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THE CEREALS IN AMERICA 



The self- rake reaper. 



163. Self-Rake Reaper. — All harvesting machines have certain 

 features in common. These are the serrated sickle vibrating 

 through stationary guards, a platform to receive the cut grain, 

 some provision to bring the grain regularly against the sickle 

 and deposit it on the platform, a divider to separate the swath 



to be cut from the remain- 

 der of the standing grain, 

 and some means by which 

 the operator can quickly 

 raise or lower the cutter 

 bar while the machine is 

 in motion. 



In the self -rake reaper 

 the platform has the form 

 of a quarter of a circle, 

 and upon it operate automatically rakes which serve the 

 double purpose of bringing the grain onto the platform and 

 removing it from the platform far enough to one side so that 

 the reaper can again pass around the field without nmning over 

 the cut grain. The size of the bundle is determined by regu- 

 lating the number of rakes 

 which remove the grain. 

 Because of the necessity of 

 binding the grain by hand, 

 they are used only where 

 small quantities are to be 

 harvested. The reaper cuts 

 a swath of five feet and is 

 drawn by two horses. An 

 ordinary day's work is from 

 six to eight acres. 



164. The Self -Binding 

 Harvester. — By far the larger area of small grain is now 

 harvested by this machine, generally called the "binder." 





The self-binding harvester. 



