IMPROVEMENTS IN WINNOWING OR DRESSING GRAIN AND SEEDS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Hall Nalder, of Alvescott, in the County of
Oxford, Farmer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WINNOWING OR
DRESSING GRAIN AND SEEDS."
Sealed the 4th January 1856, and dated the 11th July 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Hall Nalder at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th July 1855.
I, JAMES HALL NALDER, of Alvescott, in the County of Oxford, Farmer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WINNOWING OR DRESSING GRAIN & SEEDS" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates partly to certain improvements in the machinery or
apparatus for which Letters Patent were granted on or about the 11th day of
October 1853, to myself and to John Thomas Knapp, for improvements in
winnowing or dressing corn; and relates also to an improved apparatus for
hummelling, rubbing, or breaking off the husks or chaff from barley or other
grain, applicable to winnowing machines generally, and to portable and fixed
combined thrashing machines, and to thrashing machines general
The improvements consist, first, in the employment of a double blast in
connection with the cylindrical screen described in the Specification of the
Letters Patent herein-before referred to, one blast being directed through the

page_text: centre or interior of the screen, whilst the other is thrown through the corn as
it falls or is delivered from the end of the screen. It is proposed to apply this
double blast and cylindrical screen to winnowing machines generally, and to
portable and fixed combined thrashing machines, and to thrashing machines
of all kinds.
The second portion of the Invention consists in the employment of a com-
bined cylindrical and conical barley hummeller, whereby the same is equally
applicable for hummelling barley, corn, and other descriptions of grain. The
cylindrical portion of the hummeller consists of a rod having a number of
knives fitted spirally therein, and working inside a cylindrical casing. This
casing is terminated at one end by a cone, the interior of which is made
rough or uneven, and in this hollow cone works another cone, the outside or
rubbing surface of which is also rough or uneven. This latter cone is placed
on one end, or on any other suitable portion of the rod carrying the knives, so
that as fast as the grain is chopped by the knives it is gradually carried
onwards into the hollow cone, where it is subjected to a rubbing action between
the two roughened surfaces of the cones, thereby effectually removing there-
from any remaining husks or chaff attached to the grain. As the grain falls
from the edge of the hollow cone it is still further cleaned by falling through
a cross blast of air. The rubbing surfaces may, if found desirable, be made
cylindrical in place of conical, but by making them conical they may be
readily adjusted by a screw or other suitable contrivance to any size of grain
or seed.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Hall Nalder in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
11th January 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HALL NALDER, of Alvescott, in the County of Oxford, Farmer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Hall Nalder, Her special license that I, the said James
Hall Nalder, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said James Hall Nalder, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times

page_text: thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN WINNOWING OR DRESSING GRAIN AND SEEDS," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said James Hall Nalder, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, should particularly 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 James Hall Nalder, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates partly to certain improvements in the machinery
or apparatus for which Letters Patent were granted on or about the 11th day
of October 1853, to myself and to John Thomas Knapp, for improvements in
winnowing or dressing corn; and relates also to an improved apparatus for
hummelling, rubbing, or breaking off the husk or chaff from wheat or other
grain, applicable to winnowing machines generally, and to portable and fixed
combined thrashing machines, and to thrashing machines generally.
The improvements consist, first, in the employment of a double blast in con-
nection with the cylindrical screen described in the Specification of the Letters
Patent herein-before referred to, one blast being directed through the centre
or interior of the screen, whilst the other is thrown through the corn as it falls
or is delivered from the end of the screen.
It is proposed to apply this double blast and cylindrical screen to winnowing
machines generally, and to portable and fixed combined thrashing machines,
and to thrashing machines of all kinds.
The second portion of the Invention consists in the employment of a com-
bined cylindrical and conical barley hummeller, the same being equally appli-
cable for hummelling barley, corn, and other description of grain.
The cylindrical portion of the hummeller consists of a rod having a number
of knives fitted spirally therein, and working inside a cylindrical casing. This
casing is terminated at one end by a cone, the interior of which is made rough
or uneven, and in this hollow cone works another cone, the outside or rubbing
surface of which is also rough or uneven. This latter cone is placed on one
end or on any other suitable portion of the rod carrying the knives, so that as

