The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-07-22


After the faults of the machine are
once located and corrected it is an
easy matter to check up occasionally
and keep the machine running with the
least waste.
The farmer can save great deal OF
grain by the following methods; Rak
ing the shock rows; using tightbottom
bundle wagons for shock thrashing
by a careful and thorough cleanup
around the machine and the use of a
large canvas spread on the ground
under the feeder to catch the grain
which scatters out in the process of
feeding and that which leaks out
around the front end of the machine
AS to raking the scatterings along the
shock rows, in Wisconsin one field OF
% acres gave a yield of 1875 bushels
In Oklahoma 80 acres gave ITO bush.
els in one case and in another 70 acres
gave SIS bushels. Oklahoma reported
a saving of 5063 bushels for the rak
ing of scatterings on 144 farms. Kan
sas reported a saving of 11a bushels
an acre, and Illinois one-half bushel
an acre.
The use of tight-bottom bundle wa.
gons in North Dakota saved between
900 and 800 bushels in thrashing 1000
acres. In Wisconsin it is estimated
that 100000 bushels were saved by
tight-bottom wagons. The idea of
using the canvas on the ground under
the feeder not only saves grain but
saves time on the cleanup, and should
certainly be considered by both the
thrasi, 3rmen and farmers.
A very definite notion of the amount
Of grain wasted about the rig may be
had from making a so-called blanket
test. This consists of spreading a
sheet of canvas or other suitable cloth
about IS by "a feet in area convenient
to the stacker of the thrashing ma
chine. A man is stationed on the top
Of the machine near the weighing de-
vice. Immediately after trip of the
weigher, drop the hood, so that all
the straw, etc., passes on to the sheet.
Allow the straw to deposit there until
the weighing device trips FIVE COM
plete times, indicating that the ma
chine has thrashed 2h bushels. Use
fork to winnow of the straw from
the canvas, shaking as much as posi-
BILE for any wheat that may be in it.
This leaves a mass of small particles
Of straw and chaf7 and wheat on the
sheet. Use the screen to sift off the
small particles of straw and put
through tanning mill to blow out the
chaff, leaving the quantity of wheat
that has been wasted. Measure this in
a pint measure. One pint cleaned in
this operation might be considered
unavoidable waste; pints, poor op-
Grafton, to be corrected at the earliest
opportunity; and pints or more,
wasteful practice and the machine
closed down until improvement is OBJ
tanned.
In the morning the grain is apt to
be moist and not easily shelled. If
the machine is adjusted to overcome
this condition, it should be readjusted
in the afternoon to provide for the
dryer condition OF the grain. If not
so adjusted to meet the changing con-
dition, grain will be wasted.
Thrashing is looked upon generally
as very distasteful operation. This
fact is to blame for waste in many in.
stances. The farmer is anxious 10
have it over with and speeds up the
work as much as possible. Haste
makes much waste in thrashing in
many ways. Care should be taken in
pitching from the wagon. II the ma.
chine is fed too fast or carelessly, ii
can not function properly.
Probably more grain is wasted from
failure to clean up at the end of a
setting than from any other single
cause. Just as much care should be
taken in cleaning up all the un.
thrashed straw and loose grain that
has accumulated around the machine
az has been taken with the rest of the