118 



THE YEAR-BOOK OF AGRICULTURE. 



REMARKS UPON THE MOWING SCALE. After the full remarks upon the reaping scale, it is 

 unnecessary to add much here. The plan is easily understood. The first four points are 

 unaltered. The 5th in reaping is divided, making the 5th and 6th, and increasing the ag- 

 gregate ten. The 7th is largely increased, because of the difficulty and importance of get- 

 ting machines that will cut without choking. The 8th is not altered, though it might, per- 

 haps, be reduced. The 9th is reduced six, because of reduction in expenses of working the 

 mower as compared with the reaper. The 10th is also reduced, for though an important 

 point, there is not the difference in mowers in the manner of leaving the grass, to make a 

 higher amount necessary to fairly compare them. Nearly all leave the grass spread per- 

 fectly. 



Scale for combined Reapers and Mowers. 



300 



212 



38 



550 



The reaper scale. 

 The mower scale. 

 Ease of convertibility. 



Were all machines alike easily converted from reaper into mower, and vice versa, the best 

 combined machine would be that which reaches the highest aggregate in the two scales ; 

 but, in consequence of varying in this respect, this other point must be added, making the 

 points in a perfect combined machine reach five hundred and fifty. 



Bowen's Thrasher and Grain-Separator. 



THE annexed figure represents a longitudinal section of a grain-separator, for which a 

 patent was recently granted to Archibald Bowen, of Wadesville, Clark county, Virginia. The 

 nature of this improvement consists in combining two reciprocating beds the upper perfo- 

 rated and inclined towards the foot of the machine, and the lower inclined in an opposite 

 direction, so that the grain and straw shall be received from the thrashing cylinder upon the 

 upper bed, which, while it causes it to traverse its entire length and leave the machine at its 

 foot, permits the grain to fall through its perforations upon the lower bed, which by its incli- 

 nation and reciprocating motion, carries the grain to the chaff-separating portion of the ma- 

 chine, where by blast and screens the grain is thoroughly cleaned. 



In the engraving, A is the thrashing cylinder, rotating as shown by arrow 1, and acting on 

 the over-thrashing principle, the grain and straw entering as indicated by arrow 2 ; but this 

 separator is equally well adapted to the ordinary under-thrashing machine. B is the upper 

 bed, composed of sheet metal, having the perforations a punched in it from the top ; these 

 perforations diminish in size from b to b f . The upper extremity of this bed is supported by 

 the bar c, which by reason of two cranks d, or eccentrics, one at each end of the bar, revolves 

 around the shaft e, causing the end of the bed to rise and fall, and reciprocate longitudinally, 

 two straps t keeping the bed upon the bar c as the bar revolves. This bed is jointed at g, and 

 is supported near that joint by the long arms h of two bent levers C, placed one on each side 

 of the bed. The extremity 6 / is supported by the arms k of two bent levers D. The lower 

 bed E, which is a plain sheet of metal, inclines towards the head of the machine, and is sup- 

 ported by the arms k of levers D, arms h of levers C, and at the head by two levers 6, one on 

 each side of the bed. The arms F of the bed E are jointed with the rods G connecting the 

 bed E with the levers D, and through which motion is communicated to the bed E from the 

 bed B. The levers b, besides sustaining the head of the bed E, also support one extremity 