page_text: fast as the grain is chopped by the knives it is gradually carried onwards into
the hollow cone, where it is subjected to a rubbing action between the two
roughened surfaces of the cones, thereby effectively removing therefrom any
remaining husks or chaff attached to the grain. As the grain falls from the
edge of the hollow cone it is still farther cleaned by falling through a cross
blast of air; the rubbing surfaces may, if found desirable, be made cylin-
drical in place of conical; but by making them conical they may be readily
adjusted by a screw or other suitable contrivance to any size of grain
or seed.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall refer
to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the Figures.
Figure 1 of the Drawings represents a transverse section of a portion of a
fixed combined thrashing machine with my improvements attached; Figure 2
is an enlarged detail end elevation of the conical hummeller or rubber
detached; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the sanie; Figure 4 is an elevation
of the larger or delivery end of the hummeller; Figure 5 is a transverse
section of the spiral knives or blades and outer cylindrical casing of the
hummeller; Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of the conical portion of the
outer casing; and Figure 7 is a transverse section of the same.
A, A, is the framework of the thrashing machine, which is fitted at or near
one end with the cylindrical screen B, the shaft of which works in the fixed
bearings C, C, and is fitted with a driving pulley D for the purpose of giving
a rotatory motion to the screen; E is a fan blower, constructed so as to direct
a double blast through the grain, the mouth F directing a blast of air through
the centre of the screen, whilst the second mouth G directs another blast
through the grain as it falls from the lower or delivery end of the screen. The
screen is made rather closer at the upper portion, so as to deliver the second
tailings into the discharge spout H, and the first tailings into the other dis-
charge spout I, whilst the cleaned grain is delivered by the adjustable spout J.
A-brush-K,-which is fixed into the machine, serves to clean the surface of the
screen as it revolves, and removes therefrom any grain which may stick between-
the wires.
The combined cylindrical and conical barley hummeller is fitted on to the
top of the machine over the cylindrical screen. This hummeller consists
internally of a spindle L (Figure 5), fitted with a driving pulley M and
number of knives N, N, arranged spirally thereon, and working or rotating
inside the cylindrical casing O of the hummeller. This casing is closed at one

page_text: end by a cover P, through the centre of which works the spindle L, whilst the
other end is formed into or fitted with a gradually expanding mouth or conical
casing Q, the interior of which is made rough or uneven by having a
number of longitudinal projections cast therein, as shewn in the details,
Figures 6 and 7.
Within this hollow cone works the conical rubber R (Figures 2, 3, and 4),
which is fast on one end, or any other convenient portion of the spindle L;
this rubber may be composed of wood covered with iron plates. Its surface
is formed with spiral grooves S upon it, which grooves commence at the
smaller end of the cone, and die away towards the larger end, as shewn in
Figure 3. The object of this grooving is to enable the grain which is pushed
or propelled forward by the spiral knives N to enter freely between the
rubbing surfaces of the hummeller and its conical casing.
To facilitate the escape of the grain from these feeding grooves, and cause
it to pass between the rubbing surfaces, one side of the grooves is gradually
inclined, as shewn in Figure 2, otherwise the grain would have a tendency to
remain in the grooves without being hummelled or rubbed. The object of
making the grooves die away towards the large or delivery end of the conc
is to prevent the grain passing direct through the grooves without being sub-
mitted to a rubbing action.
The spaces on the surface of the cone between the feeding grooves is
roughened or punched somewhat after the form of a nutmeg grater, or in any
other suitable manner, for the purpose of more effectively removing the husks
from the grain. The grain to be operated upon is fed into the receiving mouth
or hopper T by the ordinary elevating cans U, which supply it as fast as it
leaves the thrasher to the hummeller. Having passed through the hummeller
and been therein freed from the husks and chaff by the action of the revolving
knives and rubber, the grain passes out by the mouth V into the adjustable
spout W, which conducts it to the cylindrical screen B, herein-before de-
scribed; but as the grain falls from the hummeller on to the spout W, it passes
through a cross blast of air supplied by the fan blower X, by which means the
loose chaff and husks are blown off' and separated from it. This latter blower,
however, is not absolutely necessary when the grain is submitted to a double
blast of air from the fan blower E berein-before referred to, but need be used
only when the hummeller is employed separately without the screen and double
blast. The rubbing surfaces of the hummeller may, if desired, be made
cylindrical, but by making them conical, as shewn in the Drawing, they may
be readily adjusted by an adjusting screw Y or other suitable contrivance to any
size of grain or seed required. Although I have herein described and shewn

page_text: the hummeller as being used in conjunction with the cylindrical screen and
double blast, yet I do not confine myself to using the two combined, but
propose to employ the two apparatus' separately where applicable.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict myself
to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to describe or
refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without deviating from
the principles or main features of my said Invention; but what I consider to
be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by
the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,―
First, the general construction and arrangement of apparatus for winnowing,
dressing, and hummelling or rubbing grain, as herein-before described.
Second, the application and use of the double blast of air in conjunction
with the revolving cylindrical screen for winnowing grain, as herein-before
described.
Third, the peculiar construction, application, and arrangement of apparatus
for hummelling or rubbing grain, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the application and use of a cross blast of air in conjunction with
my improved hummeller or rubber, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Hall Nalder, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Seventh day of January, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-six.
JAMES HALL NALDER. (L.S.)

