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["Don Bowen" <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>]

> It's called a combine. There are different 'heads' for harvesting corn
> or small grains. It grinds the stalk and cob and throws it back on the
> field.

The corn head has snap rolls that squeeze the ear out of the husk.  Ears of
corn and pieces of husk and stalk then are fed into the threshing head where
the ear is rolled against beaters to knock the kernels off.  The mess of
broken cob, husk and pieces of stalk then are passed over the straw walkers
where the kernels fall to the winnower where the heavier kernels are
separated from the lighter fluff.  Kernels are passed to the grain hopper
and the extra stuff is passed out the back.

The big difference between harvesting small grain or corn outside the head
is adjustments.  Some combined have different threshing heads but most avoid
that expense by adjustments.

Don Bowen  KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html