68 



AGK1CULTUHAL IMPLEMENTS AGUIONI A. 



the Mole, and other sorts of plough- lor draining. 

 Many implements are in u-r for stirring and pulver- 

 ising tin- soil without turning it ovt-r. Snnr of I hem 

 are used in preparing it for tin- seed, and others, as 

 horte-hoet, between drilled crops. One of them, 

 called a GRCBBRR, from its efficiency in bringing 

 weed roots to the surface, differs from the harrow, 

 by having the iron teeth made with sharp cd^es, 

 and bent forward like so many coulters. It is 

 heavier than the harrow, but covers less surface. 

 It is constructed with triangular sharp-edged dipping 

 feet, four cast-iron wheels, two handles, &c. Sir 

 John Sinclair strongly recommends it, as being use- 

 ful in working fallow, or in stirring hind on which 

 potatoes or turnips have grown, so that a crop may 

 be sown hi spring without use of the plough. It is 

 made of different sizes, and worked by four or two 

 hordes. The HARROW. Common harrows are of an 

 oblong shape, each containing twenty tines five or 

 six indies long beneath the bulls or bars in which 

 they are inserted. Most liarrows are drawn corner- 

 wise, by which contrivance their teeth do not follow 

 each other in rows, but scratch the surface more ef- 

 fectually. The brake, as usually constructed, is 

 nothing more than a heavier harrow, sometimes in 

 one piece, and sometimes in two pieces joined to- 

 gether. Two harrows have been lately invented, 

 which are found to be very efficient, especially in 

 soils where weed-roots abound. They will be found 

 represented in Plate 1 1. The one is by Mr Finlay- 

 son, the inventor of the self-cleaning plough already 

 mentioned, and the other by Mr Samuel Morton, 

 agricultural implement maker, Edinburgh. The 

 latter is called the Revolving Brake Harrow, and is 

 excellently adapted for bringing roots to the surface, 

 and pulverizing the land when under fallow, so as 

 to save one or two ploughings. DRILL-MACHINFX. 

 These are used in depositing the seed hi equi-distant 

 rows on a flat surface ; on tne top of a narrow ridge ; 

 in the interval between two ridges ; or in the bot- 

 tom of a common furrow. Corn when drilled is 

 usually sown in the first of these ways, turnips in the 

 second, and pease and beans in the third or fourth. 

 One of the best for sowing all kinds of corn was in- 

 vented by Mr Bailey of Chillingham, but the prac- 

 tice of drilling corn does not seem to be gaining 

 ground. The drill-machine is universally used in 

 Scotland for sowing turnips, on ridges about 30 

 inches broad. In some cases, the machine is made 

 to sow two of these ridges at once, and two rollers 

 are attached to it, one for smoothing the tops of the 

 ridges before the seed is deposited, and the other for 

 comprt-ssing the soil and covering the seed. The 

 front roller is now made concave, which leaves the 

 Tidges in a better form for receiving the seed. The 

 machine is drawn by one horse, walking between 

 the ridges. A representation of it will DC seen in 

 Plate II. REAPING MACHINES. Many endeavours 

 have been made to introduce reaping machines, but 

 hitherto without success. This is to be regretted, as 

 whatever tends to abridge manual labour, although 

 possibly injurious to individuals for a time, tends in 

 the end to elevate humanity. Despatch in reaping, 

 besides, is a matter ofgreat importance in a climate 

 so variable as that of Britain. The most promising 

 reaping machines of which we have heard, are those 

 of Mr Smith, of the Deanston Cotton Works, Perth- 

 shire, and of the Rev. Patrick Bell, Forfarshire. 

 Mr Smith made the first trial of his on a small scale 

 in 1811, and continued to prosecute his experiments 

 for several years with satisfactory results, but has 

 latterly, we understand, been induced to suspend or 

 abandon his speculation. Mr Bell's machine is of 

 more recent construction, and promises every success. 

