National Republican., 1875-07-22
Eaymakiue bv Artificial Hsat.

The London Times OF the 7th instant, in an ac-
count Of hsymsking by artificial heat, says: "No
apparatus for the purpose appears In competition
at the Royal Agricultural Society's trials Of hay
making machinery now being conducted at Tsun-
ton, but on Saturday we witnessed the operation
Of hay-drying by artificial heat at Gilwell Park,
near Chingford, Essex, the residence Of the in
ventor, Mr.. William Alfred Gibbs. After some
years Of practical experimenting, Mr.. Gibbs has
brought his invention into the following form: A
portable stove, constructed Of plate-iron, is sur
mounted by . fan, which il driven BY belt from
o three-horse power portable steam engine; the
fan draws all the heated air and gases from the
coke IRE, together with 9 volume Of warmed air,
which passes through chamber surrounding the
inner chamber Of the stove and blows the hot sur
rent, at q Temperature Of four hundred degrees
Fahrenheit or more, into the drier. This resem-
bles in general shape straw elevator, consisting
OF sheet-iron trough six feet in breadth, twenty
feet long II mounted on wheels as Q portable car
riage, or forty or ifty feet long II . fixture. The
trough is raised at one end at low angle, sothat
hay fed In the upper end furthest from the stove
shall slowly travel to the lower end near the
stove-this being assisted by slow reciprocsting
motion given to the bottom Of the trough. A
ridge of triangular section running along the
middle Of the trough divides 1t into two almost
semicircular channels, so that the hay passes
two slit spertures, one on each side the base OF
the middle ridge and for the entire length Of the
machine, and the hay 10 kept continually stirred
and lightened up over the hot blast by number
Of small iron strrers ceverly contrived TO initiate
the action Of forks worked by hand.
1--WE saw partly-made but wet hay passed
through the machine and converted at once into
a Thoroughly dry condition for the stack; we saw
spoilt and musty hay dried into hay OF fair sp-
parent quality and pleasant fragrance; and we
saw freshly-cut grass, saturated with rain from
very heavy thunder-shower which poured down
ct the time, dried into hay OF rst-cass color and
possessing the rich malt odor peculiar TO we'll
made hay. With Q, single twenty.foot machine
the operation is too slow TO employ fully one man
dried product; but with two such machines side
By side, or with one xed machine OF forty feet or
Atty feet length, probably one set OF carriers and
stackers could be kept going. From the expert
ments made under our supervision It appears
that while fresh and wet grass loses seventy 70
seventy. ave per cent. OF its original weight In
being made into hay, the quantity OF moisture In
exoeis IN psrtially.ma hay, or hay caught BY .
heavy rain, may bo from ten 70 twenty per cent.
To expel this vator from partially.m made hay re-
quires q consumption OF coke 10 the stove and OF
coal for the engine not exceeding q cost Of one
shilling and three pence per ton Of hay dried.
Preserving fresh.cut grass may cost 10 fusl nx o.
seven times more. With outlay for labor and
for wear and tear OF apparatus the total expense,
according 70 Mr.. Gibbs calculations, does not ex.
ceed seven shiilings or eight shllllngs por ton,
which 10, Indeed, q very moderete dilbursement
for saving loss OF perhaps poueds per ton. TO
make fresh.cut grass into the finest hay At one
stroke costs about 81 per ton OF the dried hsy'p
i