SECRETARY'S REPORT. 73 



ments ; but I think it far more free from faults than could reasonably 

 be expected. 



" I have never used oxen on the machine ; but consider it practica- 

 ble to use them. 



" I think it best economy to use horses in this section. They are not 

 so much affected by heat as oxen. It costs less to keep oxen, and 

 they will do much less work. Cattle are little used in this neighbor- 

 hood. It requires but little practice for any intelligent man to work 

 the machine easily and to advantage ; but at the present time many of 

 our common farm laborers do not belong to that class. 



" As to any suggestions for beginners, I would say, in general, ' live 

 and learn.' To be more particular, get the best machine of the best 

 pattern which you can find, and then study it until you ' know it like 

 a book,' understand it in all its parts, and the relation which one 

 thing has to another. Keep the knives sharp, for a dull knife will 

 take more strength of team, and cause the machine to wear faster. 

 See that it is , always well oiled, that every nut and bolt is perfectly 

 tight, and al "^things right. In mowing, take the field the longest 

 way, if possible, leaving two swaths on the outside the first time you 

 go around it to mow afterwards. Drive your team straight forward, 

 if possible, without turning to right or left, and at a steady pace, so as 

 to keep a regular motion on the machine. Round the corners, that 

 you may turn with ease and dispatch. If your machine clogs or stops, 

 or clogs in the grass, back it, and it will clear itself. Assist your 

 team in backing by pulling on the track clearer. Don't ride on the 

 machine, but walk behind it, for in that way you can tend it easier, 

 and your horses will be relieved. These suggestions may suffice ; but 

 there are many others which practice will soon teach. 



" Owing partly to the present exorbitant price of machines, I would 

 not recommend the farmer to purchase in all cases ; but to those 

 farmers who cut a great deal of grass, and whose land is compara- 

 tively smooth, I would say, get and use one, you will never regret it. 



" I have endeavored concisely to answer your questions ; but on 

 some points much more might be said. In the matter of economy, 

 the machine will often save to the farmer more than the mere 

 difference in the cost of cutting ; for with the machine you can take 

 the advantage of the weather, securing as much hay in a few days 

 with it as you could in several weeks without it. The weight of team 

 is another item. I have, during the past season, mown one hundred 

 and fifty acres with a pair of horses that weighed but seventeen hun- 

 dred ; and that was not their exclusive business during the season of 

 mowing. On one occasion they cut eight acres in three hours and 



