312 COMPARATIVE RESULTS. 



turnings. This would be 2 T V<j miles the hour, including 

 the turnings. At this rate, 1,210 square feet of grass 

 were cut in a minute. At the same time a good mower 

 cut a swath 168 feet long and 7 feet wide, making 1,176 

 square feet, in 3| minutes ; or, at the rate of 336 square 

 feet in a minute, allowing no time for rest or to sharpen 

 the scythe. Now, allowing the machine no time for rest 

 or turning, it cut a swath 4/^V feet wide and 20 rods 

 long, equal to l,554 T 3 ff square feet in a minute, or 4$& 

 times more than a good mower with a scythe in the 

 same time. It is natural to suppose that a man mow- 

 ing with such a competition and a large number of 

 spectators would exert himself to his utmost, and that 

 he could not mow half a day at the same rate ; and it is 

 certain that he was far better as a mower than the 

 average of farm laborers, while at the same time it is 

 evident, from the above-named speed, that the team, 

 with the machine, could work pretty steadily. 

 It is, therefore, fair to state the comparative quantity 

 cut by the machine, in this experiment, as five times 

 greater than that cut by the mower. That is to say, 

 one man, a pair of horses, and a machine, would cut as 

 much in a half-day as five men, or a pair of horses and 

 a machine equal to four men. Now, as to the work 

 performed, it was admitted by all that the machine cut 

 much the best; and, when it is considered that with the 

 mowers one man is required to every five to do the 

 spreading, we have to credit the machine with another 

 man's labor in spreading, or a machine and horses equal 

 to five men instead of four, or, including the driver, 

 machine, and horses, equal to six men. This supposes, 

 we will say, a half-day's work. 



The cost of the six men for the half-day, in haying, 

 would be at least four dollars and a half, under ordinary 

 circumstances. The cost of a driver would, at the same 



