IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING & PRESERVING ENSILAGE
Year: 1884

page_text: JOHN MOSS FLETCHER, Lee Cottage, Cheadle, Cheshire, Retired farmer, do'
hereby declare the nature of this invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
COMPRESSING & PRESERVING ENSILAGE to be as follows:-
1-A building of wood, or other material suitable for the purpose, having
moveable sides and ends, which can be built up as the grass or fodder is built up
higher & higher.
2-The sides held in position by Ɗ hooks and bolts, passed through upright
beams, and held tight by nut or cotter.
Pressure is obtained by a chain being attached at one end to a spring or other
suitable device, and passing through a pulley or loop for the purpose, fast to the
bottom of the silo; said chain running through guide loops, to a screw or other
fastening attached to the cross-beam.
The cross-beam is composed of two pieces or planks of wood, having an iron
flitch, sandwiched between them, and all three being bolted together by bolts, with
screw threads and nuts to them; the three combined giving enormous strength,
edgeways.
To raise or lower the heavy cross-beam, a staple, hook or other convenient or
similar article is driven or fastened to the beam above it; two similar ones being
fastened to the cross-beam, so that by means of rope or similar article, the heavy
beam may be raised out of the way of the workers, by pulling the rope attached to.
it and passed through the staple &c. attached to the top beam.
A spring of spiral, eliptical, or other form is attached by a hook, loop or similar
device, to one or both ends of the chain: the spring attached to the chain, and
outside the walls of the silo, shows when the pressure wants renewing, by bending
back to it's original form. It also shows when the pressure wants relaxing; too
much pressure causing the juice or goodness, to flow out of the fodder.

page_text: I JOHN Moss FLETCHER of Cheadle in the County of Chester, Gentleman do
hereby declare the nature of my said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS
FOR COMPRESSING AND PRESERVING ENSILAGE" and in what manner the same is
to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for compressing and
preserving grass and the like to be used as food for cattle, the object of the
invention being to provide simple, cheap and efficient apparatus which can be built
up as the height of the grass or fodder to be preserved is increased and from which
any required part may be removed for the purpose of extracting a portion of the
grass or fodder.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same
by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1 represents a side
elevation of an apparatus for compressing and preserving ensilage and constructed
according to my invention; figure 2, is a vertical transverse section of the same
drawn to a scale of about one inch to the foot; figures 3, 4 5 and 6 are detached
views drawn to a larger scale of some of the parts.
In carrying out my invention I construct the sides and ends of the apparatus of
planks of wood a, (or plates or slabs of other suitable material) placed horizontally'
upon the top of each other; the ends of the said planks a, are dovetailed as shewn
at b, in figure 1, or provided with other suitable means whereby they can be
connected together; the sides a, are held in position from the outside by means of
frames c, and c³, formed of planks of wood, plates or bars of iron or other like
material; the uprights of the said frames may be connected with the top and
bottom cross pieces by being bolted thereto as shewn at d, or by being dovetailed
or otherwise connected together; and the said frames may consist of single
planks so connected together as at c, or of two planks placed side by side to form
the uprights and connected by the said means to single planks to form the cross
pieces as at o¹. The planks a, forming the sides and ends of the apparatus may be
employed in single rows as shewn in the drawing or a second row may be added if
required to render the silo practically air tight and increase the thickness and
stability of the sides and ends. The planks a, are held in position from the interior
by means of screw threaded T hooks or bolts such as are shewn in elevation at
figure 4 and nuts e, or cotters or the like, which hooks or bolts are passed through
holes f, in the uprights c, or between the uprights c¹, and between the planks a;
or other suitable means may be employed for so holding the planks a, in position
or they may be so maintained by the internal pressure of the ensilage. In order to
effect a proper ventilation of the apparatus during the early period of preservation
of the grass or fodder I may if required form one of the edges of the planks a,
with V shaped grooves f, figure 3, for receiving projections g, of a corresponding
shape or nearly so, on the other edges of the planks a. This construction of joint
will allow the carbonic acid or other gas or air to escape from the interior of the
apparatus when pressure is employed on the ensilage in the first stages of
preservation but when such gas and air has escaped, the juice from the compressed
fodder will follow and will enter the said grooves in the planks and causing the
planks to swell at the joints will thereby completely seal the apparatus from the
external air and prevent mould from forming in the ensilage in its later stages of
preservation. Or the desired effect may be produced by forming the edges of the
planks a, plain, that is to say without the said V shaped grooves and projections.