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
HALL NALDER, of Alvescott, in the County of Oxford, Farmer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said James Hall Nalder, Her special license that I, the said James Hall
Nalder, my executors, administrators, or 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 Ireland, the Channel Islands,
and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WINNOWING OR DRESSING
GRAIN SEEDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Hall
Nalder, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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: And whereas I, the said James Hall
Nalder, in pursuance of the said condition in the said Letters Patent con-

page_text: hand
tained, did, by a Specification, being an instrument in writing under my
and seal, particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, and did cause the same
instrument to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office in Her Majesty's Iligh
Court of Chancery at Westminster, on the Eleventh day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-six: And whereas I
have been advised that one of the claims contained in the said Specification
is too general, and may possibly be deemed to extend to things which I did
not intend to claim, and I am therefore desirous of restricting the said claim
by means of the Disclaimer and Alterations herein-after contained, so as to
make it include those things only to which it was intended to apply.
NOW KNOW YE, THEREFORE, that I, the said James Hall Nalder, by
and with the leave of Sir
Her said Majesty's
General, do hereby disclaim all the mechanical elements of
which the apparatus and parts of apparatus described in my said Specification
are respectively composed, as being separately or apart from the use or appli-
cation of such elements, to form the combinations constituting such apparatus
and parts of apparatus respectively, any part of the Invention comprised in the
said herein-before recited Letters Patent; and do also disclaim every construc-
tion and arrangement of apparatus for winnowing, dressing, and hummelling
or rubbing grain, except apparatus comprised in the said Specification, and the
claims therein contained, as herein-after altered. And by and with the leave
aforesaid, and for the reasons aforesaid, and also for the purpose of causing
the said Specification and this present Alteration and Disclaimer to be more
easily understood, I do hereby alter the said Specification, so that the same
shall, with the aid of the Drawings therein mentioned, particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and the manner in which it is to be
performed, in and by the words, letters, and figures following:-
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"My said Invention relates partly to certain improvements in the machinery
or apparatus for which Letters Patent were granted on or about the Eleventh
day of October, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, to myself and to
"John Thomas Knapp, for improvements in winnowing or dressing corn, and
"relates also to an improved apparatus for hummelling, rubbing, or breaking
"off the husk or chaff from barley or other grain, applicable to winnowing
machines generally, and to portable and fixed combined thrashing machines,
"and to thrashing machines genera!.
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"The improvements consist, first, in the employment of a double blast in
"connection with the cylindrical screen, described in the Specification of the
Letters Patent herein-before referred to, one blast being directed through
66

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"the centre or interior of the screen, whilst the other is thrown through the
"corn as it falls or is delivered from the end of the screen. It is proposed to
apply this double blast and cylindrical screen to winnowing machines gene-
rally, and to portable and fixed combined thrashing machines, and to
thrashing machines of all kinds.
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"The second portion of the Invention consists in the employment of a com-
"bined cylindrical and conical barley hummeller, whereby the same is equally
applicable for hummelling barley, corn, and other descriptions of grain.
"The cylindrical portion of the hummeller consists of a rod, having a number
"of knives fitted spirally therein, and working inside a cylindrical casing.
"This casing is terminated at one end by a cone, the interior of which is made
rough or uneven, and in this hollow cone works another cone, the outside or
rubbing surface of which is also rough or uneven. This latter cone is
placed on one end or on any other suitable portion of the rod carrying the
knives, so that as fast as the grain is chopped by the knives it is gradually
"carried onwards into the hollow cone, where it is subjected to a rubbing
"action between the two roughened surfaces of the cones, thereby effectively
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removing therefrom any remaining husks or chaff attached to the grain.
"As the grain falls from the edge of the hollow cone it is still further
"cleaned by falling through a cross blast of air.
"The rubbing surfaces may, if found desirable, be made cylindrical in place
"of conical, but by making them conical they may be readily adjusted by a
"screw or other suitable contrivance to any size of grain or seed.
"And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall
"now proceed particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
"refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
"the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all
"the Figures."
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Figure 1 of the Drawings represents a transverse section of a portion of a
"fixed combing thrashing machine with my improvements attached; Figure 2
"is an enlarged detail end elevation of the conical hummeller or rubber
detached; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the same; Figure 4 is an eleva-
"tion of the larger or delivery end of the hummeller; Figure 5 is a transverse
"section of the spiral knives or blades and outer cylindrical casing casing of
the hummeller; Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of the conical portion of
"the outer casing, and Figure 7 is a transverse section of the same."
" A, A, is the framework of the thrashing machine, which is fitted at or near
one end with the cylindrical screen B. the shaft of which works in the fixed
bearings C, C, and is fitted with a driving pulley D for the purpose of giving

