AN IMPROVED MACHINE POR WINNOWING OR DRESSING CORN AND OTHER GRAIN
Year: 1839

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
FISHER SALTER, of Great Hallingbury, in the County of Essex, Farmer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-third day of March, in the third year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto ine, the said Thomas
Fisher Salter, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that
I, the said Thomas Fisher Salter, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Thomas Fisher Salter, my exors, adñiors, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise; and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-
upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVED MACHINE POR WINNOWING OR
DRESSING CORN AND OTHER GRAIN;" in which said Letters Patent is con-
tained a proviso, that I, the said Thomas Fisher Salter, should cause
particular description of my said Invention, and the manner in which
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High
Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Fisher Saltér, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention
of an improved machine for winnowing and dressing corn and other grain

page_text: consists in constructing it in such manner that it possesses the following
advantageous properties, that is to say :-
First, by my said improved machine, to be herein-after particularly described,
corn or other grain may be more completely and more speedily dressed or
winnowed, or separated from the chaff, dross, corn seeds, dirt, and other
matters desired to be separated therefrom, and that with less labor than
heretofore; second, the action of the machinery may be varied and regulated
according to the different kinds of grain desired to be winnowed or dressed, so
as to be equally applicable to all sorts of grain; third, the chaff separated
from the corn or other grain is by the said machine at the same time dressed,
instead of this operation having to be performed afterwards, as heretofore;
fourth, where barley is the grain to be dressed, my said machine may be made
to separate the beards or tails from the barley instead of this having to be
previously done by a "barley chopper," as heretofore; fifth, the various
operations performed by my said machine may be used singly, or only one or
two of them together, as herein-after described; and, sixth, my said machine
will, at the same time that it dresses or winnows the corn or grain, act as a
polisher thereof, giving to rough or discoloured grain, particularly barley and
oats, an improved appearance in point of color and handling.
And I declare that the manner in which my Invention is to be performed
is fully set forth and explained in the followimg description of my improved
machine for winnowing or dressing corn or other grain, and in the Drawings
thereof hereunto annexed and referred to, similar letters and figures of
reference denoting similar parts in the several Figures of the said Drawings,
that is to say:-
Figure 1 is an end elevation of my improved winnowing or dressing machine;
Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof, the front doors and sliding board R being
removed; and Figure 3 is a plan thereof; in each of these Figures, a is a
hopper, into which the corn or grain to be winnowed or dressed is placed;
b is a sliding plate, door, or shutter to regulate the rate of passage of the
corn or other grain into the cylindrical sieve c, c, and onward to the semi-
cylindrical metal hopper d, d. The cylindrical sieve and metal hoppers are
placed in an inclined position, and the sieve is made of wire or other suitable
material. The cylindrical sieve c, c, is divided from the semicylindrical hopper
by means of the sliding plate or shutter c, running-in the grooves d', d', so
that the degree of beating or agitating to be given to various kinds of corn or
grain may be regulated by diminishing or enlarging the aperture covered by
the said sliding plate. By making the aperture small, the corn or grain will
be kept longer in the cylindrical sieve c, c, and be subjected to a greater degree

