IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE VENTILATION AND DRYING OF CROPS IN THE STACK
Year: 1882

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PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Lee Norton at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th July 1882.
JAMES LEE NORTON of 159 Piccadilly in the County of Middlesex Engineer
'IMPROVED MEANS OR APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING THE VENTILATION AND
DRYING OF CROPS IN THE STACK."
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The Invention has for its object improved means or apparatus for facilitating
the ventilation and drying of crops in the stack thereby assisting the ripening and
preventing undue or excessive heating of the stack.
For this purpose I construct a number of openwork or perforated tubes open
at both ends and in building a stack I place these tubes in juxta-position so as to
form a number of flues or channels communicating with each other and with the
body of the stack in such manner as to carry off heat and vapour before a
dangerous amount thereof is generated.
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In carrying my Invention into effect I according to one arrangement form a
spiral coil of wire of any convenient diameter and if desired fix the coils at
suitable distances apart by longitudinal wires or bars tied or fixed to the coils to
give them rigidity and keep them the required distance apart; or in place of
spiral coils metal rings may by means of longitudinal bars be fixed at the required
distances in a somewhat similar manner to the wire guards used for protecting
young trees, or the openwork tubes may be made of open wirework or netting or
other suitable open or perforated material, the object being to produce a tube to
the interior of which access is available along the entire length and at both ends
these tubes may be made square, round or of other shape so long as the openings
around the same will not be choked or filled up with the material of the stack.
In building a stack I prefer to place one or more of the open work tubes or
guards vertically in the centre of the stack, or in the case of large stacks I place
two or more of such vertical tubes at suitable distances apart for the purpose of
forming one or more vertical flues or channels right through the stack and as the
stack is being built I lay lengthwise and across the same at suitable heights other
openwork tubes either horizontally or inclined and communicating with the
vertical opening or openings so that a complete ventilation is established through
the stack.

page_text: In using these openwork tubes in hay or clover or where the produce requires
to ferment or heat the ends of such tubes may be closed until the desired heat is
attained which is easily ascertained by placing a thermometer inside one of the
spaces or cavities and when it is desirable to let off the heated vapour the ends of
the tubes must be opened when the vapour and heat will be carried off by the
natural currents passing through them.
Should it be found desirable to remove the open work tubes from the stack after
the same is dried the tubes which would then be preferably in the form of simple
coils may be taken out by simply twisting the coils in a similar manner to a
corkscrew.
I prefer to form an opening along the bottom of the stack to communicate with
the vertical tube or tubes so as to establish a current from the bottom of the stack
upwards and if desired any suitable exhausting or air forcing apparatus may be
used in conjunction with the open tubes.