Class IX.

PRESS-ROLLS—HORSE-HOES—HARVESTING IMPLEMENTS.

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It is curious, indeed, that this very cheap and simplemachine is on some soils superseding the more costly andintricate drill. In the words of Mr. Holmes, its in-ventor,—

They were used very much last turnip-sowing season,and considerably more this season, for sowing manure(rape-cape, malt-coombs, and guano, about 8 or 10 bushelsper acre, and in some instances as much as 20 bushels tothe acre, when a quantity of burnt earth or ashes aremixed) into the furrows ot the ridged turnip-land, at 24,26, and 27 inches apart. The ridges are then turned overon to the manure by the double-breasted plough, and themanure is covered sufficiently out of the way of the seed,although distributed equally around, so that, instead ofstriking immediately into the whole body of manure—as isthe case when drilled in with the manure—it catches itgradually in its different stages of growth.

This plan proved highly satisfactory to all those whotried it last season, which has induced many others topursue the same course this season, not only as regards thecrops themselves, but also in the labour required to put thecrop in. Our manure distributor will cover 3 or 4 furrowsat 27 inches apart, if required, and is worked with onehorse. It is followed by a light drill expressly for turnipsand mangold-wurzel, which is also worked by one horse.Thus it will be readily seen that a great saving of horse-labour was effected by the use of the distributor in theplace of the drill.

This saving of horse-work is indeed great; but it mustnot be disguised that there is inconsistency between theprinciple of general diffusion here recommended, and theconcentration which is the aim of the drop-drill. Eachmethod, in fact, has its merits for different purposes,—concentration for pushing the young plant, extension forfeeding it in its later stages. The question, like manyothers, must be decided by longer experience; but themost perfect method would probably be the combiuationof both plans. To return to our present subject, theyoung growing wheat, it may not only be revived inspring by additional food, but is usually, on light land,settled down in its bed by

3. Press-rolls.

On some soils, especially the calcareous, the groundalternately frozen and thawed in winter throws the rootsof the wheat plant almost out on the surface. For thismischief and that of the wireworm, flocks of sheep wereonce driven over the wheat; but we have long had thewell-known wheel-roll, and, as has been said, Crossbill'sclod-cruslier is a still better presser when it can be used,but is not a perfect substitute, as it requires the land to bedrier. The new clod-crusher, however (Gibson’s), mustserve, I suppose, for both purposes equally well.

4. Horse-hoes.

Machinery can do but one thing more for the growingcrop. The hoe not only clears away a host of youngweeds, but, by loosening the crusted surface, admits theair, and stimulates the growth of the true crop. Evenvineyards are thus found to be relieved during longdrought, and hence it is said that iron should be alwaysbetween the rows of our root-crops. Ridged root-cropshave been long hoed by a single horse, one row at a time.Garrett’s horse-hoe cleans four rows at once of turnips,six of beans, nine of wheat. To hoe wheat thus is a de-licate operation : to hoe even turnips so, when their linesare but just distinguishable, or again, when the leavesalmost meet, requires not only a first-rate implement, buta steady hand and cool head to steer it. This tool willstand well the test of economy, for it will go over tenacres a-day easily, with two horses (sometimes one), aman, and a boy, at a cost of, say 10s. The work couldcertainly not be done otherwise for less than 2s. an acre,20s. altogether, even if you could find hands to do it, inharvest-time. This estimate accords, I find, with thereport of the Judges at the York Meeting, practicalfarmers, who thus speak of the implement:—“ The workdone by it is far superior to any liand-hoeing: it can alsobe done for less than half the cost: indeed, so highly dowe value it, that we think no farmer can farm as he oughtwithout it.” The crops, after hoeing, soon cover the

ground, and are thus beyond man’s interference untiltime, the ripener, summon him to the operations ofharvest.

IIF. Harvesting Implements.

1. Reaping-Machine.

At the opening of this century it was thought that asuccessful reaping-machine had been invented; and areward was voted by Parliament to its author. Themachine was employed here and abroad, but, from itsintricacy, fell into disuse. Another has been lately de-vised in one of our colonies, which cuts off the heads ofthe corn, but leaves the straw standing, a fatal defect inan old-settled country, where the growth of corn is forcedby the application of dung. Our farmers may well,therefore, have been astonished by an American imple-ment which not only reaped their wheat, but performedthe work with the neatness and certainty of an old andperfect machine. Its novelty of action reminded one ofseeing the first engine run on the Liverpool and Man-chester Railway in 1830. Its perfection depended on itsbeing new only in England, but in America the result ofrepeated disappointments and untired perseverance. TheUnited States ’ Patent Commissioner says of Mr. McCor-mick's Reaper—

In agriculture it is, in my view, as important, as a labour-saving device, as the spinning-jenny and power-loom inmanufactures. It is one of those great and valuable inven-tions which commence a new era in the progress of im-provement, and whose beneficial influence is felt in allcoming time.

Besides difficulties common to all inventions, the ma-chine could be tested but for two or three weeks in eachyear. When a defect was discovered, before the remedywas applied to the instrument the harvest was over, andthe new form had to wait a whole year for its trial, whensome fresh failure required a fresh year’s postponementof Anal success. It seems right to put on record Mr.M‘Cormick’s own account of his progress, or some ex-tracts at least from a statement written by him at myrequest:—

My father was a farmer in the county of Rockbridge ,State of Virginia, United States . He made an experimentin cutting grain, in the year 1816, by a number of cylindersstanding perpendicularly. Another experiment of the samekind was made by my father in the harvest of 1831, whichsatisfied my father to abandon it. Thereupon my attentionwas directed to the subject, and the same harvest I inventedand put in operation, in cutting late oats on the farm ofJohn Steele, adjoining my father’s, those parts of my presentreaper called the platform for receiving the corn, a straightblade taking effect oil the corn, supported by stationary’fingers over the edge, and a reel to gather the corn, whichlast, however, I found had been used before, though not inthe same combination.

Although these parts constituted the foundation of thepresent machine, I found in practice innumerable difficul-ties, being limited also to a few weeks in each year, duringthe harvest, for experimenting, so that my first patent forthe reaper was granted June 24th, 1834. During this inter-val 7 was often advised by my father and family to abandon itand pursue my regular business , as likely to be more profitable ,he having given me a farm. No machines were sold until1840, and 1 may say that they were not of much practicalvalue until the improvements of my T second patent, 1845.

These improvements consist in reversing the angle of thesickle-teeth alternately’—the improved form of the fingersto hold up the coni, &c.,— an iron case to preserve thesickle from clogging—and a better mode of separating thestanding corn to be cut. Up to this period nothing but lossof time and money resulted from my efforts. The cale hassince steadily increased, and is now more than a thousandyearly.

One merit of the machine consists in the extreme sim-plicity of its cutting part—a straight saw, vibratingrapidly right and left. The teeth, how ever, incline alter-nately in each direction, so that at each vibration half ofthem are inclined in the direction of the motion, as isshown in the diagram of a portion of the saw.

As to the practical working of the Reaper, two horsesdrew it at the trial very easily round the outside of the