page_text: of beating or agitation, as is necessary in the case of barley to separate or break
off the beards or tails therefrom. The semi-cylindrical metal hopper is pro-
vided with a longitudinal opening or slot in the lower part thereof, which
opening or slot may be enlarged or decreased in width by means of the sliding
shutter, arm, and screw nut j, j, j, within the cylindrical sieve and semi-cylin-
drical hopper. The shaft e, e, is made to revolve (by the means herein-after
described); this shaft is supported by and turns at the lower end in the iron
framing M, and at the other end in the bearing at N. That part of the shaft
e, e, which revolves within the throat f, f, of the hopper has attached to it the
three arms or beaters g, g, for the purpose of stirring up the corn or grain,
and promoting its passage into the cylindrical sieve. That part of the shaft
revolving in the cylindrical sieve and semi-cylindrical hopper is also provided
with a number of arms or beaters h, h, h, placed at short distances from each
other, (in the Drawing there are twenty-two in the sieve and fourteen in the
hopper,) in position, coiling like the thread of a screw round the said shaft, as
is clearly shewn in the plan, Figure 3, of the Drawings (the upper part of
the cylindrical sieve being removed to shew the same). i, i, are sieves, the
meshes of which are of different degrees of fineness. The frames immediately
containing the wire or other fabric of which the sieve is made are moveable,
and slide in and out of grooves in the box or framing k, k, so that sieves of
different degrees of fineness or coarseness may be used in the same machine
according to circumstances. The sieve frame k, k, receives a lateral recipro-
eating motion by the means herein-after described. It is supported at about
a third from one end of its length by the rods 1, P, which pass through each
side of the machine. At the end of the longer portion of the sieve frame
which preponderates by its superior weight, it is supported by the chains
m, m, which turn round and are fixed at their ends on the semicircular pulleys
n, n, on the shaft o; the rods 1, 13, serve partly, therefore, as pivots upon
which the sieve frame turns. At one end of the shaft o is a half ratchet
wheel and pall, and by turning the shaft by means of the handle p the chains
are wound upon or unwound from the pulleys n, n, and the sieve frame k, k,
thereby receives a greater or less angle of inclination. A graduated dial is
placed on the outside casing of the machine, so that the degree of angle
at which the sieve is held may be indicated, without inspecting the interior
The
of the machine, the handle p serving the purpose of an index band.
sides of the sieve frame k, k, are connected to the side casing of the
machine by means of the leather, cloth, or other flexible fabric a, q, which
is sufficiently loose to permit the said sieve frame to have the full lateral
motion provided for it by the machine as herein-after explained; the said

page_text: ม
leather or cloth preventing any of the grain from falling over the sides of
the said sieve frame, instead of passing through the meshes. The corn or
grain as it passes from the sieve i, i, is guided by another hopper r, r, (which
is regulated by means of the thumb screw and graduated plate seen in
Figure 1,,) on to the upper part of the screen s, s. This screens, s, receives
a like lateral reciprocating motion, as is given to the sieve frame k, k, and is
also herein-after described. The upper end of the screen 8, s, is supported by
the rods t', t³, which pass through the sides of the frame of the machine. Its
lower end is supported by chains u, u, going over pullies v, v, and provided
with a half ratchet wheel w, by which means the angle of inclination of the
said screens, 8, may be altered, as before described of the sieve frame k, k.
There is also a graduated dial, as before described, of the sieve frame, and for
the like purpose; a, a, are inclined boards to guide the seeds separated from the
corn or grain falling through the screen s, s, into the bottom of the machine;
is the revolving fan or blower; z is a sliding door or shutter for the admis-
sion of air into the said fan or blower; the quantity of air to be admitted may
be regulated by the opening or closing more or less of the said sliding door or
shutter. Motion is given to the various parts of the machine by the means
following, that is to say:The shaft or axis A, being turned by manual or
other power applied to the handle B, or to a pulley, rigger, and band in lieu
thereof, or otherwise the cog wheel C will revolve. The cogs of the wheel C
take into, at different points of its circumference, the pinion D, upon nearly
the end of the inclined revolving beater shaft e, e, and the pinion E upon
the axis of the fan or blower y. Thus the inclined beater shaft and the fan
or blower will be simultaneously made to revolve. Upon the end of the
shaft e, e, is also placed the eccentric motion F, of which the rod G is jointed
at its lower end to the arm or lever H, projecting from the shaft I. This
shaft I is also provided with two other projecting arms or levers K, L, the
arm K being jointed to the end of the rod t attached to the sieve frame
k, k, and the arm L being jointed to the rod t attached to the screen 8, s.
Thus by the revolution of the shaft e, e, the eccentric will give an up and down
motion to the connecting rod G, which will produce a partial revolution back-
wards and forwards of the shaft or axis I, which by means of the arms K, 1,
and L, t¹, will give a lateral reciprocating motion to the sieve frame k, k, and
to the screen s, s. R is a sliding back board to separate the shaft from the
dross corn, which is regulated by a turnscrew, as shown at S; X, X, are
handles by which the machine may be lifted into any desired situation;
Z, Z, Z, Z, are the parts composing the framework of the machine.
The machine hercin-before described may be modified so as to act simply

