SCREENING SEED.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1261, 30 April 1896, Page 6

SCREENING SEED.

A corn screen, says the Leader, is a very useful thing to have on a farm, and all seed should be screened pre-1 vious to sowing, so as to ensure the re-

jection of light, badly developed and cracked grain. A good corn screen, however, is very dear, and for this reason perhaps many cereal growers elect to do without one. Sometimes, but not very often, grain is put through the ordinary winnower twice, and the [ cleaning io thus receives is considered I sufficient for all practical purposes. Unfortunately the neglect to take proper precautions to free the seed from all foreign matter has contributed a large share to the spread of weeds, many of which from small beginnings have become very serious enemies to the cereal growers. Nor do all farmers take the precaution of seeing that the working horses are so fed as to prevent becoming weed distributes. Every farmer who owns a winnower, and most farmers do, can with very little trouble and less expense turn it into a firstclass corn screen, which will effectually separate the heavy from the light and inferior grain. The mode of procedure is to takeout the i iddles, and instead place a wide board, say one side of a packing case, in the riddle box. This boaid will have to be the full width of the box and long enough to come within about 3 inches of the back portion of the winnower. It may be secured in position by means of screws or nailed lightly to two strips of wood fastened to the inside of the riddle box, and must project forward sufficiently 1 far to intercept the grain as it falls through the hopper. It also needs to be set sufficiently sloping to allow the grain to roll towards the back of the winnower. To screen the grain thoroughly, all that is necessary

is to turn the handle of the winnower quickly, so that a strong blast is generated, and this striking the grain as it drops from the board blows all tho light, inferior cracked grain,’over the

back of the machine, while the heavy, plump seed falls into tho shoot, which in ordinary winnowing receives the cavings, A really first class sample of seed, free from weeds of all kinds, can be prepared in this way, as only the best of the grain is sufficiently heavy to resist the force of the blast and drop into the shoot. This method of clean-

ing grain is very nearly as efficacious as if the best machinery specially designed

for the purpose was employed, and the sample produced is equal to handpicked grain. The expenditure involved in altering the winnower is almost nil, and by going to a very little trouble in tho manner indicated ihe finest sample of seed grain can be prepared. With this simple means of screening tho corn at hand there is really no excuse for sowing dirty or inferior seed.