Winnowing is a process by which chaff is separated from grain. It can also be used to remove pests from stored grain. Winnowing usually follows threshing in grain preparation. In its simplest form, it involves throwing the mixture into the air so that the wind blows away the lighter chaff, while the heavier grains fall back down for recovery. Techniques included using a winnowing fan (a shaped basket shaken to raise the chaff) or using a tool (a winnowing fork or shovel) on a pile of harvested grain.
The winnowing-fan (λίκνον [líknon], also meaning a "cradle") featured in the rites accorded Dionysus and in the Eleusinian Mysteries: "it was a simple agricultural implement taken over and mysticized by the religion of Dionysus," Jane Ellen Harrison remarked.[1]Dionysus Liknites ("Dionysus of the winnowing fan") was wakened by the Dionysian women, in this instance called Thyiades, in a cave on Parnassus high above Delphi; the winnowing-fan links the god connected with the mystery religions to the agricultural cycle, but mortal Greek babies too were laid in a winnowing-fan.[2] In Callimachus' Hymn to Zeus, Adrasteia lays the infant Zeus in a golden líknon, her goat suckles him and he is given honey. In the Odyssey, the dead oracle Teiresias tells Odysseus to walk away from Ithaca with an oar until a wayfarer tells him it is a winnowing fan (i.e., until Odysseus has come so far from the sea that people don't recognize oars), and there to build a shrine to Poseidon.
In ancient China, the method was improved by mechanization with the development of the rotary winnowing fan, which used a cranked fan to produce the airstream.[3] This was featured in Wang Zhen's book the Nong Shu of 1313 AD.
In Europeedit
Le vanneur (The Winnower) by Jean-François Millet, a 19th-century depiction of winnowing by fan
In Saxon settlements such as one identified in Northumberland as Bede's Ad Gefrin [4] (now called Yeavering) the buildings were shown by an excavator's reconstruction to have opposed entries. In barns a draught created by the use of these opposed doorways was used in winnowing.[5]
The technique developed by the Chinese was not adopted in Europe until the 18th century when winnowing machines used a 'sail fan'.[6] The rotary winnowing fan was exported to Europe, brought there by Dutch sailors between 1700 and 1720. Apparently, they had obtained them from the Dutch settlement of Batavia in Java, Dutch East Indies. The Swedes imported some from south China at about the same time and Jesuits had taken several to France from China by 1720. Until the beginning of the 18th century, no rotary winnowing fans existed in the West.[7]
In the United Statesedit
The development of the winnowing barn allowed rice plantations in South Carolina to increase their yields dramatically.
Mechanization of the processedit
Winnowing machine from 1839
In 1737 Andrew Rodger, a farmer on the estate of Cavers in Roxburghshire, developed a winnowing machine for corn, called a 'Fanner'. These were successful and the family sold them throughout Scotland for many years. Some Scottish Presbyterian ministers saw the fanners as sins against God, for the wind was a thing specially made by him and an artificial wind was a daring and impious attempt to usurp what belonged to God alone.[8] As the Industrial Revolution, the winnowing process was mechanized by the invention of additional winnowing machines, such as fanning mills.
^Harrison, Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion, 3rd ed. (1922:159).
^Karl Kerenyi, Dionysus: Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life (1976:44).
^The Question of the Transmission of the Rotary Winnowing Fan from China to Europe: Some New Findings, Hans Ulrich Vogel, 8th International Conference on the History of Science in China
^Münzenberg, Hessen. Chapel and Palas (G.Binding, Burg Münzenberg, 1962)
^M.W.Thompson, The Rise of the Castle, (Cambridge University Press, 1991), 5–6.
^Chambers, Robert (1885). Domestic Annals of Scotland. Edinburgh: W & R Chambers. p. 504.
