The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1918-09-06

=
: ual farmer, is a matter of per- >
haps millions OF bushels to the
: nation as a whole and to the ma .
. tons that Just now are looking =
to us for food to ward on fam :
| . Inc. When we consider that
: there are 100000 farms In the =
. United States, 1t Is evident that
waste Of only bushel set :
: would be an enormous loss in .
: the aggregate. :
ssssssessssssoesssssssss.s
If the thrashing machines of the
country, wasted only three or four
bushels of grain out of every thousand
they thrash, the loss of wheat alone in
the United States every year would
equal quantity sufficient to furnish a
normal supply Of bread to million
people for nearly half a year. The pres
ent Importance of keeping thrashing
machines at their highest point of eff
cheney thus is easily seen.
1t is probably not possible to save
all the grain, even with the most eff
conditions. However. the careless op-
orator who does not know just what
the different parts of his machine are
for, or who does not watch them cl.-e-
~ while the separator is running, may
waste great amount of grain unnec-
essarily. He will surely have to make
frequent stops for repairs and adjust
MO .l,t
the whole crew, usually several men
and teams, must be fdle until it starts
again, loss of time to everybody con-
cerned.
Failure to Separate.
IT a machine fails to separate all
the grain from the straw, it Is usually
due to one or more of the following
causes: az The machine is not being
run at Its proper speed, (2) 1t is being
crowded beyond its capacity, (3) the
cylinder fails to thrash all the kernels
out OF the heads, (4) the separating
mechanism is not level, or (5) the
blast is not adjusted properly
Cracked grain Is another source Of
waste which may become serious.
Cracked grain may be due to excessive
speed OF the cylinder, to the cylinder
being too close to the concave teeth,
or to grain being returned in the tail.
ings elevator and run through the cyl
lnder repeatedly. Loss both from poor
separation and cracked grain can be
prevented in large measure by proper
adjustment of the machine and atten-
ton to it while In operation.
Reduce Loss of Time.
The loss Of time due to stops on ac-
count of breakage and wearing parts
getting out of adjustment, so frequent
with thrashing machines, can be great
~ reduced and the life Of the separa-
tor heightened appreciably if the ma
chine is overhauled preparatory to
starting the seasons work and all the
parts put In good repair and adjust
ment, and afterward watched intelli-
gently while In operation. If the grain
is to be thrashed rapidly and waste re-
duced IT, a minimum, 1t Is essential
that tho engine should have sufficient
power and the belt pulley be of the
right size to run the separator at tire
proper speed at all times. The speed
in revolutions per minute at which the
cylinder should run is invariably
stated by the manufacturer in the in
structlons accompanying the machine
and is often stamped on the machine
Itself. A variation of more than a few
per cent either above or below this
stated speed is sufficient to impair Sc
riously the efficiency of the entire ma
,hine.
Since this is so important the
shrasherman should be sure that his
engine will not only develop sufficient
power to drive the machine at the
proper speed with the ordinary load,
but that it also has enough reserve
power to maintain normal speed for
few seconds under a heavy load. Even
with the most careful feeding, occa-
sional choking win occur, and, if the
engine cannot maintain its regular
speed with a slight overload, more or
less loss of g,nin will be unavoidable.
Don't Guess at Speed.
The operator should not guess at the
speed of the machine, for variation
OF per cent may reduce its efficiency.
The only way to determine the speed
satisfa 'torily as closely as this is to
use speed Indicator. If speed indi-
Gator was not furnished with the ma
chine, good one can be purchased for
81 or less. O,e of these will last for
years. and will enable the thrashernan
to determine at any time the speeds at
which his machine is running.
a thrashing machine cannot be ex-
pected to do good work unless the belt
lng snc pulleys are kept in good condi