page_text: as a blowing machine, to be used after the chaff has been separated from the
corn in the manner following, that is to say:-The pin connecting the rod G
with the short arm II is to be removed, thereby both the sieve frame k and
the screen s will be disconnected from the motive power, and the sieves i, i,
being drawn out of their grooves, the corn or grain will fall immediately from
the semi-cylindrical hopper d, d, on to the screen s, being acted upon as it
falls by the air from the fan or blower y. Or the machine may be used with
the sieves i, i, in action, and without the screen s being in action, by removing
the pin connecting the rod t with the lever or arm L, or with the screen s
in action, and without the sieves i, i, by removing them from the frame k, k,
and taking out the pin connecting the lever or arm K with the rod ; or the
machine may be used simply for sifting and screening, by removing the cog
wheel or pinion E, or shifting it on its axis, so as to be out of gearing of the
large cog-wheel C, whereby it will be disconnected from the motive power.
Having now fully described my said improved machine for winnowing and
dressing corn or other grain, I shall now proceed to describe its action or
mode of operation, that is to say:-
The undressed corn or other grain is placed in the hopper a, where it is
kept in a state of motion or agitation by the arms or agitators g, and its
passage promoted through the aperture left by the sliding plate b into the
cylindrical sieve c, in which it is further agitated or beaten; dirt, dust, and
other like matters falling through the meshes of the said sieve into the box
or part of the machine U. The arms, agitators, or beaters h, h, being placed
round the shaft in the form of a screw, thereby serve to force onward the
corn or grain in the sieve (as well as to agitate it) through the aperture left
by the sliding plate or door c¹, into the semi-cylindrical hopper d, d, where it
is further agitated and stirred up by the arms or agitators on the shaft e, e,
and forced through the longitudinal regulated opening or slot in the bottom of
the said semi-cylindrical bopper; as it falls from this hopper the corn or grain
is acted upon by the blast from the fan or blower, which blows obliquely
upwards directly through the sieves, and carries the chaff, which has been
loosened and separated from the grain by the previous operations it has under-
gone, out of the machine by the back aperture at V, the dross, corn, or grain
falling into the division of the machine W. The lumps of earth, stones, or
over the edges of the ends of
other matters larger than the corn or grain fall
the sieves i, i. The corn or other grain then falls upon the screen s, s,
through which the seeds and other foreign matter which can pass through
the meshes of the said screen, and which has not previously been separated
from the corn or other grain, pass by the lateral reciprocating motion which

page_text: is given to the said screen as before described. The clean and dressed corn
or grain lastly falls from the mouth of the said screen into any receptacle
which may be put there to receive the same.
And having now fully described my said Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I declare that that I claim as new and of
my Invention, the improved machine for winnowing or dressing corn and other
grain herein-before described, by means of which corn or other grain will be
more completely and more speedily dressed or separated from the chaff, dross,
grain, seeds, dirt, and other matters desired to be separated therefrom, and
that with less labour than heretofore; and the action of which machine may
be so varied and regulated as to be equally applicable to all sorts of grain,
and by which machine also the chaff is dressed, as well as and simultaneously
with the grain, and where barley is the grain to be dressed, the tails or beards
of such barley are blown off and separated, instead of this operation being
performed by a "barley chopper," as heretofore, and which machine also may
be used as a blowing machine only, or one, two, or more of the operations
performed by the said machine only may be put in action as herein-before
described, and by means of which machine also discoloured, rough, or coarse
barley, oats, or other grain will be polished and improved in appearance. And
I declare that I do not claim the performing of any of the operations of
blowing, sifting, screening, and polishing corn or other grain separately, unless
when the same are performed by the adaptation of my said improved machine,
to the performance of such operations separately; but I particularly claim the
cylindrical sieve and the shaft with the screw coil of agitators or arms
thereon, turning therein, in whatever way they may be used, in the dressing of
corn or other grain, whether in connection with the other part of my improved
machine, or some or one of them, or otherwise. And such my Invention
being to the best of my knowledge and belief entirely new, and never before
used within that part of Her said Majesty's United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland called England, Her said Dominion of Wales or Town of
Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do hereby declare this to be my Specification of the
same, and that I do verily believe this my said Specification doth comply fully
and without reserve or disguise, with the proviso in the said herein-before in
part recited' Letters Patent contained. Wherefore I hereby claim to main-
tain exclusive right and privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Fisher Salter, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this 23rd day of September, One thousand eight
hundred and thirty-nine
THOS. F. (L.S.) SALTER.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-third day of Sep-
tember, in the year of our Lord 1839, the aforesaid Thomas Fisher Salter
came before our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged
the Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and
specified, in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was
stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-third day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine.