The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-02-07
Harvesting Crops Independently Of
Weather.

To the Editor Of the London Times:
'Sir,-I am gratifed to observe by your
article of Wednesday last that you are
giving your powerful influence in directing
the attention of agriculturists to the prac-
ticability of means for effecting this object,
which is of SO much public Importance in
our variable climate; and will ask you to
afford me space in your columns to give o
brief detail of my experience (Which will
be found to have anticipated, to some ex-
tent, the recent trials on this subject,) on
farm of under 800 acres, which l have
held for some years MS tenant of the Earl
Of Derby.
During the wet autumn of 1863, my
friend and brother magistrate for this coun-
ty, Mr.. Gossage, of the we'll known chemi-
cal and soap mandatory at Widnes, paid
me visit to explain and impress upon me
some ideas he had long entertained as to
harvesting crops so as to be independent OF
weather. MIR. Gossage's notions were that
if corn (however wet it might beg were
placed in ricks in such manner that cur
rent of dry or heated air could be forced
through it, the superhuous moisture would
be speedily driven off and the corn become
thoroughly cured. He proposed to do this
by means of a centrifugal fan driven by
horse or steam power; and, if the latter
were employed, to use the gases produced
by combustion of fuel under the boiler, to
yield heated air to be applied to accelerate
the drying.
After mature consideration, was con-
vinced the plan was o practicable one; and
to prove it, set up q rick Of beans in so
damp state that my servants thought it
could not fail of being utterly spoilt. This
rick was 20 feet by Is feet by 20 feet high,
being twice as large as the usual size. Be:
fore forming the rick, I placed on the ground
a wooden trough or pipe, inches square In
side, extending from one end to the centre
and terminating in on aperture, on tht
upper side, 9 inches square. In stacking
the beans, I placed q sack (flled with straw
vertically over the aperture above-mention
ed, and gradually, as the rick was formed
l kept raising the sack and forming
chimney of the same diameter till within
about 6 feet from the top, when the sack
with its contents, was left in. then con
nected centrifugal fan with the end Of tn
air trough, and had it drawn by two mel
driving large pulley, from which the mo
ton was connected by means of stral
with a small pulley on the fan shaft.
soon perceived evidence of moisture pro
ceeding from the rick, and in few days
although employing cold air and viii
these insufficient means of application, thu
rick of beans (Which it had been predicted
would be utterly spoilt) became thoroughly
dried and was threshed out and the pro
duce consumed on the premises. I was
thus convinced that the use of artificial cur
rents of air either cold or, by preference
heated, would, in the latter case particular.
ly, render the agriculturist nearly indepen-
dent of weather in harvesting his crops
and have acted upon this conviction when
needful in my operations ever since the We,
harvest of 1868.
This year formed four ricks of hay
under wooden covers called Dutch barns)
each "a feet by l6. feet by 20 feet high,
with wooden air trough running the
whole length under them, provided with
| slides to let on and cut off the passage Of
air, and each rick having vertical chan
| mel formed as before described. One TICK
of this hay was mown, tedded, and rolled
together by horse labor,-put by hand into
large cocks-and on the third day from
! moving, without being previously spread,
| was carted and stacked. This rick was q
! much out of condition that my bailiff begged
| me not to let It be stacked, as it must, II
his opinion, inevitably take fire. put W
the three other stacks In different stages o.
condition, but none thoroughly cured.
then applied currents Of cold air to TIL
whole, by means Of a fan driven by steam
engine Of one-horse power, and the hay ii
each stack Including the one above spe
cially notice6 became so thoroughly curet
that it has sold at the full market price %
the day. By these means, the four rick
of hay were harvested with less than ono
fourth the expenditure for manual labol
usually required. @ Ia.
With regard TO- wheat, it has been ems
tomary with me TO thresh it by stean
power, Immediately on carting it from thu
field, without putting it in ricks. On con
sidering the advantages Of this mode Of dry
ing, erected an apparatus, consisting OF
double cylinder feet high, closed at tol
and bottom, formed of perforated xins
plates, the outer cylinder being 9 feet II
diameter and the inner one 2 feet, leaving
an annular space Of 8 feet, which contain