AGRICULTURAL MECHANICS AND RURAL ECONOMY. 41 



oblong, which allows it to adjust itself to the yoke, whether the surface is straight or hol- 

 lowed as in the old-fashioned kind. 



Vose's Improved Ox-Yokes. — In these yokes, introduced and improved by Deering and Dick- 

 son of Albany, the neck blocks are separate from the beam, and attached to it by strong 

 bolts passing from an iron thimble or socket in the block up through the centre of the beam. 

 The advantages claimed for this improvement are as follows: First. By the neck block 

 accommodating itself to whatever movement of the ox, it is impossible for his shoulders ever 

 to become sore or broken. Second. It does away with the evil arising from one ox stepping 

 in advance of the other, as by the moving of the blocks the weight must under all possible 

 circumstances fall equally on both oxen, except (which is the third advantage) when de- 

 siring to favor one, you may move him one or more holes farther from the centre than his 

 fellow. Fourth. By moving the neck blocks into either of the five holes, it can be changed 

 at pleasure into a yoke of any width required for ploughing, carting, sleighing, or hauling, 

 which advantage of itself makes its value equal to two or three of the common yokes. Fifth. 

 Bows in this yoke will last much longer than in any other, because the tugging or jerking 

 of the ox does not fall on the bow, but directly on the centre bolt. The bows are secured 

 by keys passing through the bows and neck blocks, there being in each block two or more 

 holes, so that the bow can be raised or lowered at pleasure. 



Improved Horse Neck-Yoke. 



A patent for an improved horse neck-yoke was recently granted to John R. Pierce, of 

 Castile, New York. The object of the invention is to furnish points for the attachment of 

 the breast straps, which shall be movable longitudinally on the yoke, to accommodate the 

 side movement of one or both horses, the attachment being so connected that the movement 

 of one will produce a similar movement of equal extent in the other, thereby causing the 

 attachments to continue at all times at equal distances on each side of the carriage pole. 

 The invention consists in forming the yoke with a cavity sufficiently large to contain the 

 movable parts — namely, two racks and a pinion upon the main bolt, the racks carrying the 

 attaching bolts. The attaching rings are fastened by eyes to the racks, which racks mesh 

 into the opposite sides of the pinion. The horses being attached to the yoke in the usual 

 manner, and driven forward, any movement of one of the attaching rings revolves the pinion, 

 causing the rack carrying the other ring to move longitudinally the same distance in the 

 opposite direction; thus enabling the horses to move either from or towards each other with- 

 out deranging the position of the pole, the attaching rings being by this arrangement always 

 at equal distances from the main bolt. 



New Method of Securing Tires upon Wheels. 



This invention, by John L. Irwin, of Franklin, Alabama, is designed to save time, labor, 

 and fuel in the setting of tires, also to prevent accident in case of the loosening of the 

 tire. All are familiar with the common mode of tire-setting, viz. by making the hoop a trifle 

 smaller than the wheel, and then expanding the iron by heat until it will slip on ; the subse- 

 quent cooling of the tire causes it to contract to its original dimensions, and consequently to 

 bind tightly upon the wheel. Mr. Irwin dispenses with this process ; instead of welding the 

 ends of the tire together, he hooks them over, and connects them with a screw bolt; a recess 

 is cut in the felloe for the bolt and hooked ends of the tire, which enables the operator to 

 screw up the tire tightly after it has been applied to the wheel. If the tire becomes at any 

 time a little loose, all he has to do is to apply a wrench to the bolt and tighten up. Under 

 the old plan, the diameter of the tire would have to be reduced and reset. 



Goodman's Improved Axle-Box. 



This box resembles, in external appearance, that ordinarily employed for this purpose, but the 

 friction of the journal is received on vegetable rather than metallic substances. Mr. Goodman 



