FARM IMPLEMENTS. 135 



chine, and the appearance of the land named gave abundant 

 proof of his skill in its management. Mr. Bigelow's land is 

 hilly, the surface of most of it had been previously prepared for 

 the machine, though in many places it was not smooth, and 

 xipon the swale land Mr. Bigelow had driven his machine among 

 trees and over rocks and hammocks. The comparison of scythe 

 mowing on one part with machine work on a different part of 

 this portion of the farm, resulted favorably to the machine. 



The mowing of Mr. Bigelow, about fifty acres of land, was 

 above the average of the work which has been examined. 



Marcus Barrett, of Auburn, was next visited. Mr. Barrett 

 had used his machine principally upon the farms of some of his 

 neighbors. The land mowed over was hilly, and more obstructed 

 by stones, rocks and trees than any which had fallen under the 

 notice of the undersigned. The appearance of the fields showed 

 that Mr. Barrett was possessed of a remarkable degree of skill. 

 It was difficult, and on some fields impossible, to detect upon the 

 surface of the land the point of junction of the various swaths, 

 and throwing out of account the uneven surface of the* land, 

 the numerous obstructions to the fair operation of the machine, 

 arising from the rocks and trees, the mowing of Mr. Barrett is 

 unapproached ; so smooth, clean, even and beautiful mowing 

 has bo3n nowhere else seen by the undersigned. 



Mr. Barrett was revisited by me at a subsequent period, 

 on the occasion of a hasty visit of one of my associates to 

 "Worcester. An examination at this time, of the land pre- 

 viously mowed, as well as of a small plat cut by Mr. Barrett 

 during this visit, confirmed the opinion just expressed. 



Whether the quantity of land mowed has been sacrificed to 

 the qualitij of the work done, the undersigned has no means of 

 ascertaining. Mr. Barrett had been previously subjected to a 

 trial of his skill by the county committee, at which the under- 

 signed was present. Upon a smooth bottom of mostly redtop, 

 Mr. Barrett had cut his lot of four by twenty rods in eighteen 

 minutes, with a machine carrying a knife-bar five feet and four 

 inches long. The quantity of land cut over by Mr. Barrett 

 was about sixty acres. 



Mr. M. M. Ilovey, of Sutton, was next visited. The mowing 

 of Mr. Hovey had also been done upon hilly land, though the 



