so no very curious figures to illustrate the power required tot'irnsh corn, calculated, we believe, by Mr Anderson-. Prom these calculations it appears that for the " thrns'iing of each pound of sheafC7rn a power of from 2323 to 3137 foot-pounds is required ; in other word*, we may. s»v that if any quantity of corn were raised to a height of a- tittle- over Iralf a mile, it would in falling produce a forco which, if properly utilised, would suffice to thrash itself," and another calculation carried out in the same way shows that six times as much power ii required to plough the land in which tho corn is grown a3 will suffice to thrash it. Accepting these calculations as being accurate— and there is no reason to doubt this— it will be seen Hint the power expended by tho machine in doin? its work is out of all prjoortion to' that required '"to secure the same end by mnnuitl power. We know as the rosiilt of direct experiment that, with fair corn, a man with a flail can thrash out. a pound of wheat with about as much labour as woul 1 suffice to lift a sheaf 200 feet high. The foregoing calculations, however, include tho cleaning of the corn and the slinking of the straw ; but after every deduction is made on tins score, it still appears that the thrashingmachine supplies power to produce a given result more wnstefullv perhaps than any other machine in existence. It is probable that a large part of the waste is absolutely unavoidable ; so long as rotary drums are used to thrash corn, nothing is, we think, to Bo expected from their improvement, nor is their much promise of success in any device for "stripping" the grain from the enr in a way often proposed, but never applied in practice, except in flaxseed drawing machines, which aro always, we believe, worked by hand. The Scotch pig and beater machine, no doubt, is^ intended to remove the grain by stripping but as all tho 'straw passes through, and is utua'ly very much broken, the action is not that required, nor are Scotch machines celebrated for being light. But although it is not likely that the work of thrashing will ever be materially reduce.!, it is certain that there is great room for improvement in the way of reducing the internal resistance of the thrashing-machine. This resistance is, wo have no hesitation in saving, mainly due to the fact that the riddles and shoes are not permitted to swing at the velocities proper to their sinpeiwion lengths. Every oscillating riddle and shoo in a thrashing-machine is a pendulum ; all pendulums have a given length, proper to the rate of oscillation ; thus a pendulum 39 inches and a fraction long, will swing seconds, and if mounted with a spring suspension an almost infinitesimal force will keep it oscillating, as may be seen in any old-fashioned eight-day clock ; a very considerable expenditure ')f force, however, would be required to cause a seconds pendulum to make five oscillations per second, tho makeia of |thi ashing machines, however, bane their shoes with the longest hanger they ran pet in, amf as the isochroiiol time of the shoe is veiy much slower than the rate at which it is actually driven, there is an enormous resistance, and wo find the shoe-diiving cranks broken down anil wearing out faster th. in any other portions of fcho machine. In practice it is impossible to use hangers short enough to secure proper isochronal action, but it is none the less certai- that there is a way ont of this difficulty which, while it would simplify the whole machine, would at once reduce the resistance and the wear and tear enormously. The, 1 only matter for surprise is that a very obvious and simple expedient has not been hit upon and patented long since. Agiicultiual engineers would, we think, find themselves rewarded if they would tax their ingenuity a little in this dnection. There aie two or three other points connected with the construction of thrashing machines winch claim attention. — The Engineer.

In American cheese factories, the checsei are generally cured in cellars, with n temperature below 70 degrees, are often seven inches in thickness, and 3G inches in 'diameter. They are turned twice each day and rubbed v. ith salt ; require three months in curing, are then ready for tho knife, and soil at about 5d to 8d per Ib. llow to fit a nov\ collar to the shoulder of a horse is thus told by The Farmer. The collar should be of the proper size; jmfc before putting it oa tho first time immerse it m water, lotting it remain about a minute, and immediately put it on the horse, being careful to havo the liamea so adjusted at the top and bottom as to fit the shoulder, nnd then put tho horse to work. The collar, by being wot, will adapt itself to tho shoulder, and should dry on tho horse. When taken oil" it should bo left m tho samo slinpo it occupied on the horse, and ever after you will have a snug-fitting collar and no wounds. The difference between tillngc and grazing is something like this: An intelligent cultivator of tho soil will say, "I have so much corn and so much hay, I will not send it to market. It would cost too much — wuuld absorb more than half its value m freight and charges. I will convert it into pork and beef, thereby decreasing its bulk, aud increasing its value." This is quite right. The farmer who said that lie know his business, but the grazior can do belter still. Ho can 6a v t , "My grass, and hay, and root crops I will convert into sheep, and tho sheep will convert them into wool, — thereby decreasing the bulk and consequent cost of what I produce, and at the same tune increasing its value." Tho correspondent of an English journal gucs tho following methods for salting and preserving butter. He says they hove betn each secesifully and extensively employcJ, and if properly carried out, cannot fail to give* entire satisfaction. With each avoirdupois pov:d (10. i) of buttt.*, free £rosa

