Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1868-01-21

curing, or IL VIII become wholly or
partially worthless. The FIRST thing
be will require will be
A DRYING AND sroRE>HoUsE,
of which several different plans have
been made. Mr.. Potters, which, for
a small one, consider model of
convenience, is 20x40, with 16 feet
studding, and costs $500. 1t is d.
vlded in TO four rooms-two down
and two up stairs-by partition
running from top TO bottom, across
the building in the centre One
room on the ground floor is the stove
room. II has. no floor, other than the
natural ground. 1t is plastered on
the ends and sides in order to pres
vent the escape Of heat, but has no
ceiling. Two large openings are
made close down to the ground, one
on each side, 10 allow Of the entrance
of cold air to supply the stove sand
keep up a draft through the hops
above. These openings are supplied
with sliding doors, by which the
amount Of airentering the stove room
can be regulated. The hop stove
stands in the middle OF this ROOM
1t is a large affair, capable Of recelv>
ing ordinary cord>wood The pipe
is twelve inches in diameter, passing
around the entire room (acting is
sort of drum to throw oifand distrib
ute the heat to all parts of the kiln,)
four feet from the ceiling joints and
sides, before entering the chimney,
which is in the partition | have III
ready alluded to. Above the stoves
room is the kiln. or dryire room,
separated from tho stove,room sims
ply by the open floor. The floor is
made of14 inch strips, placed II inches
apart, and covered with coarse { II
ounce J bur laps, having very open
mesh. Upon this floor the green hops
are spread to dry, and, the stoves
room having no ceiling, the warm air
rises up through the open foov aud
circulates through the bed of hops =
The sides and ends are plastered or
ceiled to the roof, but here the bare
shingles are left exposed The kiln
is provided with q large opening in
the top Of the roof, to create draft
and allow of the escape ofthe clouds
of vapor which rise from the green
hops when drying. This opening is
surmounted in many houses by
square cupola, the sides Of which are
made of thin strips of wood, so ar
ranged as to keep out the rain, Mr..
Potter's however, as most others, Sis
provided with large funnel instead,
which is open upon one side to allow
of the escape of the vapor, and so
constructed that it will revolve with
the wind, and provided with vane,
which .whirls it around Ias the wird
changes, always keeping the escape
upon the opposite side from the quar-
ter from which the wind is coming
The form OF protection for the escape
is said to be far preferable to any 9th
er, as the way for the escape Of vapors
is always free.
Back of the drying room is the
store>room, with door communicat
ing between the two. The strips Of
which the floor of the drying room
is composed should be so arranged
that, in showing the hops from the
kiln 10 the store room, they can be
pushed lcngthwise of these strips, rs
the shovel cannot be conveniently
pushed crosswise Of them. The floor
of the store>room should also be made
some two feet lower than the floor
of the kiln, as it facilitates matters
greatly when it comes to showing off
the hops.
Beneath tae store room is the press
room, into which the hops are thrown
through an aperture in the floor. A
small stairway leads from the press
room to the store room. A portion
of the press-room can be used as
store-room when necessary.
In front of the hop-house is a
raised platform, on level with the
floor of the drying kiln, which it COM
municates with by door This
platform is provided with swing
ing crane, to which block and tackle
can be attached for raising the heavy
sacks of green hops, preparatory to
| spreading them upon the kiln.
In large yards, it is desirable to
have two kins in order to facilitate
picking, for hops must be picked as
rapidly as possible when once ready
for it, and, when once packed, must
be dried at once (for. if allowed to
stand a few hours, will commence
sweating, and then soon become
WORTH ss), and consequently limit
ed drying facilities keep everything
else back. In such case, the same
general plan of drying-house can be
followed by having the two kilns end
to end, and the store and press rooms
at their sides. The kilns, however,
should in all cases, be perfectly in
dependent, heated by separate stoves,
so that one or both can be used at
pleasure at any time.
A hop.shovei should also be pro-
vided. Itshould be about 3 feet long
and 2 feet broad, with handle like
an ordinary shovel, ruoning clear to
the point and, in order to prevent
it from being heavy and cumbersome,
the bottom of the shovel should be
made of cloth. The sides o. the
shovel should be made OF light wood,
about 8inches deep at the top OF the
shovel, and rounded off to the point.
The hop-stove is an immense affair
capable of receiving ordinary cord
wood and, as a high temperature
must be constantly maintained dur,
ing the process of drying, the stove
is constructed without any especial
reference to economy in fuel. sup
pose however, that, where coal is
procurable, the desired object would
be readily obtained with a much
smaller heater The stove, pipe. and
chimney should be so arranged that
'no smoking is allowed" or the
flavor OF the hops may be Injured
The fumes of sulphur, which oltimes
., II 4 - krae