Combination Harvester and Thresher

Another development was the combination harvester and thresher used on the larger farms of the West. This machine does not cut the wheat close to the ground, but the cutter-bar, over twenty-five feet in length, takes off the heads. The wheat is separated from the chaff and automatically weighed into sacks, which are dumped as fast as two expert sewers can work. The motive power is a traction engine or else twenty to thirty horses, and seventy-five acres a day can be reaped and threshed. Often another tractor pulling a dozen wagons follows and the sacks are picked up and hauled to the granary or elevator.

Haying Machines

In 1822, Jeremiah Bailey, of Chester County, Pennsylvania, patented a horse-drawn machine with a revolving wheel with six scythes, used for haying and other cutting.

The haying machine was co-developed with the reaper. The basic idea in the reaper, the cutter-bar, became part of mower. Hazard Knowles, an employee of the Patent Office, invented the hinged cutter-bar, which could be lifted over an obstruction, but never patented the invention.

In 1844, William Ketchum of Buffalo, New York patented the first machine intended to cut hay only, and dozens of others followed. An improved mowing machine was patented by Lewis Miller of Canton, Ohio, in 1858.

Other Inventions

Other inventions created during the agricultural revolution included: clover hullers, bean and pea threshers, ensilage cutters, manure spreaders, and dozens of others. On the dairy farm the cream separator increased the quantity and improved the quality of the butter. New power also drove the churns. Cows were milked and sheep were sheared by newly invented machines and eggs were hatched without hens.

(http://inventors.about.com/od/rstartinventions/a/reaper 3.htm)

Prepare a short presentation on one of the problems given below (see Appendix 4 on p. 43)

1. Haying machines.

2. Threshers.

3. Pick up balers.

4. Grain harvesters.

5. Potato harvesters.

6. Vegetable harvesters.

7. Soft fruit harvesters.

8. The combine of the future.

IV. Final Activity

Visit the link www.izhgsha.ru to find out more about the Faculty of Mechanical and Agricultural Engineering of the Izhevsk State Agricultural Academy.

Consider the following points:

- the history of the faculty;

- the faculty staff;

- the departments of the faculty;

- the total number of students;

- students’ life.

Present your report in writing (1 page).

You can use other additional resources.

UNIT 8. ECONOMICS

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Write a letter to your friend and tell him (her) what interesting facts you have learnt from this text.	\|	Read the text to find out what economics deals with; complete the diagram.

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