12 



Fig. 4.— One-row sled harvester. 



were patterned after the mower and the reaper, but owing to the size 

 of the corn phmt these machines either would not cut at all or were 

 soon broken under tli^ heavy strain. Some of the machines, how- 

 ever, liad comment!al)le mechanical features which were embodied 

 in machines invented later. 



Many homemade harvestint; devices of the sled pattern have been 

 made from time to time, some of which are illustrated in fi«^ures 4, 5, 



and 6. The first harvester 

 of this class was patented 

 by J. C. Peterson, of West 

 Mansfield, Ohio, who put 

 one in the^ field in 1886. 

 Others followed and added 

 improvements until eight or 

 ten harvesters of this kind 

 were in the field. 



With most of the sled 

 harvesters the driver rode 

 on the platform, and it was necessary for him to gather the stalks in his 

 arms in advance of the cutting edge, so as to prevent them from falling 

 in various directions. This method of harvesting was very exhausting. 

 The harvester shown in figure 6 was an improvement, in that the 

 guiding arm collected the stalks on the platform and it was only 

 necessary for the driver to pick the stalks from tlie sled at inter- 

 vals and throw them on the ground. As an improvement, in order 

 to reduce the draft, the sled was mounted on wheels (fig. 7). This 

 machine cuts two rows at a time, 

 and two men sit on the platform, 

 one facing each row, to guide the 

 corn against the cutting edge with 

 one hand, and with the other hand 

 and arm to collect the cut corn on 

 the til ting-side part or wing of the 

 platform, drawing it back against 

 the leg, where it is assembled until 

 enough has been collected to form 

 a shock. The stalks are then tied 



together into a small shock, and the side platform is so tilted as to 

 deposit it upon the ground in an upright position. This form of corn 

 harvester is still used ([uite extensively. It has automatic knife 

 guards by which the cutting edge of the knife is covered with a plate 

 of steel when the machine is not in use. This lessens the danger of 

 injury to men and animals, wliich often happens when the cutting 

 blades are left exposed. The tilting parts or wings of the platform 



row sled harvester. 



