FEEDER, (1) a stream, fountain or chan nel which feeds or supplies a main stream or canal with water. (2) A branch or side rail way, intended to bring traffic to the main line. (3) In hydraulic engineering, a feeder is a watercourse, natural or artificial, carrying water to a canal or reservoir. (4) In mining, the side branch of a vein which passes into a lode. (5) In sewing machines, that part which carries the cloth along the length of a stitch between each penetration of the needle. (6) In machinery, an auxiliary or supplying part of a machine, that which leads along the stuff being operated on. (7) In iron founding, a head or supply of fluid iron to a runner or mold in heavy castings. (8) In nail making, a contrivance with an intermittent oscillating or semi-rotary and forward motion to present the plate to the cutters, so that the head of the nail may be taken from the respective edges. alternately.
(9) In printing, a device with fingers which take the top sheet from a pile and lead it into the press where it is printed or folded. (10) In steam engineering, a device for supplying steam boilers with water in quantities as re quired. Automatic boiler-feeders act by means of floats on the surface of the water in the boilers. (11) In threshing, the grain-feeder, which forwards the opened sheaves into the throat of the thresher, or the grain into the eye of the millstone, or the grain and chaff from the hopper to the riddle of a winnowing ma chine, or the grain from the bin to the manger of sheep or other stock. (12) In electricity, a lead in an electric central station distribution system, which lead runs from the station to some point in the district to supply current.