THE WHEAT CULTURIST. 333 



manufacture, and on making known our wishes, the 

 Messrs. Reynolds were kind enough to show us the 

 whole of their works ; and we confess to a feeling of 

 great surprise on seeing their sections so perfectly tem- 

 pered without the agency of any liquid, by percussion, 

 reaction, and cold air alone. We saw over a thousand 

 tempered and ground, not one of which was cracked, 

 or which exhibited any traces of fissure whatever. We 

 believe this process will greatly enhance the efficiency 

 of our reaping and mowing machines ; and we rejoice 

 that American ingenuity has perfected so valuable an 

 invention. They are hard and elastic, will break be- 

 fore they will bend, and will carry a sharp cutting edge 

 more than double the length of time of any other sec- 

 tion we ever tried. And they all have one uniform 

 temper, which we consider a very essential point to the 

 well-working of any reaper and mower." 



REMARKS. The practical point of first importance to 

 a wheat-grower, when purchasing a machine, is, to ascer- 

 tain whether the sections, or knives, have a temper equal 

 to those manufactured by this firm. 



BEST TIME TO HARVEST WHEAT. 



" Shot up from broad, rank blades that droop below, 

 The nodding wheat-ear forms a graceful bow, 

 "With milky kernels starting full, weighed down, 

 Ere yet the sun hath tinged its head with brown." 



BLOOMFIELD'S Farmer's Boy. 



It is assumed that every farmer will agree, that there 

 is " a best period " in the growth of the wheat plant for 

 harvesting. In other words, there is a time when, if 

 the straw be cut, the yield of grain will be larger, and 



