Today in 1913, US Patent 1054121 A was issued, an invention of Emil Clemens Horst, for his “Hop-Cluster Machine.” There’s no Abstract, although in the description it includes this summary:
My invention relates to means for mechanically picking hops and has particular reference to a machine for picking the hops from. clusters which have been separated from the vine during the earlier picking operations.
This mechanism is in a sense a combination with the machine shown in my co-pending application, filed of even date herewith and entitled separating cylinders. In that application an inclined cylinder of polygonal cross section is shown, there being separating means underneath the cylinder. It was found that many clusters of hops did not pass through the interstices in the cylinder but passed as clusters out of the lower end of the machine.
It is the object, therefore, of the present invent-ion to provide novel mechanism whereby any clusters which pass through the separating cylinder shall enter the cylinders of the present invention and there be finally separated.