butter-milk' thoroughly in^jrj oraie \iz each siltpclro and white- cugar, and ioz of the best tablo salt; tightly press the mixture- mtd deep stoneware, or well glazed earthen pam, or well seasoned casks, (the former are tho best), ao as to leare no vacuities or interstices through which the air can permeate. On thetopof each\cssel,a3 filled I , place a layer of dry talt to , tlie depth of ±in. to \m (according to size), arid cover each with 1 any flat articlo capable of fitting closely, as a slate, plate, difh, or slab of stone, or m the ca->o of casks or barrels, fit on and secure the heads. Storo them in as cool a place as po» sible, and one free from inouldinesj or bad sinclta. Tho * salt, saltpetre, and sugar should be of tlie be»t quality, and well dried and reduced to very fine powder, before boing weighed and used. Butter so prepared, after standing about three woelw or a month (according to the weather), acquire a rich, gnssy marrow fl-ivour, which other butter seldom possesses The surface salt, by long kccpimr r runi to brine, which forms a preservative lam- on the top of the butter, and effectually excludes tho air. This brine may be easily p>uied- off at any time, and iiny U'ldis+o'vjd salt washed oil* with a little cold water. Thi3 plan has bean employed for centuries, and about fifty years since was particularly recommendeJ by Dr Anderson, who declared that butter, so prepared, would keep in a moderately cool place for many years, and will even bear a voyago to the East Indie* if packed and stowod on shipboard so as not to melt. From actual experience I can endorse this statement The top layer of salt, though very advantageous, may be employed or omitted at will. Place the butter in gla>s, stoneware, of well glazed earthenware, pan. or pans, set them in a water bath, and gradually heat the water until it acquires a temperature of 190 to 193 dagrees Fahr. As'soon as the butter melts give it one stir up, and then let it repose, still heated, until it becomes transparent, observing to carefully skim it, from time to time, to remove auy scum or floating foreign matters from the suiface. The clear liquid batter is next poured off into another vessel, or vessels (usually the pots or jars in which it is to be kept), and cooled a*quiokly as possible, by placing them m a current of. cold air, or cold water, or ica, and then closely covered from, the air. Care should be taken that the actual temperature of the melted butter itself should not exceed 180 Fahr. ; it should be kept covered over as much as possible, and be finally stored in a cool place. This i 3 the method which was formerly, and I believe is still employed by the Tartars who supply the Constantinople market. Butter/ thus prcpire-i, if kept well coveted and stored liFa moderately cool place, williernam pei fectly f rc3h £or six to nine months, even in. the v/aruv climate of Turkey and Lev.wt. The process w.is particularly luoomnunided by Thernard, the eminent chemist, and Mr Eaton, of extensive Kastern experience, states that butter melted by the Tartanean method, and then slightly salted by ours, w ill keep good and fine tasted for two or th:ee yeirs. The best salt burter of the shops is usually prepared with sJlb ti> 61b of salt and saltpetre to the cwt. The farniuu, and others for their own use often add loz to 2ozs finely powdered sugar, or of pure p%le honey to each Gib or 71b of butter. In the latter way I usol forme. ly to pan my butt?r once a year during summer or autumn in Devonslme so as to keep my family w«ll supplied for the ensuing twelve men tli s. Mr Lvman Gate, of Oakland county, Michagan, has been experimenting the past few yeirs with apples, and lincls those packed in- plaster of Pans keep much longer than any other way ho hae tried. He uses Hour barrels, and finds them preferable to other packages, as they are made tighter. lie first covers the bottom of tho barrels with plaster, then, a layer of upple* thru covers with plaster, and so on until the barrel i 3 fnll ; then puts the head in and drives the hoops tight. The plaster being of a cold nature, keeps the fruit at an even temperature, and, being fine and dry, packs so closo as to keep the apples nir-tiglit. He is satisfied that the best varictiei will keep sover.rl montli3 longer than putting them up without plaster, and will retaiu their flavour muck better besides. A writer who uses the signature " Biddy Morgan," gives the follow nig recipe, which has been proved to be efficacious in restoring a healthy growth of hair on the tails and manes of horses. Corrosive sublimate (bt-chloride), oi> muriate of morcury, each 1 grains, in 1 ounce of distilled water. Washtlie parts where the hair is thin w lth some w arm water and soap ; then rub- dry with a linen cloth, and immediately alter rub in some of the above liniment. If bhe hair has been rubbed oft' by tho animal's on » endeavours to allay cutaneous irritation, then. dres« with the following ointment — One ounce of fine Hour of sulphur, one ounce of pulverised saltpetre, made into a soft ointment with fresh rendered hog's lard ; rub in at night, and wash in the morning with warm water and soip ; repeat three or four times. If thr lmir w scant from natural debility of the capillary organ-t, tlim simply use cold water, appliel with a soft sponge ; avoid all combing or brushing, and clean tho mane and tail, as the Arabs do, with a coarse flannel rubber.