The Grange advance., 1875-06-01
Minnesota Ingonuity Versus Grass.
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Minnesota Ingenuity Versus Grass.
hOppers.
McA1ee Co., machinists, of st. Paul.
have constructed the model of a machine
designed to aid in the destruction of the
grasshoppers now overrunning some por.
items Of the. State. The % model &
il small one, but sufficiently
illustrates the idea Of the inventor.
who, during a visit last summer
along the line of the Sioux City road vas
an eye witness of the myriads Of the
pests, and has since studied over in his
nina the possibility of DISCRIMINATING them
by some practical means. The model ex-
hibited is the result Of some thought On
the subject, but it is not patented-Mr.
AcAfee having no objection to any ones
taking hold of the matter and further inn
proving it if he can. He will however.
build machine for any one desirous Of
testing it at the very lowest practicable
cost Of the materials, and having all the
oonvcniences at hand, he is enabled to do
this as cheaply as any one else.
The machine is common farm roller
8 feet in length and consisting of 2 or 4
iron rollers Of the diameter Of two and a
half feet. Upon this is placed a cast iron
covering of the same width, and 86 feet
in length. and two feet from the centre of
the rollers to the top of the
vessel. In one end of this covering, and
Immediately over the roller there is fur
mace by which the rollers are heated
the flame passing over the rollers and
thence to smoke stack in the opposite
corner. At this end are two uprights sup.
porting large reel or beater which is
connected by rubber belt with the
roller shaft, as in reaper machines, and
giving it rapid motion as the machineis
propelled forward. The reel or beater
has four, six or eight 1anges or paddles,
which are designed to strike the hoppers
as they rise befoe the machine and force
them under the roller or into large
basin upon the top which is filled with
water heated from the full mace below.
The icea is that the hoppers, those not
crushed and burned by the heated roller
will be scalde2 by the hot water upon the
top.
This basin can be taken out at plea
sure. and is of sufficient depth to prevent
The water being spilled out by the ma
chime passing over unequal or rough sur.
faces.
The pole or tongue of the roller is sim
liar to that used in the ordinary machine
and attached in like manner, but is some
what longer. The potion of the horses
is, however, reversed--their heads facing
the machine. The singletrees are at.
tached at the extreme end of the pole.
and substantial yoke fixed near the
base far enough to prevent the horses
being affected by the heat Of the furnace.
By this method, it is claimed the proper
direction can be given the machine
and at no greater draught than in the
usual style. The weight of the entire
machine will not be more than 1900 or or
1000 pounds, and when necessary can be
detached and the roller used for ordinary
purposes and in the ordinary manner by
simply changing the yoke and single
trees. The whole machine, except the
tongue, is of iron, and of the size above
mentioned can be furnished as low as from
$l75 to 5000. The cost Of the fuel neces-
sary to run it, even in countries where
wood is scarce, would not amount to more
than so cents per day, or even less, as the
rollers once heated would be likely to re.
main sufficiently warm to scoreh and kill
the few hoppers that would escape
being crushed into jelly. The pan or
tank, which is the receptacle for the hot
water, could, at the price mentioned
above, be made of galvanized iron, thus
insuring freedom from rise and leakage,
and ultimate durability. Mr.. McAfee
does not claim that his machine is per-
feet, but thinks that if any mechanical
means are available for the determination
of the myriad pests, his machine will
come as near answering the purpose as
any that can be devised, that is to say, a
machine constructed somewhat after the
ideas upon which his was made. In case
it was desired to use the roller upon
field of growing wheat, young enough to
allow Of its being rolled with advantage,
the fire mi ight be dispensed with, and
the reel attachment would still
insure the destruction Of much larger
percentage of the pests than could be
done with the common roller. At any
rate, he thinks that few hundred dol.
lars invested in one or two of these ma.
chimes would do more good than the ex-
penditure Of so much money in seed
wheat under the present unfavorable out
look of things in almost every part of the
State, and that the Governor, or those in
charge of the State grasshopper fund,
could not better spend the small sum
necessary than by having constructed
few Of these engines of destruction and
sending them into the country, and thus
test their ability to answer the purpose:
A couple or more of these machines could
be gotten up at Mr.. McAfee's establish
ment in six or eight days, and be sent
into the country in time to test them this
season.