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Letter to Editor
January 18, 1877
The Worthington Advance
Worthington, Nobles County, Minnesota
What is this article about?
Dr. B. D. Churchill from Indian Lake, NY, tests and reports on using twisted hay as fuel in stoves, calculating that 8 tons last 5 months at a cost of about $3.50 per ton with his machine, promoting its efficiency over traditional methods.
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Full Text
BURNING HAY.
INDIAN LAKE, Jan. 13, 1877.
EDITOR ADVANCE:
The question has been asked me so many times how much hay I can twist in a day with my machine, that, in order to answer correctly, I tested the matter thoroughly. I can twist 100 pounds an hour very easily. Fred Fiero twisted 1/4 of a cord in less than an hour. The 1/4 of a cord lasted 2 days—it was slough hay and quite damp. The 100 hundred pounds that I twisted was fine upland blue joint. I burned 54 pounds in a sheet iron heating stove without damper in the pipe in one hour and fifteen minutes, and had a hot fire all of the time. Now figuring 5 pounds consumed in one hour and a quarter and you will find the result to be 69 pounds in 15 hours. Now in 143 days, or 5 months, you would burn 16,797 pounds, or 8 tons. These figures are calculated for business men.
Our ordinary cook stoves will not burn much more than half that amount—I should say that 6 tons would be sufficient to last from fall till hay is large enough to cut. Although so many are now and have been burning hay for two or three years past there are but few if any that can tell you how much hay is required to last one stove one year. Hay is generally put up haphazard, some having enough and others falling short. I think the above figures a fair estimate; however, it is better to have a ton too much than to not have enough.
A fair estimate of the cost of hay prepared for the stove with my machine will be about $3.50 per ton. Hay can be put in the stack for $1.50 per ton; then $2 will twist and deliver the same.
DR. B. D. CHURCHILL.
INDIAN LAKE, Jan. 13, 1877.
EDITOR ADVANCE:
The question has been asked me so many times how much hay I can twist in a day with my machine, that, in order to answer correctly, I tested the matter thoroughly. I can twist 100 pounds an hour very easily. Fred Fiero twisted 1/4 of a cord in less than an hour. The 1/4 of a cord lasted 2 days—it was slough hay and quite damp. The 100 hundred pounds that I twisted was fine upland blue joint. I burned 54 pounds in a sheet iron heating stove without damper in the pipe in one hour and fifteen minutes, and had a hot fire all of the time. Now figuring 5 pounds consumed in one hour and a quarter and you will find the result to be 69 pounds in 15 hours. Now in 143 days, or 5 months, you would burn 16,797 pounds, or 8 tons. These figures are calculated for business men.
Our ordinary cook stoves will not burn much more than half that amount—I should say that 6 tons would be sufficient to last from fall till hay is large enough to cut. Although so many are now and have been burning hay for two or three years past there are but few if any that can tell you how much hay is required to last one stove one year. Hay is generally put up haphazard, some having enough and others falling short. I think the above figures a fair estimate; however, it is better to have a ton too much than to not have enough.
A fair estimate of the cost of hay prepared for the stove with my machine will be about $3.50 per ton. Hay can be put in the stack for $1.50 per ton; then $2 will twist and deliver the same.
DR. B. D. CHURCHILL.
What sub-type of article is it?
Informative
Persuasive
What themes does it cover?
Agriculture
What keywords are associated?
Burning Hay
Hay Twisting Machine
Fuel Efficiency
Stove Heating
Cost Estimate
Rural Fuel
What entities or persons were involved?
Dr. B. D. Churchill.
Editor Advance
Letter to Editor Details
Author
Dr. B. D. Churchill.
Recipient
Editor Advance
Main Argument
twisted hay is an efficient and economical fuel for stoves, with 8 tons sufficient for 5 months of heating at about $3.50 per ton using the writer's machine, based on thorough testing of production and consumption rates.
Notable Details
Tested Twisting 100 Pounds Per Hour
Burned 54 Pounds In 1 Hour 15 Minutes For Hot Fire
Calculations For 143 Days Yielding 8 Tons Consumption
Comparison To Cook Stoves Using Half The Amount
Cost Breakdown: $1.50 Stacking + $2 Twisting/Delivery