Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-08-13

one at time, with the heads toward
the machine, and the distances be-
tween bundles should be as nearly uni
form as possible. In bundle-thrashing
the center, or dividing board, should
nearly always be used to keep the
bundles from piling up into the center
of the carrier. If one man on e9ch
side of the machine cannot pitch bun
dies in the proper manner fast enough
to keep the machine supplied, it will
usually be better to supply extra pitch
ers than to have the two men pitch
two or more bundles at time with
out any regard to the way they fall
in the conveyor. 1t is hard work to
keep the bundles going into the ma
chine in a steady stream, with the
heads ell pointing in the right direc-
ton, but unless this is done it is i'm
possible for the machine to do its best
work.
There is sometimes tendency to
crowd a machine to the limit and keep
II overloaded most of the time. This
is especially true of large custom ma
chimes. While both the operator of
such machine and the owners of the
grain to be thrashed naturally are de-
sirous of finishing each job quickly,
the attempt to get as much grain as
possible into the machine, combined
with more or less irregular feeding
which is almost sure to accompany IL,
will certainly result in considerable
waste of grain. The value of grain
thus wasted may easily more than Off
set any saving in time effected by
speeding up the operation of the ma
chine beyond it's normal capacity.
Cleaning the Grain.
The adjustment of the cleaning
mechanism and the proper direction
of the blast from the fan to separate
the grain satisfactorily from the chair
calls for more skill on the part OF
the operator than anything else in
connection with the operation of a
thrashing machine. One of the main
duties of the man in charge of the sep
arator is to see that the grain is as
nearly free as possible from chafr
and weed seeds before it is delivered
from the machine. At the same time
he must see that the amount which
goes back in the tailings elevator to
be rethrashed is kept low and that
the loss occasioned by grain being
carried out of the machine and into
the stack is eliminated as nearly as
possible. The condition of the grain
and the construction of different
makes of machines are so variable
that it is impossible to give any def
mite rules in ali cases. However, an
operator who knows the function Of
each part of the cleaning mill; how to
make all adjustments, and does every
thing possible to maintain the proper
speed, should have no great difficulty
in saving practically all the grain and
cleaning it we'll at the same time, If
he will examine the machine frequent
| ly to see just how much stuff each
part of the cleaning mechanism is
handling and the amount and char
acter of the tailings. The quantity OF
tailings should be small and they
should contain very little plump grain
and light chaff.
Probably more grain is wasted from
failure to clean up at the end of
setting than from any other single
cause. Just as much care should be
taken in cleaning up all the unthrash-
ed straw and loose grain that has ac-
cumulated around the machine as is
taken with the rest of the job. Even
with the best of care a considerable
amount of unthrashed straw will ac-
cumulate around the feeder in the
course of a days work. If the straw
is very dry, considerable grain will
shatter from the heads as it is being
pitched from the wagons or stacks
onto the feeder. Small piles of chaff
and straw which contain a certain
amount of grain will accumulate at
various other places around the ma
chine, and the machine should not be
stopped at the end of the job until all
of this is pitched into the cylinder and
carefully rethrashed.
OF course the careless thrasherman
or farmer may say that the chickens
or pigs will clean up whatever is left
in this manner, but practically it is a
total loss, and any machine which Is
operated carelessly in this respect
wastes a large amount of grain in a
single, season.