Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-12-12

the various operations. The gravity
principle is used to as large an extent
as possible in the movement of beans
through the various processes.
Practically all the plants have two
cleaning mills through which the
beans pass for the mechanical separa-
ton of dirt, cracked and small beans
and other material which can be separ-
ated without handwork. Usually these
mills are installed one above the other,
SO that the beans pass through mills
before returning to the floor. The
beans are elevated to the top of these
mills either by cup elevators or similar
mechanical elevators. In handling
seed beans which crack more readily
than the commercial beans, a special
sack elevator is used. At the top OF
the mills, the beans pour into a large
hopper or drum from which they flow
down into the mills.
The mills operate on much the same
principle as a tanning mill for grains.
The two mills are set at different rates
of speeds and with different sleeves or
shakers. The first process is the scalp
ing or skimming of the top of loose
pods, portions of bean pods and other
foreign material. The agitation of the
sleeves gradually sift out the small clods,
dirt and cracked beans. In some mills,
especially those handling seed beans,
the beans pass through a polisher be-
tween the first and second mills which
imparts a shining appearance to the
beans, enhancing their trade value. The
polisher also brushes clods which have
failed to be removed previously.
Removing Understood Beans
The main function of the second mill
is to remove the understood and
shriveled beans to the extent that this
is possible by mechanical means.
The beans are now inspected to see
II they meet grade requirements.
Beans are usually marketed as COS or
98's. The 98s are beans which have
not more than 2 per cent cracked, dis
colored or inferior beans and dirt and
other foreign material, while 96's admit
of four per cent. The cleaner grade
brings usually from Is cents to so
cents q hundredWeight more on the
market. This year beans have been
put on the market on grades as low
as 84's.
Federal grades have been established
and are being used to a growing ex-
tent. No. in the federal grade COR
responds to 98's except that the per-
centages of dirt, other foreign material,
and inferior beans which are allowable
are designated separately, although
their total is two per cent. There is
the same correspondence between No
2 beans and COS.
Dirt and dust are automatically
blown out of the mills through suction
fans which draw the very light ma
fario1 dpurp IN thn ciHa uyhQrp II ic
blown upward and outside the mill. In
some mills much attention is paid to
this feature and very little dust gets
out into the building.
Revolving Belt Carries Beans
Beans to be cleaned by hand are
again elevated to a central bin from
which they are distributed by pipes
or shafts to the picking machines,
which are usually placed in two rows
facing each other. In front of each
picker is a revolving belt, usually OF
cloth, which slowly moves toward the
operator. The beans pour out on this
belt. from which the operator picks
beans, which have come through the
mills. While these belts work auto
matically, their speed can be regulated
VI WIG ORCA atAOA4 No4 Nc nv 0AO0-
gether by the picker If the beans are
coming faster than the culling can be
done.
The rejected beans are dropped in
small boxes at either side of the belt
while the good beans are carried on
and and drop of the belt into spouts
from which they go into bins. Other
shafts carry both the good and Gull
beans to a lower floor where they pour
into sacks where in some of the plants
they are automatically weighed and
made ready for the few remaining
operations Of the sacker. The beans
from each picker are conducted Separ-
ately SO that a check car be kept or
the work Of each.
Large storage space is required t6
stack the beans until after they are
sacked until they are ready to be load
ed on cars for the market. Inspection
grading and tagging is a further task
before they are put on the market. This
is usually done by either a state o.
federal inspector.