Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-09-29
Drying Hay by Artificial Means.

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ton has made slow progress, IL is
now being used by several well
known agriculturists. Since the con-
struction Of the apparatus was first
/ publicly described it has received
several improvements, and it is now
constructed with single vibrating
trough, along which the hay gradu-
/ ally traverscs the coke furnaces are
combined in one with the trough,
and shaking and vibrating mechanism
upon two pairs of road wheels for
easy transport, and the width has
been reduced to seven feet.
A writer in the London Times
recently saw the machine at work,
and says that grass from a water
meadow was being put through the
apparatus, encountering mt first n hot
blast of about 1909, which drives Off
the moisture in steam, following
through other streams of less heated
air, and being delivered in a condi-
tion of finished aromatic hay of rich
green color. Each load of more than
two tons WAS put through in fiity.fyc
minutes, or a slightly longer time
than it took q man TO load it in the
field. One feature, be says, in Mr..
Gibbs machine is its value for con-
verting injured hay into good, whole.
some hay, the fans blowing out dust
and must, while the sulphurous gas
from the burning coke is believed To
destroy the germs o: microscopic life
which may be the cause of disease in
live stock fed upon foul hay. 1t is
suggested that were these hat driers
in the hands of men who let out
thrashing machines, aud could work
them at time OF year when little
thrashing remains 10 be done, they
would save an immense acreage of
bay every season in splendid condi-
tion. Another system. which prom
iscs TO be of even higher economic
value. has recently, however, been
described as in successful use for
several seasons by Mr.. Nelson, and
more recently by Mr.. Knowles. OF
Colston Bassctt Hall. Bingham. near
Nottingham. This system consists in
thoroughly tedding and lightly scat
tering the grass as soon as cut by n
machine, and so expose it 10 the
witbering action of the air, whether
under sunshine or showers. In about
two days the green hay, without any
turning or other labor expended
upon it, and whether wet or not, IL.
in its halfmade condition, cartcd and
stacked. The rick Mt once begins to
ferment and heat, and the heat so
generated is employed To- finish the
process of hay.making. The tenn
perature to which the hay is allowed
TO rise is regulated, and the means
employed for this and for draining
off all the superfiuous moisture have
been thus described
In the raised base or staddle on
which the rick is 10 stand, whether
that is an ironwork structure or
raised earth, is laid an alright pipe.
which may be of earthenware, of from
three inches to six inches diameter,
joined with cement, and this tube or
air passage communicates with ver-
tical one in the centre of the staddle,
and rising short distance TO the
center of the height of the rick. An
exhaust fan connected with the hori-
zontal part of the pipe is situated at
n short distance from the stack, in a
building or otherwise. In case Of q
long rick, the horizontal pipe is con-
tinued along the middle of the stad-
die, and two vertical pipes are used.
Each aperture at the junction of the
vertical and horizontal pipes is fitted
with sliding damper, and can be
opened or closed by rod extending
outside the bottom of the rick. In
stacking the hay vertical air shaft
or chimney Is formed over each aper-
turc, by the common method OF
drawing up a sack of straw or =
round chat basket as the building OF
the rick proceeds; but these ventilat-
Ing fiues are carried up TO only half
the height of the stack. When the
exhaust fan Ia set In motion, drawing
air from the underground pipe and
rarefying the air in the chimney, the
replacement of that air can only come
BY currents penetrating the rick from
the outside walls and roof, and grad
ually converging into the chimney In
the center. BY this exhaustion of
the hot cir and moisture out of The
middle of the mass, cold air Is induc-
ed to enter the stack at nil points
and 70 seek the central flue, bearing
with 1t the excess of heat and the
moisture, and cooling The whole sub
stance Of the rick. Very little power
il required to drive ian Of the
necessary sizc, and Mr.. Knowles five
horse steam engine drives the fan
when giving out mere fractional
parL Of Is power. One horse. work