AN IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING GRAIN FOR THE PREVENTION OF SMUT
Year: 1885

page_text: Prevention of smut.
I GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN of the General Patent Office, N° 4, South
Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent do hereby declare the
nature of the said invention for "AN IMPROVED MACHINE OR APPARATUS FOR
TREATING GRAIN FOR THE PREVENTION OF SMUT a communication from abroad
by Francois Marie Davoine of Sidi Bel Abbés, Oran, Merchant to be as follows:—
"
The improved apparatus is very simple in construction and consists mainly of a
hopper for the grain, a vessel or receiver for the vitriol or other solution, a box or
case and an archimedean screw.
By this arrangement of apparatus the treating of the corn, barley and the like
in vitriol or lime which is indispensable for preventing or lessening to a great
extent the disease known as smut in seed crops is effected automatically; and in
the space of one hour two persons are enabled to treat one hundred pounds weight
of grain. In order to ensure a successful operation it is only necessary for one of
the operators when he has filled the hopper with grain and the vessel or receiver
with solution to open simultaneously the cock of the receiver and the hopper
whilst the other operator rotates the archimedean screw by means of a suitable
handle. The openings in the hopper and the cock are gauged so that they do not
require to be regulated.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Machine or Apparatus for Treating Grain for the
Prevention of Smut.
I GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the General Patent Office, No 4, South
Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent do hereby declare
the nature of this invention (a communication from abroad by Francois Marie
Davoine of Sidi-Bel-Abbés, Oran, Merchant) and in what manner the same, is to
be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
The improved apparatus
very simple in construction and consists mainly of a
hopper for the grain, a vessel or receiver for the vitriol or other solution, a box or
case and an archimedean screw.
In order to enable the invention to be fully understood I will describe the same
by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1 represents a longi-
tudinal section on line A B of figure 2 which is a plan of a machine or apparatus
constructed according to this invention for treating grain for the prevention of
smut; figure 3 is an elevation drawn to a larger scale of the octagonal shaft of the
Archimedean screw shewing the holes with which it is formed; figure 4 is an
elevation and figure 5 an edge view of the wings which are fixed in the shaft ;
figure 6 is a transverse section of the shaft shewing one of the wings fixed in
position.
In figures 1 and 2 a, is the gear wheel for operating the machine by means of
the handle c, and engaging with the gear wheel b, of the Archimedean screw h;
d, is the cock of the vessel or receiver f, containing the vitriol or other solution;
e, is the hopper in which the grain to be treated is placed; g, is the frame or
stand of the machine; i, is a grated cover of an opening through which access can
be obtained to the interior of the machine when required; 7, is the hole through
which the grain leaves the machine.
By this arrangement of apparatus the treating of the corn, barley and the like
in vitriol or lime which is indispensable for preventing or lessening to a great
extent the disease known as smut in seed crops is effected automatically and in
the space of one hour two persons are enabled to treat one hundred pounds weight
of grain. In order to ensure a successful operation it is only necessary for one of
the operators when he has filled the hopper e, with grain and the vessel or
receiver f, with solution to open simultaneously the cock d, of the receiver f, and
the hopper e, whilst the other operator rotates the Archimedean screw h, by means
of the handle c. The openings in the hopper and the cock are gauged so that they
do not require to be regulated.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is
In a machine or apparatus for treating grain for the prevention of smut the
combination of a hopper in which the grain is placed and a vessel or receiver for
the vitriol or other solution, with an Archimedean screw substantially as herein-
before described and represented in the accompanying drawing.