The Bulletin. 67 



generally now, perhaps, than any other one piece of improved machinery — 

 will be of service and will give an idea as to how to study out any piece 

 of machinery. 



The mower, on account of its general use, the heavy work to which it is 

 subject, and the various kinds of ground upon which it is used, has had per- 

 haps as much mechanical skill expended upon its make and improvement 

 as any other piece of farm machinery, and the more attention you give to its 

 construction the more will this idea be impressed upon you. The important 

 part of the mower is, of course, the cutting bar, and this is where the wear 

 is, and there is necessarily a good deal of wear. For this reason, in buying 

 one be sure to get one for which new parts can always be had. 



Notice, first, each end of the pitman and see that the nuts here especially 

 are kept tight. I have known the straps on the lower end of a pitman to 

 be rendered entirely useless by less than a day's work on account of a 

 loose bolt at the lower end, and I have known others on which the same 

 pair of straps were used for several seasons— all due to keeping the ratchet 

 nut tight. At the upper end of the pitman there is a double cone bearing, 

 and the nut holding these together should also be kept tight. 



Look under the shoe at either end of the cutting bar and you will find a 

 flat piece of steel (some mowers have a wheel at outer end in place of this 

 sole) ; be sure that these are kept renewed, as they take the wear off of 

 underside of the bar. They are adjustable as to height, and I usually run 

 my machines with the bar well lifted from the ground. 



Then notice the flat pieces of steel on the front upper part of the cutting 

 bar. These are called wearing plates and are intended to keep the bar from 

 wear. In most machines that have been used you will find these worn out 

 and needing to be replaced, which can be done at very little cost. 



Then be sure that the blades are kept sharp. Some people put in a blade 

 and use it as long as it will cut or "chew" stuff off, and then replace it with 

 another. It is a great saving both to your machine and to your team to 

 keep the blades sharp. This can be done with a file or a grindstone, but 

 the best plan is to use a grinder made for that special purpose. 



Sometimes when the blade is well sharpened it does not cut well; this 

 is caused by the fact that the small plates on upper side of the guards are 

 either broken out or dull. These can be easily replaced by punching out 

 the rivet (from the top) and putting in a new plate. Sometimes the clips 

 which are intended to hold the blade down need replacing or bending down. 



The sharpening of the blade and then leaving the guard plates either out 

 or dull is like sharpening one blade of a pair of scissors and leaving the 

 other dull. 



When a section of the blade needs replacing some people use a cold chisel 

 and punch. This is slow and unsatisfactory. Simply put the rib of the blade 

 in the edge of an anvil or some heavy iron (the back of an axe the edge 

 of which is stuck in a log is a splendid substitute) and strike the back of 

 the section a sharp blow with a hammer. The hard steel of the section will 

 cut the soft rivet cleanly and easily. 



Finally, after the season is over, give the machine a coat of varnish or 

 paint (the color is immaterial), oil the bearings thoroughly and put it away 

 under shelter. A good machine kept thus ought to give satisfactory service for 

 twelve or fifteen years. 



SOIL IMPROVEMENT. 



By Dr. W. J. McLENDON, of Anson County. 



I wish to discuss with you to-day soil improvement, a subject that should 

 interest every farmer from our seacoast to the mountains. 



The fact that the average crops grown on our lands are so low and profits 

 so small makes it a duty that we owe ourselves to use every means possible 



