REAPING MACHINE. 



327 



aping these segments are represented in tfu- Fig. a t xxx, ftc. 

 rhii.c. there were small tongues / / /, &c. to 1 < form. <l on the 

 Y"*"'' ca>t iron part of the cutter circle of the same lu-i^lit 

 with the thickness of the cutter segments, and which, 

 with the screws shown in the figure, would have effec- 

 tually prevented the segments being f< m-d out of their 

 places : the front prongs shown in this figure are to be 

 .supposed as those of the under frame, and which are 

 there placed to show the form that they ought to have 

 been made of, so that this circular cutter might have 

 cut to the best possible advantage against each prong. 

 The bottom prongs are there represented as covered 

 with those of the rolled iron plate circle, as described 

 by the other figures, and which in Fig. 1 1. is to be sup- 

 posed to extend to the dotted circle a b c d, as in Figs. 

 3. and 5. 



All the figures are drawn to a scale of twenty inches 

 to the inch, except Fig. 12. which is drawn on a larger 

 scale, on purpose the better to show how the collectors 

 Fi<j. 3. are wrought. In Fig. 12. ly si represents part of 

 the drum, and abode part of the hoop that works the 

 tails of the collectors ; * and s represent two of the eyed 

 studs that are fixed into the upper and under hoops 

 that strengthen the drum, for the pivots of the axes of 

 the collectors to play in. t and t two of the longer 

 studs fixed in the underhoop of the drum, for the hing- 

 ed tails x and z to play in. The tail z is represented 

 as moving in its groove, and the tail v travelling in its 

 slit, and which is just about being directed into its 

 groove by the curved piece d, when at the same time 

 the tail z will enter its slit, and the hook of the collec- 

 tor m will be thrown into a position similar to that of 

 n. And again the tail u is represented as moving in its 

 groove, and the tail x in its slit, and which is about be- 

 ing guided into its groove by the curved piece b ; when 

 at the same time the tail u will enter its slit, and the 

 hook of the collector n will be thrown into the position 

 of m in the figure. Y Fig. 12. represents one of se- 

 veral thin brushes fixed into the under rim of the drum, 

 made of two pieces of iron rivetted together, with a 

 range of bristles between, for sweeping forward the 

 root end of the cut corn, and keeping that part of the 

 cover plate clean swept. 



The reaping machine here described differs much 

 from all those attempts that the writer of this article 

 had any knowledge of, not only in the construction of 

 its different parts, but also in the nature and form of 

 its cutters and front prongs, as likewise in the method 

 of working the machine itself. 



With regard to the cutters, a variety of experiments 

 were made with cutters of different forms, as also in 

 the manner of applying them, when it was ascertained 

 that the draw cut of a common reaping hook was in- 

 ferior to none for cutting corn, besides having the pro- 

 perty of seldom requiring sharpening, as is manifest 

 from the common reaping hook, that will cut lor a 

 whole harvest without requiring sharpening. But to 

 give toothed cutters that are fixed upon a revolving 

 circle, the best form to act similar to a draw cut, it is 

 necessary that they form an angle of forty-five degrees 

 with the diameter of the revolving circle on which they 

 are fixed ; but from the variety of positions that cutters 

 moving circularly present themselves to the corn dur- 

 ing every revolution, no two of them can cut the corn 

 to the same advantage, if the straight prongs that have 

 been adopted by others were to be used ; it was there- 

 fore found absolutely necessary to form that part of the 

 front prongs against which the cutters cut the corn, in 



lines that formed with the cutters the angle of forty- R<?p'* 

 five degrees, as represented in the figures. 



With regard to working the machine : the difficulty ** "V~" 

 in working a reaping machine arisen from the corn that 

 is to be cut standing in the way of the best possible, 

 line of draught, and the necessity of yoking the horse 

 in such a manner that he shall neither tread uf on the 

 cut nor uncut corn. Trials were made on different 

 methods, but the one that was found to be by far the 

 most suitable, was nearly upon the principle that boats 

 on canals are drawn by horses; the boat is kept in the 

 middle of the canal by means of the helm, the horse it 

 yoked to the boat by means of long traces, and walks 

 at the distance of between three and four feet from the 

 brink of the canal. To apply similar principles to a 

 reaping machine, handles of sufficient length were 

 placed behind the machine, to give a man power to 

 keep the roller wheels upon which the machine moves 

 at right angles to the line of the corn to be cut, so as 

 to produce an effect similar to that of the helm upon 

 the boat. 



The horse was yoked with traces to the fore corner 

 of the machine next to the stubble, as shown by Fig. 3, 

 where he was at liberty to travel without treading 

 either upon the cut or uncut corn, and exactly in a line 

 parallel to the direct course of that point of the machine 

 to which he was yoked, and-not, as in the case of the 

 canal boat, at several feet distance from the parallel of 

 that line, which shows that a horse can be yoked in a 

 more advantageous line of draught to a reaping ma- 

 chine than to that of a canal boat ; besides, the left hand 

 roller wheel on the side that the horse draws the ma- 

 chine, works all the machinery part, and therefore 

 makes it no way difficult for the man at the handles to 

 keep forward the right hand roller wheel, it being at 

 liberty to turn freely upon its axis. 



As to the smith work of the machine, a great error 

 was committed in making the under frame part that 

 supported the whole machinery of too slender a bar of 

 malleable iron, and which had to be formed into a cir- 

 cular ring the flat way ; foi by the great number of 

 heats that it received in the blacksmith's fire before he 

 could bring it nearly to a circular form, he reduced it 

 much in strength, and it was further reduced by filing 

 and grinding before the blacksmith could make it in- 

 to a truly flat and circular ring ; and of necessity it 

 had, after all, to be pierced with a number of holes for 

 the pillars, &c. &c. so that when loaded with the weight 

 of the machine, it vibrated much, even when travelling 

 along a smooth even surface. A similar error was also 

 committed in making the cutter circle of too thin mal- 

 leable iron, for which reason the figures of these parts 

 are here drawn to represent cast iron circles, as all the 

 other circles of the machine were. With respect to the 

 other parts of the machine, they acted up to expecta- 

 tion. 



The only uncut corn that was in the immediate neigh- 

 bourhood of the machine, was that of a small corner of 

 coarse new broken up lea ground, sown for the first time 

 with oats, of about thirty yards in length. 



The first trial of the machine was made in presence 

 of several spectators, on the side of the plot that ap- 

 peared to have the evenest surface, when the machine 

 cut and collected, in a very neat manner, the length of 

 the plot, not leaving behind it a single uncollected 

 straw, and laid down the cut corn into a regular con- 

 tinued swath, nearly at right angles to the line that the 

 horse travelled in. By the machine cutting in this 



