104 THE YEAR-BOOK OF AGRICULTURE. 



McFarlane's Corn-Planter. 



The accompanying engraving is a perspective view of an improved corn-planter, the inven- 

 tion of Mr. J. G. MeFarlanc, of Newville, Cumberland county, Pa. The object of the invention 

 in to make the furrow deposit the seed with manure or plaster, if desired, and cover the 

 peed with earth — all at one and the same operation. 



The nature of the invention consists in the employment of a self-acting scraper, working 

 over the feeding apertures for regulating the proper number of grains to be fed into the 

 hill ; it also consists in the use of a hanging scraper, by which the groove of the wheel is 

 always kept clear, so as to be in a condition for facilitating the operation of the wheel. A is 

 the hopper ; it has a division for corn and another for plaster or guano. B is the slide ; it is 

 operated by a spiral spring C and a crank D. It has a small, round aperture 1, which 

 receives and discharges the grains of corn from the hopper; at the other end is an oblong 

 slot 2, through which the guano or plaster passes, and is discharged through the tunnel E 

 along with the grain. F are the handles; G the operating wheel, which is behind the de- 

 positing tube II. The wheel has a grooved periphery nnd flanges at each side; these cover 

 the seed after it is deposited 1 I are projecting pins on the wheel for striking on the drop- 

 s-houlder of the crank, as the wheel revolves, to operate the slide at certain intervals nuking 

 the hills. Two or more of such pins may be used, so as to increase or diminish the number 

 of hills in a row. The drill-tube II is arranged so that a wooden pin can break t'> relieve 

 it from breaking when it meets with a Hidden resistance from some obstruction. .1 is the 

 scraper ; it acts by its own weight, and rests in the groove of the « heel, to keep it tree from 

 dirt. K is a self-acting scraper, which rests by its own weight on the slide B, for the pur- 

 pose of preventing more than the proper Dumber of grains from passing over the aperture 1 

 at once. I, i- the lieum. 



This corn-planter, according to recent Im pro v e ments, is constructed entirely of iron, and 

 [fl simple and effective in it- arrangements. At the Agricultural State Fair of Pennsylvania, 

 lH.V'i, the machine received the first premium, and may. without doubt, bo classed among tho 

 very best of recent agricultural Improvements. 



Improved Hay-Knife. 



la an improved bay-knife, patented May, is:,:,, by Both vThalen, of West tfilton, Saratoga 

 Bounty, New Fork, the knife has a eroes head handle, and the blade ii formed wits. ■ hend 



:■ the handle, SO that it standi '"it from it at a suitable di-tunce without a .-hank, the Made 

 being simp!;. I t" the ■•■litre of the handle. Thi- BMthod "f on-tructing hay-knives 



divides the applied power between the two handles, with the knife in the centre, economizes 