page_text: If it is required that the apparatus shall be air tight from the commencement
lengths of string, india rubber tubing, rushes or other material may be introduced
into the grooves f, for filling up the same or for absorbing the juice of the fodder.
Pressure is produced upon the ensilage by means of a beam h, shewn in figure 2,
and also in part longitudinal elevation at figure 5. Chains are attached at one end
to the floor of the apparatus or to the cross piece of the frames c, and c¹, or to a
powerful spring such as j, or other device suitable for the purpose of holding it.
fast, near the ground.
Rings, hooks or fasteners 61, are secured to the sides of the apparatus through
the uprights c, or c¹, and through the rings 6', pass the chains i, which by this
ineans when attached to the cross pressure beam h, as herein-after described, serve
to strengthen the sides of the apparatus.
The beam h, which is of wood or iron or wood and iron combined is placed above
the fodder and is provided with screw bolts j, and nuts k, shewn in detached
elevation at figure 6, to which bolts j, placed with their heads downwards and
provided with hooks or eyes, are fastened the other ends of the chains i, which by
passing between the grass or fodder and the boards a, or wall of the apparatus as
herein before described tend to prevent the latter from being bulged out through
the pressure of the heavy mass of ensilage against it, the bolts j and nuts k, serve
to allow of the length of the chains i, being increased or diminished.
When the pressure beam h, is required to be of extra strength it may be made of
two planks of wood having a flitch of iron or other like substance between them
and bolted or otherwise fastened together, for the purpose of resisting the tendency
to bend.
Two staples 7, are fastened to the cross beam h, on the upper side to which
staples is attached a rope or chain n, passing through a staple o, in the top of the
apparatus for the purpose of hoisting the beam h, up towards the top of the
apparatus, so as to be out of the way of the workmen when filling the apparatus
with fodder, and for other similar purposes.
A spring m, is fixed towards each end of the pressure beam h, the said springs m,
being so connected with the bolts j, and nuts k, as to indicate when the pressure is
not sufficient and the screw bolts and chains require tightening and for other
similar purposes.
By this construction of apparatus which can be made from rough sawn wood and
is therefore very economical in cost, the whole can be taken to pieces in a very
short space of time and rebuilt almost as quickly; the sides being formed of loose
boards placed horizontally it is only necessary to place a few of them in position on
either side to commence the operation of filling. When the grass thrown in rises
as high as the boards thus placed another is added on each side, thus saving the
labour of throwing the short wet grass over a solid wall twelve or fifteen feet high
as has hitherto been the case.
To empty the apparatus, by unscrewing the nut from the T bolts that hold the
boards in position, and knocking them out with a hammer any pair of boards a, at
any height if the boards are provided with plain edges can be removed for taking
out small trusses of silage or to allow of lambs feeding or for similar purposes and
the boards can be easily replaced without interfering with the top boards or the
pressure above. The end boards may be taken out when only a small space will
be exposed to the air and this is even better than taking out the longer boards.
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
(1). An apparatus for compressing and preserving ensilage having removeable
sides and ends formed of horizontally placed planks which apparatus can be built
up as the height of the grass or fodder to be stored increases and which will allow
of a portion of the ensilage being taken out from any portion of the apparatus
substantially as hereinbefore described.

page_text: (2). In apparatus for compressing and preserving ensilage the combination of the
sides and ends connected as described with the frame constructed of single or
double planks or the like and adapted to receive suitable bolts for fixing the parts
together substantially as herein before described and represented in the accompanying
drawing.
(3). The combination of apparatus for compressing and preserving ensilage
constructed of planks and frames as described with a cross beam upon which
pressure is placed by means of chains passing through the apparatus, the said
pressure being regulated by suitable means such as those described, substantially as
and for the purposes shewn and set forth.
(4). The improved apparatus for compressing and preserving ensilage as herein-
before described and represented in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the lot day of Decemb 100
L
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.