IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING AND VENTILATING CORN AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE, AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Dyson, of Tudhoe, near Ferry Hill, in the
County of Durham, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING AND
VENTILATING CORN AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE, AND IN APPARATUS
THEREFOR."
Sealed the 19th March 1867, and dated the 21st September 1866.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Dyson at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
21st September 1866.
I, GEORGE DYSON, of Tudhoe, near Ferry Hill, in the County of Durham,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
DRYING AND VENTILATING CORN AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE, AND IN.
APPARATUS THEREFOR," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in a method of rapidly and inexpensively drying and
ventilating grain in the straw, also hay and other agricultural produce. The
crop of corn, hay, or other produce is to be removed from the field as soon as
convenient after being cut, and is then to be deposited or built in stacks. I
prefer that the stacks should be circular in form and of rather small dimen-
sions. In the centre of each stack I place perpendicularly a hollow cylinder
or cone of light galvanized iron, which must be high enough to reach from the
base nearly to the crown of the stack: The. cylinder or cone should be in
capacity about one-tenth of the cubic contents of the stack, and must le

page_text: pierced over the whole of its surface with small holes so as to admit the easy
passage of air through them. The bottom of the cylinder or cone is to be
open; the top wholly or partially closed. I prefer that the stacks of grain or
other agricultural produce should be placed upon raised platforms supported
by iron or stone pillars, so that the bottom of the stack may be two feet or
more from the ground. To the open bottom of the cone or cylinder I connect
a pipe of suitable dimensions communicating with an air pump fan, blowing
engine, or other mechanical apparatus, for compressing or exhausting air.
The stack of grain being built round the cone or cylinder, and the connection
made with the air-pump or other apparatus, the machine is to be put in
motion either by manual labour, horse, steam, water; or other power as may
be most convenient, and thereupon air will be forced or drawn through every
part of the stack by compression or exhaustion, and the grain and straw will
thereby be dried and ventilated. If compression be used the air may before
being forced through the stack be dessicated or heated by passing it through
suitable heating or drying stoves or pipes. In some cases it may be found
economical to use a tall chimney for producing exhaustion instead of a
mechanical apparatus. It is desirable that the upper part of the stack should
be covered or protected sufficiently when necessary to prevent rain falling
thereon.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Dyson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
21st March 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
DYSON, of Tudhoe, near Ferry Hill, in the County of Durham, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-first day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said George Dyson, Her special licence that I, the said George Dyson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
George Dyson, 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

page_text: Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN DRYING AND VENTILATING CORN AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE
AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR," upon the condition (amongst others) that
the said George Dyson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument
in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands aud seals, should par-
ticularly 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 George Dyson, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
This Invention consists in a method of rapidly and inexpensively drying
and ventilating grain in the straw, also hay and other agricultural produce.
The crop of corn, hay, or other produce is to be removed from the field as soon
as convenient after being cut, and is then to be deposited or built in stacks.
I prefer that the stacks should be circular in form and of rather small
dimensions. In the centre of each stack I place perpendicularly a hollow
cylinder or cone of light galvanized iron, which must be high enough to reach
from the base nearly to the crown of the stack. The cylinder or cone should
be in capacity about one-tenth of the cubic contents of the stack, and must be
pierced over the whole of its surface with small holes so as to admit the easy
passage of air through then. The bottom of the cylinder or cone is to be
open, the top wholly or partially closed. I prefer that the stacks of grain or
other agricultural produce should be placed upon raised platforms supported
by iron or stone pillars, so that the bottom of the stack may be two feet or
more from the ground. To the open bottom of the cone or cylinder I connect
a pipe of, suitable dimensions communicating with an air pump, fan, blowing
engine, or other mechanical apparatus for compressing or exhausting air. The
stack of grain being built round the cone or cylinder, and the connection
made with the air pump or other apparatus, the machine is to be put in
motion either by manual labour, horse, steam, water, or other power as may
be most convenient, and thereupon air will be forced or drawn through every
part of the stack by compression or exhaustion, and the grain and straw will
thereby be dried and ventilated. If compression be used the air may before
being forced through the stack be dessicated or beated by passing it through
suitable heating or drying stoves or pipes. In some cases it may be found
economical to use a tall chimney for producing exhaustion instead of a

page_text: mechanical apparatus. It is desirable that the upper part of the stack should
be covered or protected sufficiently when necessary to prevent rain falling
thereon.
Having thus stated the nature of my Invention, I will proceed more fully
to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
The Drawings represent a vertical section of a stack having apparatus
applied thereto according to my Invention for quickly ventilating and con-
sequently drying the same.. A is a vertical perforated hollow cone, which is
the form I prefer, but it may be of a cylindrical or of other hollow form; it is
closed at the upper end. This hollow cone is perforated in all parts with
numerous holes so that the air forced in at the lower end may pass freely in
.all directions. The upper part of the stack may with advantage be covered or
thatched if the weather be wet when the ventilating process is being per-
formed; B is a pipe leading from the lower part of the hollow cone to the
outlet of a rotatory fan C, which is to be driven by a steam engine or other
power. It is preferred that the air should be forced into the interior of the
upright hollow cone A and pass off in all directions through the perforations;
but a similar effect may be produced in regard to the ventilation of a stack if
the air be constantly removed from the interior of the hollow cone A, as the
exterior air will flow freely through the stack and into the hollow cone A, and
be thence constantly removed by the fan. I prefer that the upright hollow
cone A should be of sheet iron coated with zinc, but the same may be of other
suitable material, taking care in all cases that the perforations, openings, or
passages formed therein may be so arranged and distributed as to cause the
streams of air, whether forced from the interior outwards or caused to flow
from the exterior of the stack into the interior of the opening to be as
uniformly diffused throughout the stack as may be. In place of a rotating
'fan other forms of air pumps or air propelling apparatus may be employed.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Dyson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twentieth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
GEO. DYSON. (LS.)