CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY APPLICABLE TO THRASHING, WINNOWING, CLEANING, AND SORTING GRAIN, AND TO OTHER AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Burch, of Crag Hall, near Macclesfield,
in the County of Chester, Carpet Manufacturer, for the Inven-
tion of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY APPLICABLE TO
THRASHING, WINNOWING, CLEANING, AND SORTING GRAIN, AND TO OTHER
AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES."
Sealed the 2nd April 1853, and dated the 24th December 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Burch at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 24th December 1852.
I, JOSEPH BURCH, of Crag Hall, near Macclesfield, in the County
of Chester, Carpet Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY APPLIC-
ABLE TO THRASHING, WINNOWING, CLEANING, AND SORTING GRAIN, AND TO
OTHER AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES," to be as follows:-

page_text: The nature of my Invention consists in a mode of thrashing by
means of a series of flails or beaters. It also consists in moving
the unthrashed straw under the flails by means of an endless cloth,
web, or rack; also in the use of an endless cloth, web, or rack to re-
move the straw after it has been thrashed; also in the mode of
winnowing, as the grain and chaff fall from the endless cloth; also
in a mode of chumping or cleaning the grain; also in rewinnowing
the grain as it falls from the chumping apparatus; also in sifting
and separating the different qualities of grain before it leaves the
thrashing machine; also in thrashing, winnowing, separating,
chumping, sifting, and sorting by the combined action of mechani-
cal contrivances. It also consists in the use of endless sieves for
sifting agricultural produce; and it also consists in the use of end-
less cloths, webs, or racks in agricultural machines.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said Joseph Burch in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 23rd June 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOSEPH BURCH, of Crag Hall, near Macclesfield, in the County of
Chester, Carpet Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in
the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Joseph Burch, Her
special license that I, the said Joseph Burch, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Joseph Burch, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree.
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter.
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for

page_text: "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY APPLICABLE TO THRASHING, WINNOW-
ING, CLEANING, AND SORTING GRAIN, AND TO OTHER AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Joseph Burch,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Joseph Burch, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what inanner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had unto the Drawings
annexed hereto, and to the letters and figures marked thereon
(that is to say):
The nature of my Invention consists in a mode of thrashing by
means of a series of flails or thrashers, which being attached to each
side of the machine alternately strike the straw as it passes under
them. It also consists in the use of an endless cloth, web, or rack,
upon which the unthrashed straw is entered into the machine to be
afterwards carried along under the operation of the thrashers. It
also consists in the mode of winnowing the grain as it falls from the
endless cloth; also in the mode of chumping or cleaning the grain
from the hales or tails; also in re-winnowing the grain as it falls
from the chumping-box; also in sifting and separating the grain
into different qualities before it leaves the thrashing machine; also
in the use of an endless cloth or rack for carrying the straw away
from the thrashing machine; also in the use of an endless cloth or
web for catching and removing the chaff; also in the use of a
chumping-box with revolving chumpers; and also in the construc-
tion and use of a self-acting machine which combines the operations
of thrashing, winnowing, sifting, chumping, re-winnowing, re-sifting,
separating, and sorting grain, and removing the straw and chaff. This
improvement in thrashing is particularly applicable to cleaning barley,

page_text: which being principally used for malting purposes requires very care-
ful treatment, and in consequence of the injury it frequently receives
from being thrashed by the common drum thrashing machine, is
now more generally thrashed by the hand flail. But the process is
both tedious and expensive, and therefore by my improved mode of
thrashing and combining the after processes in one machine, I pro-
duce great economy of time and labour, and shall enable the farmer
to send his grain to market within a few hours after it is taken
from the barn and stack yard.
I will now further describe my Invention, with letters and
figures of reference to the Drawing which accompanies this Speci-
fication.
Fig. 1, is a side elevation of my improved thrashing machine; Fig.
2, is a longitudinal section of Figure 1; Fig. 3, is a plan of Figure 1;
Fig. 4, end elevation of Figure 1; Fig. 5, section shewing thrashers
and the mode of raising them; Fig. 6, is a plan of a chumping box
with revolving chumpers; and Fig. 7, is a transverse section of
Figure 6. A, is the standard framework of the machine; a, 1, adjust-
able entering frame; a, 2, adjustable straw delivering frame and stan-
dard; B, are the flails or thrashers; each one is formed by a number
of rods or wires fastened at one end to a fulcrum carrier b, 1, to which
is attached a small lifting arm b, 2. The carriers 6, 1, are placed at
certain distances along each side of the machine; on C, the side
rods; D, are the side shafts, on which are fixed E, the raising
tappets, which strike the small lifting arms b, 2, every revolution,
and alternately raise the thrashers to about an angle of 45 degrees,
when they.immediately, being assisted by the springs b, 3, fall with
considerable force upon the straw; F, is the endless web or cloth
on which the unthrashed straw is first placed at the feeding end of
the machine; f, 1, arc weight rollers placed across the machine
between each pair of thrashers. They are for the purpose of keeping
down the straw which passes underneath them upon the endless
cloth F, when it is struck by the thrashers. f, 2, is the table for
supporting the endless cloth against the action of the thrashers; H,

