FARM IMPLEMENTS. 137 



feot and eight inches. The horses weighed more than any pair 

 seen at work, coming up to 2,573 pounds, and as perhaps would 

 be expected, they were slower workers than any others. 



From Mr. Moore's, the next step was to the farm of Dr. W. 

 T. G. Morton, in West Needham. Upon the fields of his 

 neighbor and the land of liis own, Dr. Morton had cut over 

 about sixty acres. The land was generally light plain, level, 

 having a smooth surface, bearing a moderate crop of light, flexi- 

 ble grass. On some fields there was a heavy burden of herds- 

 grass. As a whole, the mowing was well done ; but upon some 

 fields marks of bad management were visible. More particu- 

 larly was this seen at the turns of the swaths, where the team 

 had been driven so as to make a round instead of a square 

 turn. 



A piece of land, four by twenty rods, upon a moderately 

 smooth surface, lately seeded, yielding in pbces an unusually 

 heavy burden of grass, was selected as the place upon which 

 the trial in this instance was to be had. The afternoon was 

 cool, with a light breeze from the north. With a machine cut- 

 ting four feet eight inches, drawn by a heavy pair of horses, the 

 half acre was cut in seventeen swaths, occupying seventeen and 

 three-fourths minutes only. Tlie speed of the team may be 

 judged of from the fact that no one of the three individuals 

 using a knife-bar eight inches longer, and making four swaths 

 less, the whole length of the plot, consumed less time in cutting 

 the same surface of light grass. 



Some time was lost, and should be deducted from the above, 

 in removing the grass which once wound upon the small gear, 

 and which, at the corners of the lot, turned at right angles, 

 more than once caught upon tlie ends of the "fingers" or 

 knife-guard. 



The trial was not satisfactory ; the work was not so well done 

 as upon the fields cut by the same machine run by the same 

 competitor, nor did the mowing of this individual come up to 

 the average of that done by others. An exhibition of one's 

 skill hi managing a machine is not promoted by a show of the 

 speed at which it can be driven, nor does any one show '•'■how 

 ivell he can mow " by an exhibition of how fast he can drive. 

 Justice to Mr. Morton requires that I should state that his 

 machine was in bad condition. It had been intrusted to tha 



18* 



