The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-08-03
FARMERS COLUMN.
PHILLIPS HUsKING MACHINE.
From Hearth ard Home.

From Hearth and Home.
Farewell at last to all the pains and
pleasures of old-fashioned corn-husking
No more chilled fingers, aching wrists,
cramped limbs, and general WEAKNESS to
attend this heretofore long and monoton-
Gus Job. No more husking frolIcs, with
their fun and jollity, to help smooth oyer oE,
and while away the tiresome LABOR. Inc
prose and poetry of old-fashioned musk
ing is about over, for the matter-ot-fact
inventor is on hand with his pulleys and
bands, his cog.wheels and pinions, his
rollers and vhat-nots, and is ready, for so
many dollars and cents, to replace flesh
and blood with iron and steel that will
work without complaining. We con-
oratl1late our fellow-farn1ers on this. Let
10 consider a moment what is included in
this apparently simple thing, corn
hus7xing machine. First we will try and
realize what amount oflabor was requisite
to do the husking of last years corn crop.
The amount of it was only 1900, 100000
bushels, or thereabouts, quantity which
would employ $4,000 men whole year to
husI. and If the work should be COM
pleted within week, 100000 men would
be required. Then, in the second place
the value Of the labor would amount to
not less than 30,000,000 dollars. Now,
here is a chance to save money and sore
fingers bv using machinery to do this
vast amount of work. If we take the
usual estimate that one horsepower will
do the work of five men, then, by the
substitution of machinery, four-ffths of
this 100000 dollars may be saved.
Whether perfectly effective machine is
in existence yet or not it is premature to
say,but we can safely say that we have no
doubt but such machine, if not already
in existence, bids fair to become very soon
an ACCOMPLISHED fact The machine here
presented-Phillips' Corn-husker-is
undoubtedly great step towards this
very desirable consummation. Not only
does this machine strip off the hu8k from
the ear,but it takes the ear from the stalk
as we'll. This additional advantage is
quite sufficient, in our estimation, to pay
for the cost of the machine, leaving the
saving of labor in husking clear gain.
AS NAV be seen from the engraving, the
stalks are fed as in an ordinary fodder
cutter. They are seized by the rollers
and drawn through, the rollers pinching
off the ears as they come in contact with
them. The stalks drop regularly in front,
and in good shape and condition to be
bound. The ears drop through the feed
ing-box into trough, in the bottom of
which couple of toothed rollers, grooved
spirally, are revolving. These rollers
take hold of the husk and strip it from
the ear The husk drops beneath, while
the ears ready for the crib, pass into a
box or bag placed to receive them.
We have seen this machine at work
husking dry corn, and if, on being tested
with the green from the field, it shall be
found to work as we'll as with dry stalks,
it will not be very far from being perfect
machine. AS it is, it is vastly in advance
of the slow and tedious hand labor, and
we repeat that farmers are to be cOngrat-
ulated on the invention of this machine.
We would suggest to the proprietors of
this machine that cheapness in price,as far
as is consistent with goodness, has much to
do with the success of any new thing
and further, that We have decided I'M
preston that the price could be made
sufficiently reasonable to induce the great
majority of farmers to possess one, as they
will soon find it a handy thing to have
around the farm A strong machine to
run by horsepower and husk clearly and
RAPIDLY. is an absolute necessity in the
great corn growing States of the West,
and if this machine will truly accomplish
what it is claimed it is able to do
namely, husk go bushels of corn per hour
the old-fashioned methods have had
their day, aid inventive skill will have
conferred another great boon on the
farmers.