IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DRESSING OR FURROWING OF MILLSTONES FOR GRANULATING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Augustus Bryant Childs, of No. 70, Fenchurch Street,
London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE DRESSING OR FURROWING
OF MILLSTONES FOR GRANULATING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN." A communi-
cation from abroad by Edward Blyth, of Rochester, New York, United States
of North America.
Sealed the 22nd November 1878, and dated the 13th June 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Augustus Bryant Childs at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th June 1878.
AUGUSTUS BRYANT CHILDS, of No. 70, Fenchurch Street, London.
" IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE DRESSING OR FURROWING OF MILLSTONES FOR GRANULATING WHEAT
AND OTHER GRAIN." A communication from abroad by Edward Blyth, of
Rochester, New York, United States of North America.
The nature of my improvement consists in dressing millstones for regulating the
proportion of furrow surface and capacity to the land or grinding surface of the
stone, so that the grain or seed acted on may only be granulated instead of ground,
with less power, and produce an improved quality.
I prefer quartering the face of the stone into twelve divisions, and supplying
each quarter with six furrows and lands; but I wish it understood I do not con-
fine my improvement to the number of quarters, furrows, and lands, as a greater
or lesser number may be used with good results without departing from the nature
of my improvement.
I increase the depth of the furrows from the eye to the skirt of the stone, and
make a main furrow to each quarter, into which main the other furrows in the
same quarter communicate in the usual way; but instead of having the land and
furrow parallel, as usual, or having both of them tapering, as practised in some
cases, I make the furrows parallel and the lands tapering from the eye or centre to
the skirt or circumference of the stone; and instead of having a uniform depth of
furrow I make them with an increased depth from the eye to the skirt of the stone,

page_text: [
that is, about one-eighth of an inch deep at the eye, and gradually increased to one-
quarter of an inch deep at the skirt, more or less, to suit the nature of the material
being treated. By thus making and proportioning the dress of the furrow and
land I can obtain about the same capacity or proportion of furrow and land, from
the eye to the skirt of the stone, which acts on the same quantity of grain with less
power, and causes an improved yield, and by an increase in the furrow surface
capacity, and decreases in the land surface; in the manner herein-before stated, I am
enabled to get an increased granulated instead of grinding action on the grain or
Beed, and at the same time preserve the quality of the material, and get an increased
yield by a given power.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents the face of a millstone furnished
with my improved method of dressing the same; it shows twelve quarters divided
into six furrows and lands, one of the furrows, A, in each quarter being the main
furrow, and extends from the eye to the skirt of the stone, the other furrows b, c, d,
e, and being tributary furrows running from the skirt of the stone into or com-
municating with the main furrow, as represented; the main furrow A is increased
in depth from one-eighth of an inch at the eye to one-quarter of an inch at the
skirt, more or less, as may be required by practice to suit the material being treated.
The furrows b, c, d, e, and f, usually have the same depth at the skirt of the stone
and terminate with an equal depth of furrow when they meet or communicate with
the main furrow A.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view, showing the increased depth of furrow from the eye to
the skirt of the stone by dotted lines g, g. The face of the stone is slightly dished
or sunk, which is common to all millstones.
The shape and extent of the lands h, i, j, k, l, and m are determined by the
number of parallel furrows. If a greater or lesser number of furrows are employed
in the same quarter the wedge or tapering shape of the land will be increased or
diminished in proportion, but by the increased depth given to the parallel furrows at
the skirt of the stone it causes about the same proportion of land and furrow surface
to be retained; and by increasing the depth of furrow at the skirt it also facilitates
the discharge of the material after being sufficiently granulated, and prevents its
heating.
Instead of the parallel furrow being made straight, as shown in the accompanying
Drawings, they may be curved or circular, and the lands made likewise.
Fig. 1 is supposed to represent a stone four feet in diameter, the furrows A, b, c,
d, e, and f, are parallel, and are one inch and a quarter wide, and increase in depth
from the eye to the skirt; as before stated, all the lands h, i, j, k, l, and m, are
three-quarters of an inch wide at the skirt, and taper to one-eighth of an inch wide
when they join or run into the main furrow A.
I give the dimensions of furrows and lands as being what I suppose will prove a
good proportioned dress, but as before stated I do not confine the improvement to
any particular dimensions and number of furrows and lands in each quarter; it is
likely to be found that some grains or seeds can be treated best by an increase or
decrease in the number of furrows and lands, and by an increase or decrease in the
depth of the furrows at the edge or skirt of the stone, or through the whole length
of the furrows.
My improved dress for millstones may be applied to the usual natural material
in use for such purpose, or to any composition of material employed for millstones.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Augustus Bryant Childs in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 26th
November 1878.
