A. Dressing Machine, Combined with a Rubbing Apparatus, for Thrashing the Chobs (or Broken Ears) and Separating the Corn Left in the Bruised Straw when Trodden out by Animals or Thrashed by other Primitive Means.
Year: 1886

page_text: A. Dressing Machine, Combined with a Rubbing Apparatus, for
Thrashing the Chobs (or Broken Ears) and Separating the Corn
Left in the Bruised Straw when Trodden out by Animals or
Thrashed by other Primitive Means.
I FILIPPO GRIMALDI of No. 30 Viale di Porta Venezia Milan in the Kingdom of
Italy Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
In several parts of the Globe there still exists the old Biblical system of treading
out the corn by means of animals or by the passing of rollers, stones &c. over the corn
spread on the threshing-floor, producing broken and bruised straw, which in most such
places constitutes the only food for the cattle and in the mass of this straw is left a
large proportion of imperfectly thrashed cars and grains of corn which I shall here-
after call Chobs.
No dressing machine has yet been constructed which can effect the subsequent
operations of separating the corn from the bulk of the bruised straw so produced,
without the loss of these Chobs to the great detriment of the agriculturist; he is
therefore compelled to adopt the equally primitive process of throwing the corn so
thrashed into the air and separate it by means of the wind, the chaff and light straws
being blown distant from the heavier parts, such as Corn and chobs, which fall to the
ground close to the Thrower. After this the corn is separated from the chobs and
these are collected to be again thrashed generally by the passing of Stones over them.
All these operations entail a great loss of time and risk of damage to the corn from
rain, it often having to remain several days on the threshing floor until there be suffi-
cient wind for the throwing.
The object of my Invention is to perform all these subsequent processes at one
operation without the loss of the chobs, by means of a suitable Dressing Machine
combined with an apparatus for rubbing out all the kernels of corn contained in the
chobs so that all the corn is dressed winnowed and collected.
Generally I prefer to construct & dispose the different parts of this Machine, in
the manner shown in the two annexed Drawings, of which Sheet No. 1 represents a

page_text: longitudinal section through the centre of the Machine & Sheet No. 2 a cross section
through the lines A. B. C. D. The broken straw as left from the treading of the
animals &c. is delivered on the Stage E. at the top of the Machine & fed by a man
standing in the box F. to the rubbing apparatus, which is composed of a cylinder G.
fitted at its periphery with several rows of short iron pegs arranged spirally revolving
at about 700 revolutions per minute; these pegs pass betwixt similar ones fitted into
a concave H. and so give the required attrition necessary for rubbing out the kernels
of corn from the chobs left in the straw.
From the rubbing cylinder G. the straw is delivered against the board I. and falls
upon the top Screen J. which oscillates, separating the corn by means of the
Riddles K. delivering the straw on the ground at L. From these riddles the corn
& chaff pass to the inclined board M. of the bottom oscillating screen N. & from
thence to the Screen O. & is there winnowed by the Fan P. being ultimately col-
lected in the canal R from which it passes into an elevator for sacking. The chaff is
delivered by the blast at L & the heavy pieces of straw &c. are collected in the canal S.
& delivered into a basket. The top & bottom screens are suspended on wooden
hangers T & alternately moved by the crank spindle U.
My Machine can be made portable on wheels, as shown in the Drawings, or other-
wise & can be worked by steam, cattle, hand or other power. The mechanical con-
struction of the rubbing & of the dressing & winnowing apparatus, as well as the
order of the operations may be varied, but I generally prefer to construct & dispose
the Machine in the manner above described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is-
The application of an apparatus for rubbing out the kernels of corn contained in
the chobs left in the broken straw when trodden out by animals &c &c in combination
with a Separating, Winnowing & Dressing Machine substantially as described, so as
to enable all the corn contained in the straw to be mechanically collected in one
operation, which has never before been done.
Dated this 20th day of December 1886.