External linksedit
The dictionary definition of winnowing at Wiktionary
February 15, 2024
winnowing, this, article, about, agricultural, method, other, uses, winnow, algorithm, disambiguation, confused, with, windrowing, process, which, chaff, separated, from, grain, also, used, remove, pests, from, stored, grain, usually, follows, threshing, grain. This article is about the agricultural method For other uses see Winnow algorithm and Winnowing disambiguation Not to be confused with Windrowing Winnowing is a process by which chaff is separated from grain It can also be used to remove pests from stored grain Winnowing usually follows threshing in grain preparation In its simplest form it involves throwing the mixture into the air so that the wind blows away the lighter chaff while the heavier grains fall back down for recovery Techniques included using a winnowing fan a shaped basket shaken to raise the chaff or using a tool a winnowing fork or shovel on a pile of harvested grain Rice winnowing Uttarakhand IndiaWinnowing in a village in Tamil Nadu IndiaUse of winnowing forks by ancient Egyptian agriculturalists Contents 1 In Greek culture 2 China 3 In Europe 4 In the United States 5 Mechanization of the process 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksIn Greek culture editFurther information Winnowing oar The winnowing fan liknon liknon also meaning a cradle featured in the rites accorded Dionysus and in the Eleusinian Mysteries it was a simple agricultural implement taken over and mysticized by the religion of Dionysus Jane Ellen Harrison remarked 1 Dionysus Liknites Dionysus of the winnowing fan was wakened by the Dionysian women in this instance called Thyiades in a cave on Parnassus high above Delphi the winnowing fan links the god connected with the mystery religions to the agricultural cycle but mortal Greek babies too were laid in a winnowing fan 2 In Callimachus Hymn to Zeus Adrasteia lays the infant Zeus in a golden liknon her goat suckles him and he is given honey In the Odyssey the dead oracle Teiresias tells Odysseus to walk away from Ithaca with an oar until a wayfarer tells him it is a winnowing fan i e until Odysseus has come so far from the sea that people don t recognize oars and there to build a shrine to Poseidon China edit nbsp Chinese rotary fan winnowing machine from the Tiangong Kaiwu encyclopedia 1637 Main article Fengshanche In ancient China the method was improved by mechanization with the development of the rotary winnowing fan which used a cranked fan to produce the airstream 3 This was featured in Wang Zhen s book the Nong Shu of 1313 AD In Europe edit nbsp Le vanneur The Winnower by Jean Francois Millet a 19th century depiction of winnowing by fanIn Saxon settlements such as one identified in Northumberland as Bede s Ad Gefrin 4 now called Yeavering the buildings were shown by an excavator s reconstruction to have opposed entries In barns a draught created by the use of these opposed doorways was used in winnowing 5 The technique developed by the Chinese was not adopted in Europe until the 18th century when winnowing machines used a sail fan 6 The rotary winnowing fan was exported to Europe brought there by Dutch sailors between 1700 and 1720 Apparently they had obtained them from the Dutch settlement of Batavia in Java Dutch East Indies The Swedes imported some from south China at about the same time and Jesuits had taken several to France from China by 1720 Until the beginning of the 18th century no rotary winnowing fans existed in the West 7 In the United States editThe development of the winnowing barn allowed rice plantations in South Carolina to increase their yields dramatically Mechanization of the process edit nbsp Winnowing machine from 1839In 1737 Andrew Rodger a farmer on the estate of Cavers in Roxburghshire developed a winnowing machine for corn called a Fanner These were successful and the family sold them throughout Scotland for many years Some Scottish Presbyterian ministers saw the fanners as sins against God for the wind was a thing specially made by him and an artificial wind was a daring and impious attempt to usurp what belonged to God alone 8 As the Industrial Revolution the winnowing process was mechanized by the invention of additional winnowing machines such as fanning mills See also editRice huller Rice pounder Sieving Threshing Winnowing sedimentology References edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Winnowing Harrison Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion 3rd ed 1922 159 Karl Kerenyi Dionysus Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life 1976 44 The Question of the Transmission of the Rotary Winnowing Fan from China to Europe Some New Findings Hans Ulrich Vogel 8th International Conference on the History of Science in China Munzenberg Hessen Chapel and Palas G Binding Burg Munzenberg 1962 M W Thompson The Rise of the Castle Cambridge University Press 1991 5 6 Broadcasting and winnowing P C Dorrington Robert Temple The Genius of China p 24 Chambers Robert 1885 Domestic Annals of Scotland Edinburgh W amp R Chambers p 504 External links edit nbsp The dictionary definition of winnowing at Wiktionary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Winnowing amp oldid 1181483449, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
