308 Kansas State Board of Agriculture. 



to have the knives center in the guards. By centering we mean to have 

 the knives pass to the same position in the guards either way. In ma- 

 chines having the push bar nearly at right angles to the drag bar, cen- 

 tering may be accomplished by lengthening or shortening the latter. 



CAUSES OF UNEVEN STUBBLE AND SIDE DRAFT. Side draft is not caused 

 by the cutter bar lagging at the outer end, as many farmers suppose, 

 but may be due to one or more of the following causes: sickle not cen- 

 tering, guards bent, sickle sections loose or nicked, ledger plates loose 

 or nicked, or the clip over the cycle being worn. 



The first cause has already been discussed. One of the requisites of 

 a new cutter bar is that the ledger plates on the guards shall all be in 

 line when it leaves the factory, but they may be used only a short time 

 until some of the guards are bent. If one is out of line, the shear cut 

 that the sickle should have is destroyed. If one of the guards is bent up, 

 the sickle may be held off of several ledger plates, and the condition is 

 much worse. By sighting along the guards it can be seen whether or not 

 one has been bent. A few blows from the hammer or a large monkey 

 wrench on the end of a guard will remedy matters. 



Fia. 244. The mower with windrowing and bunching attachments. 



If a section on the sickle becomes loose or is nicked it loses its shear 

 cut and should be replaced. 



Ledger plates becoming loose, nicked or badly worn materially offset 

 the cutting qualities and deserve immediate attention. 



The clips over the sickle may become worn so they do not hold the 

 sections down on the ledger plates. These plates are made of malleable 

 iron or steel and may be bent down with a hammer. However, if new 

 and old sickles are used in the same machine the clips must be set for 

 the newest sickle unless new sections are put on the old sickle where 

 the clips wear. 



It goes without saying that mowers should be housed when not in use, 

 as it lengthens the life and greatly enhances the working qualities of 

 the machine. (See "Mower," in index.) 



The Clover Windrower. 



The clover windrower, or, as it is often called, the clover rake, is 

 sometimes used with alfalfa. This consists of a series of light iron 

 bars of unequal length, which are turned up at the rear end. The long 



