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XLVI. Defcrlption of Mr. Knight's Drill Machine for 

 /owing Turnip-feed*. 



J- HAVE fent you a fniall inftrument for fowino; turnipa, 

 •which I have tried on feveral different foils, and think I can 

 venture to alfert, that it will fow the feed and cover it per- 

 fecHlywcll in any foil that is nearly in a proper (late to re- 

 ceive It. It is necclfary either toharrow the ground acrofsy 

 or to roll it, previoufly to the inftrument bei'oc; ufed, that 

 the labourer may fee the rows he has made: but I have al- 

 ways found the crop to fucceed belter after the roller than 

 after the harrow, though the ground has been very ftroncr. 



The inltrument is io extremely fimple in its conftruftfon, 

 that it is a'moft unnecefTary to give a defcription of its mode 

 of action ; but as parts of it mav probablv be broken in car- 

 nage, I have added the following Ikctch: See Plate VIL fig. 2. 

 — A, the iron wheef, wliich, running on its edge, formed bv 

 two concave fides, makes the groove into which the feed's 

 fall. I have fometimes ufed a wheel with ftraight fides ; but 

 I thmk that concave fides, when well executed, are to be 

 preferred in ftrong foils, and indeed in any foil. B is a wheel 

 movmg on the fame axis with A, and turning the wheel C 

 (which gives out the feed) by means of a ftrap. I have feveral 

 li7.es of the wheel B, in order to increafe or diminidi the ra- 

 pidity of C ; and confequently trt fow more or lefs feed. 

 D, the tube through which the feed pafies, and falls into the 

 channel made by the iron wheel. E, the feet of the inftru- 

 ment. P', fix lengths of jack-chain ; which I find cover the 

 leed remarkably well. The chain is perhaps preferable to 

 any kind of harrow, becaufe it can never become encum- 

 bered by loofe (traw, which is almoft alwavs found on or 

 clofe to the furfacc, when the ground has been manured; 

 and the iron cutting-whcd lias a fiinilar advantage over anv 

 kind of fliare. G I, the feed-box. H H, the handles of the 

 machine. 



The labour of ufnig the inftrument is very fmall. ]\Ty 

 workman ufually accompli flics four ftatute acres, or fome- 

 thing more, in a day; and tall night, with the one 1 fend, 

 he (owed an acre and a half after fix o'clock in the evening. 

 There arc two holes before the axis of the great wheel, to re- 

 ceive two pieces of cane, which point out the proper width 



* From the Trafuflions of ibn Society for the Emvurct^i wnii of A) IS, 

 (sfr. iSoi. — The (i)vcr iredal was this ftllion vorctl to fl.oma-; rtntli.nv 

 Knight, P^fq. of K!ton, near Liullow, for tki^ invention. A romjilete 

 machine was prtlcntcd bv him, an.! i- ■riLcJ i 1 <'ir '^,r,ci. -v^ uporitorv. 



6 ' 'of 



