[Stoves] grass heat stoves

[jim mason]

here's an interesting mention of tubular grass stoves on the cornell
grassbioenergy site.  the link is here:
http://grassbioenergy.org/faq/faq.asp.

i have not followed the stove list in much detail (which is terrible
of me, i know) so i apologize if this or the like has gone across here
previously.

jim




Q: How old is the "new" concept of grass heating in the US?
A: Pioneers who settled in the Midwestern prairies had no wood and
could not afford coal. So they burned "Prairie coal" (buffalo chips)
until supplies grew scarce. Then they switched to burning grass,
twisted up into packets (the earliest form of densification). The
packets were known as "cats". (Fire on the Hearth, by J.H. Peirce,
1951, Pond-Eckberg Co., Publ.).


Q: What ideas came with the immigrants to allow burning hay on the
prairies in the 19th century?
A: Large brick or stone "Russian" furnaces were fed significant
quantities of loose grass 3-4 times daily, the structure radiated
sufficient heat for up to 6-8 hours. They were usually
centrally-located in the house
 Two-cylinder Hay Burner

Q: Did Yankee ingenuity build a better mousetrap?
A: Numerous US patents were granted for hay burning iron stoves in the
late 19th century. Metal cylinders over a foot in diameter or
magazines were stuffed with grass, and tension was provided to feed
the hay directly into the firebox. One packed cylinder could keep a
good fire for an hour or two. These stoves were very dangerous to
operate. Various devices also were invented for twisting grass into
sticks that could be cut to length like stove wood.

(there are pix of this on the real page)