THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



495 



provements which any particular piece of agricultural 

 mechanism has undergone. Thus, in that now under 

 review, the machine had only one or a forward motion ; 

 but experience soon showed that in addition to the 

 complete turning over and tossing up of the hay 

 brought about by the forward-action of the machine, a 

 benefit would arise if at another stage of the process a 

 slight raising from the ground and a scattering of it 

 behind the machine were secured to the hay. This 

 brought out the reverse movement, and a modification 

 of the mechanism. Then, again, in the first machines 

 introduced, the tines were placed upon bars which 

 stretched across the whole breadth of the machine. The 

 result of this arrangement was, that in turning the 

 machine the tines missed their work. This was obviated 

 by having two sets of tine barrels, each b<irrel or frame 

 having an independent set of gearing — so that, when 

 turning, the outer wheel keeps one-half of the tines in 

 motion. 



The consideration of the machines for tedding the 

 hay brings us to the next department of agricultural 

 mechanism, namely horse rakes. At the stand of Messrs. 

 Smith and Taylor, of Ipswich, was exhibited the coun- 

 terbalance horse-rake, the invention of Mr. Smith, 

 This apparatus presents many points worthy of notice. 

 With the tines or teeth are combined counterbalance 

 weights, by adjusting which, the points of the teeth are 

 raised from the ground, and prevented from entering in 

 and doing injury to the ground. The counterbalance 

 weights are attached to short levers, and these are jointed 

 to the inner ends of the tines or teeth ; by bringing in 

 the short levers, so that the weights at their exremities 

 shall rest upon the upper sides of the tines, the pressure 

 is increased upon the working ends of these ; but by 

 throwing the levers outwards, so as to lengtlien as it 

 were the tines or teeth, with the weights at the outer 

 extremity, the pressure is taken of the working ends off 

 the teeth. The circular boss on which the tine is fixed 

 has two projections at opposite ends of the diameter : to 

 one of these projections the time or tooth is fixed, and 

 to the opposite one the lever carrying the counter- 

 balance weight is jointed. The series of bosses carrying 

 the tines and weight-levers are strung or threaded as it 

 were upon a shaft, stretching across the whole breadth 

 of the machine. Parallel to this shaft, and in advance 

 of it, is placed a bar, on which the tines rest ; by a sim- 

 pie arrangement of levers, this bar is acted on, in such 

 a way that by depressing the outer end of a long lever 

 placed within reach of the attendant, the series of tines 

 are raised from the ground, and the hay which they 

 have collected stripped off them by a clearing bar. The 

 lifting up of the tines is rendered very easy by the 

 action of the counterbalance- weights. 



A horse-rake with an ingenious delivery was exhibited 

 by William Gerrans, of Tregony, near Grarnpound, 

 Cornwall. In this, by the action of a pedal, operated 

 upon by the driver, who sits behind the horse, the teeth 

 are lifted at intervals, and the load delivered as desired. 

 The whole is so designed that it can be folded up, lying 

 compactly on the carriage, so that it can be easily trans- 

 ported from place to place. 



We now turn our attention to the machines connected 

 with the prsparation of the food for stock, and notice 

 first a novel form of root-cutter, which was exhibited 

 at the stand of the Trustees of Mr. Crosskill, a short 

 description of which may be interesting here. In the 

 central space of an oblong box two square pistons, or 

 plungers, work horizontally : while one is moving out- 

 wards towards one end of the box, the other is moving 

 inwards towards the centre. The outer ends of the pis- 

 tons are provided with a series of cutting faces, or 

 edges. The ends of the box are not made up with solid 

 parts, but barred, one end being divided into squares, 

 as thus : 



the other into long parallel divisions, thus 



The turnips to be cut are thrown into the two boxes, 

 one being formed at each side of the moving piston me- 

 chanism J and, the fly-wheel being set in motion, one 

 piston presses upon the roots ; and the bars making up 

 the ends of each division being sharpened on their inner 

 edges, so as to act like knives, the roots at one end are 

 forced outwards in the shape of square pieces, at the 

 other in the form of narrow strips. The backward 

 movement of each piston allows space, in which the 

 roots fall, resting upon the bottom of the box, and 

 ready to receive the force and impulse of the piston, on 

 its next outward movement. 



Messrs. Richmond and Chandler exhibited an im- 

 provement in their straw and hay-cutters worthy of 

 notice, whioh has reference to a mode of effecting the 

 length of cut taken by the knives. On the spiked 

 roller, or feeding shuft (a), at the end furthest from the 

 feeding part of the machine, two spur-wheels, or 

 pinions, are keyed. These are of unequal diameter : 

 one of them (the smallest) we here denominate b, the 

 other c. Parallel to the shaft (a) another (d) is 