AUGUSTUS BRYANT CHILDS, of No. 70, Fenchurch Street, London. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE DRESSING OR FURROWING OF MILLSTONES FOR GRANULATING
WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN." A communication from abroad by Edward Blyth, of
Rochester, New York, United States of North America.
The nature of my improvement consists in dressing millstones for regulating the
proportion of furrow surface and capacity to the land or grinding surface of the
stone, so that the grain or seed acted on may only be granulated instead of ground
with less power, and produce an improved quality.
I prefer quartering the face of the stone into twelve divisions, and supplying
each quarter with six furrows and lands; but I wish it understood I do not confine
my improvement to the number of quarters, furrows, and lands, as a greater or less
number may be used with good result without departing from the nature of my
improvement.
I increase the depth of the furrows from the eye to the skirt of the stone, and
make a main furrow to each quarter, into which main the other furrows in the
same quarter communicate in the usual way; but instead of having the lands and
furrows parallel, as usual, or having both of them tapering, as practised in some
cases, I make the furrows parallel and the lands tapering from the eye or centre to
the skirt or circumference of the stone; and instead of having an uniform depth of
furrow I make them with an increased depth from the eye to the skirt of the stone,
that is, about one-eighth of an inch deep at the eye, and gradually increase to
one-fourth of an inch deep at the skirt, more or less, to suit the nature of the material
being treated.
By thus making and proportioning the dress of the furrow and land I can obtain
about the same capacity or proportion of furrow and land from the eye to the skirt
of the stone, which acts on the same quantity of grain with less power, and cause
an increased yield, and by an increase in the furrow surface capacity and decreases
in the land surface, in the manner herein-before stated, I am enabled to get an
increased granulated instead of grinding action on the grain or seed, and at the
same time preserve the quality of the material and get an increased yield by a
given power.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawings represent the face of a millstone furnished
with my improved method of dressing the same; it shows twelve quarters divided
into six furrows and lands, one of the furrows, A, in each quarter being the main
furrow, and extends from the eye to the skirt of the stone. The other furrows b,
c, d, e, and f, being tributary furrows running from the skirt of the stone into or
communicating with the main furrow, as represented; the main furrow A is
increased in depth from one-eighth of an inch at the eye to one-fourth of an inch
at the skirt, more or less, as may be required by practice to suit the material being
treated; the furrows b, c, d, e, and f, usually have the same depth at the skirt of
the stone, and terminate with an equal depth of furrow when they meet or com-
municate with the main furrow A.
Fig. 2 is a sectional view, showing the increased depth of furrow from the eye to
the skirt of the stone by dotted lines. The face of the stone is slightly dished or
sunk, which is common to all millstones.
The shape and extent of the lands h, i, j, k, l, and m, are determined by the
number of parallel furrows; if a greater or less number of furrows are employed in
the same quarter the wedge or tapering shape of the lands will be increased or
diminished in proportion; but by the increased depth given to the parallel furrows
at the skirt of the stone it causes about the same proportion of land and furrow
surface to be retained, and by increasing the depth of the furrow at the skirt it

page_text: also facilitates the discharge of the material after being sufficiently granulated, and
prevents its heating.
Instead of the parallel furrows being made straight, as shown in the accoin-
panying Drawings, they may be curved or circular, and the lands made likewise.
Fig. 1 is supposed to represent a stone four feet in diameter, the furrows A, b, c,
d, e, and f, are parallel, and are one inch and a quarter wide, and increase in depth
from the eye to the skirt. As before stated, all the lands h, i, j, k, l, and m, are
three-fourths of an inch wide at the skirt, and taper to one-eighth of an inch wide
when they join or run into the main furrow A.
I give the dimensions of the furrows and lands as being a good-proportioned
dress, but as before stated I do not confine my improvement to any particular
dimensions or number of furrows and lands in each quarter; it is likely to be found
that some grains or seeds can be treated best by an increase or decrease in the
number of furrows and lands, and by an increase or decrease in the depth of the
furrow at the eye or skirt of the stone or through the whole length of the furrows.
My improved dress for millstones may be applied to the usual natural material
in use for such purposes, or to any composition of material employed for millstones.
Having now described the nature and construction of my improvement, what I
claim is, providing millstones with a dress consisting of parallel furrows and
tapering lands, being made straight as represented and described, or of any curved
or circular form, to suit the purposes required, all substantially for the objects
herein-before described and represented.
In witness whereof, I, the said Augustus Bryant Childs, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of November, in the year of our Lord
1878.
AUGUSTUS BRYANT CHILDS. (L.S.)