THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



493 



The " flexible reaper" of Mr. P. Trotter, of South 

 Acomb, Northumberland, attracted considerable atten- 

 tion, and is worthy of fuller description than has yet 

 been accorded to it in the pages of this Journal. The 

 peculiar feature of this machine is the arrangement by 

 which the cutting parts can accommodate themselves to 

 the inequalities of the ground over which the machine 

 is passing. This is effected by jointing the table, or 

 platform, on which the grain is delivered, by hinges to 

 a side-beam. This, it will appear, not only admits of 

 its rising and falling according to the nature of the 

 ground, but of the cutting parts being folded against 

 the working part of the mechanism, so that the appa- 

 ratus can easily be taken through gates, &c. A small 

 wheel is fitted to the extremity of the table, or plat- 

 form, upon which the grain falls, two wheels giving, 

 according to the inventor, a facility in guiding and 

 shifting the machine. In front of the bar to which the 

 platform is hinged, a small wheel is placed, this being 

 in line with the points of the cutters. This wheel is 

 carried on a stud on the end of a long lever (a), which 

 works on a centre placed on a vertical bar attached to a 

 movable beam. The other extremity is capable of being 

 adjusted at any height of a segmented bar attached to 

 the bottom, the bar being provided with holes, into 

 which a pin provided to the side of the lever can be 

 sprung when desired. By elevating the extremity of 

 the lever, the small wheel (i) at its opposite end is de- 

 pressed, and vice versa. These movements affect the 

 moveable beam carrying the stud to which the lever is 

 centred, and to the side of which beam, or bar (c), the 

 wooden cutter bar and platform on which the grain falls. 

 The moveable bar is jointed to a centre connected with the 

 main frame directly below the centre of the main axle, 

 and directly in a line with the stud of the small wheel 

 which supports the extremity of the platform and cutter 

 bar. By raising the handle of the lever (a) above 

 mentioned, the wheel (6) is depressed, and the bar (c) 

 raised at its upper end, and with the cutters also. In 

 this way the attendant can at anytime adjust the height 

 of the cutters, so as to reap high or low ; this adjust- 

 ment in no way interfering with the action of the con- 

 necting rod which works the cutter bar to and fro. 



The main frame can also be lowered or raised at 

 pleasure by the following arrangement : A cross-bar 

 joins the horse-shafts, which are attached to the mid- 

 portion of the main frame. This carries a stud at its 

 central part, which can be placed in any one of a series 

 of holes made in a vertical bar, which by diverging ex- 

 tremities is connected with the front of the frame. By 

 putting the pin of cross-bar into the lowest hole of this 

 bar, the cutter beam is pulled up from the ground, and 

 vice versa. 



The hinges by which the cutter-frame and grain plat- 

 form are attached to the main frame, not only allow the 

 ground wheel at the extremity of the platform to rise 

 and fall according to the inequalities of the land, but 

 also, as before stated, the frame can be lifted up out of 

 action altogether, or very easily disconnected from the 

 driving parts. The cutters are arranged on " Hussey's 

 principle." 



The grass-mowers at the meeting — Wood's and 

 (Allen's) Burgess and Key's— attracted great attention. 

 In both considerable improvements have been effected. 

 In Burgess and Key's the cutter-bar is now made inde- 

 pendent of the movement of the frame, and is attached 

 by a joint to a bracket, so that having vertical play it 

 can accommodate itself easily to the inequalities of the 

 ground over which it is passing, independent of all mo- 

 tion of the frame. 



In Wood's machine the cutter-bar is so arranged that, 

 whatever be the inequalities over which the main driving 

 wheels are going, it is kept close down, spring fashion, 

 so as to go over the ever-changing contour of the land, 

 and so cut the grass at a uniform depth. This is 

 effected as follows : A thin fiat bar {a) is connected to 

 the driving wheel side rail of the machine, and is pro- 

 jected to the cutting side ; to the end of this a bar (&) 

 is secured, and is bent downwards and then upwards, 

 the opposite end being extended vertically, and finished 

 with a loop ((?), which passes over the axle of the driv- 

 ing wheel. To the centre of the bent part of the bar 

 (6) the end of the cutter bar (rf) is fixed. When the 

 driving wheels drop into any depression no injury is 

 communicated to the cutter bar, as the axle is allowed 

 play in the loop (c) of the bent bar (b) ; and the spring 

 of the bar (a) allowing the heel of the cutter bar {d), 

 with the bent bar (6), to pass over any inequality in 

 the ground. 



Haymaking or Tedding 3Iachines. — Mr. Thompson, 

 of Lewes, exhibited one with his patent reverse action. 

 The chief feature in this machine is the placing solid 

 axles of the travelling wheels and the tine-frame in 

 solid bearings, these being capable of adjustment as the 

 journals wear, so that shaking or loose working of 

 parts is prevented. On the solid axle carrying the 

 wheels, journals are turned down, these revolving in 

 bearings adjustrble as above stated. The end of this 

 axle revolves in a bearing attached to the inner side of a 

 gear-box placed inside the travelling wheel ; revolving 

 within this gearing-box, and keyed on to the axle, is a 

 spur-wheel (a). Above the miin driving axle, but 

 nearer to the back part of the machine, a solid bar is 

 placed, stretching across the machine. Round this 

 solid bar a hollow axle (i) revolves, which carries on 

 its exterior surface the tines, which operate upon the 

 hay. On the end of this hollow axle (b) a small pinion 

 (c) is keyed ; this gearing with, and receiving motion 

 from the spur-wheel (a) fixed on the main driving axle. 

 The forward motion of the tine barrel is thus obtained 

 from the main-driving axle. The back or reverse mo- 

 tion is obtained by means of an intermediate pinion 

 which slides along a bolt, and is actuated by a lever 

 which throws it out and in gear, this lever being withia 

 easy reach of the attendant. 



Mr. Thompson has introduced what he considers a 

 great improvement in the form of the tine. Usually 

 the tines of tedding machines are finished with a slight 

 curve, in some shaped somewhat like the line of 

 beauty. However well-adapted to lift up the hay while 

 the tine-barrel is revolving in the forward direction, Mr. 

 I Thompson holds that the same curved tine cannot per- 



