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Vol. I.
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248

IMPLEMENTS OF HUSBANDRY

side presented to the cylinder, the teeth being parallel, andabout one-eighth of an inch distant from one another. Thecylinder and breast are both placed in a horizontal position,the grain being cut in passing through between the sharpenededges of the flutes in the cylinder, and those of the breast.If the grain is dry, and the cylinder driven at a proper mo-tion, which should be about three hundred and sixty or se-venty revolutions in one minute, either of these machineswill bruise or cut five or six bolls (from 30 to 36 bushels), ofoats, wheat, or barley, and seven or eight bolls (28 to 32 bu-shels), of beans and pease, in the hour. This mode of pre-paring corn for horses must be of great advantage to thosewho have a number of these useful animals; it having beenfound from experience, that in feeding horses with grain,when bruised or cut, seven bolls of the same, or of as goodgrain, are equal, if not superior, in nutriment, to eight bolls,when given to them whole. The practice, therefore, deservesparticular attention, especially in the British empire, whereso great a number of horses arc now employed, not only inhusbandry, but also in working various sorts of machines, andwheel-carriages, besides those kept for the saddle and otherpurposes.

2. The Straw-Cutter is made use of in some parts of Scot-land , not only for cutting straw or hay, but a machine on thesame principle is employed, for cutting oak-bark used bytanners. It consists of a wooden frame about six feet long,two feet nine inches high, and from twelve to fifteen inchesin breadth. A strong box, open above, is fixed on the topof this frame, and into it are placed two small rollers of wood,round which passes a piece of double canvas •, so that, whenthese rollers are turned round by the motion of the cutting-wheel, the straw, being spread upon the canvas, is conveyedforward more or less, according to the length the straw is tobe cut. This implement is made of different constructions,one of which has the cutters or knives fixed upon a woodenwheel about four feet diameter; others have these cutters fas-