New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-06-01
THE COLBURN MIXER,

Al the recent centennial celebration OF the
Patent Office many interesting statistics were
given out concerning inventions Much atten'
ton was in this way attracted to the fatent
Office. and additional currency was given to the
notion that it is substantially the only source
from which accounts Of new inventions may oe
expected. No greater error was ever propagapeu
In this world of error. The true place 10 look
for the ablest accounts of the newest Inventions
is in the columns of this paper we say Vnis
modestly. but firmly, with the belief that the
ruth is never out of place And the reason for
this is not far to seek; many Of the most novel
and interesting inventions are not patented, and
therefore never come within the knowledge OF
tho Patent Office except at second-h hand through
tbese columns Besides, even in the case OF the
natented inventions the accounts of them printed
in The Tribune are so much more clear anu
luminous and are so religiously shorn OF all
references to thumb-screws, cogs, ratchet-"heeiS'
nulleys eccentrics, and SO forth. that they cah-
not fail TO be much more interesting reading than
the dry reports of the Patent Office. encumoereo
as they are by skeleton pictures uperally pep
pered with the alphabet. we DO not suppo'c
that there are above seventyfve or eighty persons
IN this country who know what thumD-screw
or n ratchet-wheel is, anyhow, SO why should
descriptions of inventions be burdened with them
And as for dogs in connection with machinery,
the idea is preposterous-with the exception Oh
certain kinds of churns which are operated oy
dog-power, they are unknown in mechanics anu
their alleged introduction into half OF the ma
chimes patented must be dismissed as piece OF
attempted Righteousness utterly unworthy Oh one
of the chief Bureaus Of the Government.
We shall not stop here to recapltulate inc many
remarkable inventions which have been brought
T1,a Trih
long: but our readers cannot have forgotVen
among the recent ones the Plunkett False Tooth
CIV the Paddleford Fresh-Air Works and the
Clemens Prairie Greyhound Liquor Store, reported
resnectively from Michigan, Brooklyn and
Iowa. But wonderful as these inventions were'
others as wonderful constantly coming 10 AgnV'
As evidence of this, we are to-day able 10 speak
briefly of most ingenious device for milking
COWS the invention of Wisconsin man hameu
Colburn. Mr. Colburn lives near Waukesna, Where
he has large dairy farm. The excessive LABOR
Of milking has long troubled him. as, indeed, IL
does anybody who has TO do much OF IL. bu'
while others have worried about the labor OF milk
inc no one but Mr. Colburn has been observing
enough to notice and to worry about waste Oh
mower on the part of the cow. We do noo reier
TO her habit of kicking over the pall-ths lorce'
though great is too irregular and erratlc 10 DC oe
nended uDOn. The force WHICH MI. Noi"uAh gu"
roinr TO waste was the superhuous part OF thas
extended by the cow in chewing her eud. lie
had long observed that cow when being MIXED
invariably employed the time in vigorously re-
masticating her food. Here" he exclaimed one
day. lis the force to do the milking" In week
his invention was complete II consists Oh
small plate which is clamped to the cows lower
law 1--WE know not If it is secured by thumb-screws
or by ratchet-wheels). This by an ingenious sys-
TEN of mechanical contrivances which we snail
take the liberty to call thingumbobs, connec's
with dufunny which operates small pump con-
Meeting with the uddcr of the cow. The cow
chews her cud, her jaw moves the plate, the plate
works the thingumbobs, the thingumbobs agitate
the dufunny, and the dufunny causes the pump 10
operate and to force the milk into pail "neh
the milking is finished bell rings, and MI. Col
burn, wearing silk hat and kid gloves, comes
and gets the milk and removes the apparatus
Mr. Colburn already has ten machines built, ana
| 90 cows are MIXED night and morning with Them
| AS we intimated in the first place, Inc Tribune
is the real organ of the inventors OF this country
and people interested in securing the very earnest
REPORTS of new inventions cannot do better than
subscribe. Our rates, which are very low con-
sdering the high quality Of the paper, Will DC
found In another column