page_text: 6.
a rotatery motion to the screen; E is a fan below, constructed so as to direct
"a double blast through the grain, the mouth F directing a blast of air
"
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through the centre of the screen, whilst a second mouth G directs another
blast through the grain as it falls from the lower or delivery end of the
screen. The screen is made rather closer at the upper portion, so as to
"deliver the second tailings into the discharge spout II, and the first tailings
into the other discharge spout I, whilst the clean grain is delivered by the
adjustable spout J. A brush K, which is fixed into the machine, serves to
clean the surface of the screen as it revolves, and removes therefrom any
grain which may stick between the wires."
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"The combined cylindrical and conical barley hummeller is fitted on to the
top of the machine over the cylindrical screen. This hummeller consists
"internally of a spindle L (Figure 5), fitted with a driving pulley M, and
"number of knives N, N, arranged spirally thereon, and working or rotating
"inside the cylindrical casing O of the hummeller."
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"This casing is closed at one end by a cover P, through the centre of
which works the spindle L, whilst the other end is formed into or fitted with
"a gradually expanding mouth or conical casing Q, the interior of which is
"made rough or uneven by having a number of longitudinal projections cast
therein, as shewn in the details, Figures 6 and 7."
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"Within this hollow cone works the conical rubber R (Figures 2, 3, and 4),
"which is fast on one end, or any other convenient portion of the spindle L.
This rubber may be composed of wood covered with iron plates."
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Its surface is formed with spiral grooves S upon it, which grooves com-
"mence at the smaller end of the cone and die away towards the larger end,
"as shewn in Figure 3. The object of this grooving is to enable the grain
66
"
which is pushed or propelled forward by the spiral knives N to enter freely
between the rubbing surfaces of the hummeller and its conical casing."
"To facilitate the escape of the grain from these feeding grooves and cause
"it to pass between the rubbing surfaces, one side of the grooves is gradually
"inclined, as shewn in Figure 2, otherwise the grain would have a tendency
"to remain in the grooves without being hummelled or rubbed. The object
"of making the grooves die away towards the large or delivery end of the
"cone is to prevent the grain passing direct through the grooves without being
"submitted to a rubbing action."
"The spaces on the surface of the cone between the feeding grooves is
roughened or punched, somewhat after the form of a nutmeg grater, or in
"any other suitable manner, for the purpose of more effectively removing the
husks from the grain. The grain to be operated upon is fed into the

page_text: receiving mouth or hopper T by the ordinary elevating cans U, which
supply it as fast as it leaves the thrasher to the hummeller. Having passed
through the hummeller and been therein freed from the husks and chaff by
the action of the revolving knives and rubber, the grain passes out by the
"mouth V into the adjustable spout W, which conducts it to the cylindrical
"screen B, herein-before described; but as the grain falls from the hummeller
"on to the spout W it passes through a cross blast of air supplied by the fan
"blower X, by which means the loose chaff and husks are blown off and
"separated from it. This latter blower, however, is not absolutely necessary
"when the grain is submitted to a double blast of air from the fan blower E,
"herein-before referred to, but need be used only when the hummeller is
employed separately without the screen and double blast. The rubbing sur-
"faces of the hummeller may, if desired, be made cylindrical, but by making
"them conical, as shewn in the Drawing, they may be readily adjusted, by
an adjusting screw Y or other suitable contrivance, to any size of grain or
"seed required. Although I have herein described and shewn the hummeller
"as being used in conjunction with the cylindrical screen and double blast,
yet I do not confine myself to using the two combined, but propose to
employ the two apparatus separately when applicable."
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Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
"into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
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"
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myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my said Invention, nor do
"I claim any
the mechanical elements of which the said apparatus and parts
of apparatus are respectively composed, as being separately or apart from the
use or application of such elements, to form the combinations constituting such
apparatus and parts of apparatus respectively as being any part of my said
Invention; but what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore
claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent, is,"
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"First, the general construction and arrangement of apparatus for winnowing,
dressing, and hummelling or rubbing grain by means of such winnowing or
blowing apparatus, dressing or screening apparatus, and hummelling or
rubbing apparatus, as herein-before described."
"Second, the application and use of the double blast of air in conjunction