 It was tried at Cowrie in Forfarshire in 18g9, in 



cutting down grain on Around of uneven surface. It 

 is about 5 tret .broad, and embraces with its knife 

 that breadth of corn. The cut com was deposited 'S 

 the machine advanced in a very regular manner. It 

 accomplished about an imperial acre in the hour. 

 It was dri\en by one horse, and may cost alx>ut 

 30. Those present at the trial considered this 

 machine perfectly triumphant, and that it would 

 speedily come into general use. A representation of 

 it will be seen in Plate II. 



AURIGENTC.M, in ancient geogr. ; now (iirtfrati or 

 Agrigenti; a town in Sicily, in the valley of .Mauim, 

 about three miles from the coast. The modern to\u. 

 is near the ruins of the ancient one, is a bishop's see, 

 and lies on the river St Blaize, 47 miles S. Palermo ; 

 long. 13 33'E. ; lat. 37 22', N. ; pop. 11,870. A. 

 was much renowned among the ancients. Different 

 stories are told of its foundation, among which is tin- 

 fabulous tale, that Daedalus, who fled to Sicily from 

 the resentment of Minos, erected it Its situation 

 was peculiarly strong and imposing, standing as it 

 did on a bare and precipitous rock, 1 100 feet above 

 the level of the sea. To this military advantage, 

 the city added those of a commercial nature, being 

 near to the sea, which afforded the means of an easy 

 intercourse with the ports of Africa and the south of 

 Europe. The soil of A. was very fertile. By means 

 of these advantages, the wealth of A. became very 

 great. It was therefore considered the second city 

 in Sicily, and Polybius says (1. ix.) that it surpassed 

 in grandeur of appearance, on account of its many 

 temples and splendid public buildings, most of its 

 contemporaries. Among the most magnificent of 

 these buildings were the temples of Minerva, of 

 Jupiter Atabyris, of Hercules, and of Jupiter Olym- 

 pius ; the latter, which vied in size and grandeur of 

 design with the finest buildings of Greece, is said by 

 Diodorus (Sic. 1. xiii.) to have been 340 feet long, 

 60 broad, and 120 high, the foundation not being in- 

 cluded, which was itself remarkable for the immense 

 arches upon which it stood. The temple was orna- 

 mented with admirable sculpture. But a war pre- 

 vented the completion of it, when the roof only re- 

 mained unfinished. Near the city was an artificial 

 lake, cut out of the solid rock, about a mile in circuit, 

 and thirty feet deep ; from which fish were obtained 

 in abundance for the public feasts. Swans and other 

 water-fowl frequented it. Afterwards, the mud hav- 

 ing been suffered to accumulate in this basin, it was 

 turned into a remarkably fruitful vineyard. Both 

 the temple of Jupiter Olympius and the lake were 

 the work of a number of Carthaginian captives. The 

 people of Agrigentum were noted for their luxurious 

 and extravagant habits. Their horses were also 

 famous. (Virgil, ^n. 1. iii. v. 705.) After the ex- 

 pulsion of the Carthaginians from Sicily, it fell, with 

 little resistance, under the power of the Romans. 

 Diodorus states the population, in its best days, to 

 have been not less than 120,000 persons. Many of 

 the modern writers describe minutely this interesting 

 spot- Christian churches have there, as in many 

 other places, been erected out of the remains of 

 temples. 



AGRIONIA ; a Grecian festival, solemnized at night 

 in honour of Bacchus. He was supposed to have 

 fled, and the females assembled to seek him. At 

 length, tired of their vain search, they exclaimed, 

 that he had taken refuge with the Muses, and con- 

 cealed himself among them. These mysteries have 

 been thought to signify that learning and the muses 

 should accompany good cheer. This solemnity was 

 followed by a banquet, at the close of which it was 

 customary to propose to each other riddles, whence 

 A. is used to denote a collection of riddles, charades, 

 &c. 



