The Penn's Grove record., 1914-09-25

greater than 20 inches and turned I'D
4 inches at each end, will do. Leave
L incl clearance between the cleats
and the concrete, and set them so as
not to obstruct the wheelway. Space
the cleats IA to 16 inches. Roughen or
corrugate the bottom crosswise every
o inches by using a 5-foot length of
2 by 4 inch scantling beveled length.
wise to the shape of a carpenters
chisel. To make the corrugations, set
the timber with the beveled face to-
ward the incline. Strike the 2 by 4
with a heavy hammer, so as to indent
the concrete to the depth of 1 inch.
Cutter for SiIage.
There are on the market several
makes of silage cutters that will give
satisfaction, according to Farmers
Bulletin 57S, issued by U. S. Depart.
ment of Agriculture. The capacity
of the machine is an important consid-
Grafton which should not be over.
looked by the purchaser. Many per.
sons make the mistake of getting a
cutter which is too small, thus ma
king the operation of filling the silo
very slow and interfering with the
continuous employment of the entire
force of men.
1t is better to get a machine large
enough SO that every one will be able
to keep busy all the time. The larger
critters arc poTinDod with COLE foodore
a labor-saving device which the small
Ter sizes lack. Other factors to be
taken into account in purchasing a
cutter are the amount of work to be
done and the power available. Of
course, for the filling of a very small
silo it would not be wise to buy a
large machine. Neither would it be
advisable to overload the engine or
motor by using a cutter which is too
large for the power available.
Two types of silage elevators are
in us-the old-style chain carrier and
the blower. The chain carrier re-
quires less power, but is harder to set
up and there is more litter when it is
used, especially in windy weather.
For these reasons the blower is now
fast d~isplacing the carrier.
The blower should be placed as
nearly perpendicular as possible so as
to reduce to the minimum the friction
of the cut corn upon the inside of the
pipe and lessen the danger of clog
ging.
The power necessary to operate the
cutter will depend upon it's size and
whether the elevator is a chain car
rier or a blower and upon the rate Of
feeding. 1t is possible by feeding
slowly to get along with less power
than would be required when feeding
to the full capacity of the machine.
AS a rule, however, there should be
sufficient power to run the cutter at
full capacity, and ever a little surplus
is advisable. If a gasoline engine is
used, about 1 horsepower for each
l-inch length in the cutting cylinder;
that is, a 15-inch cutter will take e
15-horsepower engine, an 18-inch cut
ter will require an I8-horsepower en-
CINE, ard so On. If a steam engine is
employed, the power should be at
least two-thirds of that indicated for
the gasoline engine.
The usual length of cutting varies
from one-half to 1 inch. The latter is
considered a little too long, since
pieces of this length will neither pack
so closely in the silo nor be SO com
pletely consumed when fed as the
shorter lengths. On the other hand,
the longer the pieces the more rapidly
can the corn be, run through the cut
ter.