page_text: is the advancing roller which moves the endless cloth forward. It is
actuated by the small armh, 1, upon the side shaft D, which by striking
the lever 1, 2, gives motion to the advancing roller by means of the
ratchet wheel h, 3, and moves the endless cloth the required distance;
h, 4, is an adjusting slide for regulating the height of the entering
frame a, 1. After the straw has passed on from under the last
thrasher, it is drawn by the nipping roller (i, 1) on to the endless straw
cloth I, by which it is carried onwards, and may be delivered into a
cart from above the roller i, 2, or be allowed to fall upon the floor;
J, is the winnowing fan or blower; it has two vent tubes j, 1, and j, 2.
The grain falls off the endless cloth F, between the advancing roller
and the straw cloth, and is winnowed by the draft from the upper
vent tube before it reaches the coarse endless sieve L, and the shak-
ing sieve 7, 1, which separate the loose straw and heavy chaff from
the grain, which then drops through into the chumping box K; 1, 2,
are rollers for stretching the endless sieve L, and 1, 3, the drum
roller which moves it; M, is the chumper; it is placed in the chump-
ing box, and is fixed to the vertical slide rods m, 1, by the end
bracket carriers m, 2. It is raised and depressed by the connecting.
rod m, 3, and the lever arm m, 4, which is actuated each revolution of
the side shaft D, 1, by the fixed tappet m, 5. The grain passes from
the chumping box by falling as the box overflows over the partition
K, 1, through the aperture k, 2, and is re-winnowed by the lower
vent tube j, 2, before it reaches the shaking sieves O, and P. The
chaff, which is removed by the wind from the vent tubesj, 1, and j, 2,
and caught by the endless sieve L, and the shaking sieve L, 1, falls
upon the endless chaff cloth Q, and is carried forward to the chaff
basket R. The revolving brush Q, 1, removes the chaff from the
chaff cloth, when it does not fall off as the chaff cloth passes round
the roller q, 2. The trough N°. 1, receives the first quality of grain
from the sieve O; N°. 2, trough receives the second quality from
the sieve P, and the shelf S, deposits the third quality in the trough
No. 3; T, is the main shaft and driving pullies; U, is the cross.
shaft and bevel wheels which actuate the side shafts D; it is driven

page_text: by the pullies and strap u, 1. The strap and pullies V, drive the
fan J; the pullies and strap w, drive the straw cloth I, and the
pullies and strap X, drive the endless sieve L. Fig. 5, Y, is a
double chumping box furnished with a series of projecting fixed
blades; Y, 1, Z, are the revolving shafts; they also are furnished
with chumpers or blades a, 2, which by revolving between the fixed
blades Y, 1, cut the hales or tails off barley corns, and clean other
seed and agricultural produce; 2, 3, tooth wheels which drive the
revolving chumpers.
Having now described the different parts of my Invention, and a
way in which it is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
lay no claim to the two processes of thrashing and winnowing by
mechanical contrivances, excepting in connection with a series of
thrashers as described; also that I do not confine myself to any par-
ticular material, form, or dimensions, so long as the peculiar charac-
ter of my Invention be retained. And what I claim as my Inven-
tion is,
-
First, I claim the mode of constructing flails or thrashers consist-
ing of two or more rods as described.
Secondly, I claim the mode of using a series of flails or thrashers
in the manner and for such like purposes as are herein described.
Thirdly, I claim the mode of passing the straw under a series of
flails or thrashers upon an endless cloth, web, or rack for the pur-
poses herein described.
.
Fourthly, I claim the mode of using endless cloths, webs, or
racks in the manner and for such like purposes as are herein
described.
Fifthly, I claim the mode of constructing and using mechanical
combinations and contrivances for such like purposes and in such
like manner as are herein described..
Sixthly, I claim the mode of combining the operations of thrash-
ing, winnowing, sifting, chumping, cleaning, re-winnowing, and
sorting barley, and other agricultural produce in one machine and
by one operation; and,

page_text: Seventhly, I claim the mode of chumping and cleaning by revoly-
ing clumpers.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Burch, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of June, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Signed, sealed, and delivered,
being first duly stamped, by
the within named Joseph
Burch, in the presence of
PETER J. LINSEY,
of Manchester.
JOSEPH BURCH. (L.S.)