13 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



wood parallel to the teeth, at eaeli end of the rake. These projecting pie- 

 ces shonld be about one third of the length of the teetji. Those unskilled 

 in the use of the rake, sometimes attach the ropes at once to the ends of the 

 head; in this way it becomes almost entirely unmanageable. The forward 

 ends of the draught ropes are to be fastened to the horse's collar, leavrng 

 space enough between the horse and rake for the collecting hay. Handles, 

 like those represented in the figure, (Fig. 1.) are to be inserted in the head 

 near the middle, for guiding the teeth and lifting the rake from the ground 

 when necessary. 



In using this rake, instead of the teeth moving onward upon their points 

 as in the common hand rake, they run along flat upon the ground, passing 

 under and collecting the hay; when full, the handles are thrown forward, 

 the rake emptied, and lifted'over the winrow for another load. The rake thus 

 passes backwards and forwards acroEs the field, always emptying opposite 

 the last heap, and thus forming regular winroivs at right angles wiih the 

 path of the rake. A few hours practice will enable any one to use this rake 

 without difficulty, the only skill required consisting in keeping the points of 

 the teeth just so low as to pass under all the hay and yet not run into the 

 ground. When small obstructions occur, the handles are depressed, thus 

 rausing the teeth to rise, and the rake passes freely over. Large obstructions 

 as stumps and stone heaps, require the rake to be lifted from the ground. 



The chief recommendation of this kind, is its cheapness and simplicity. 

 A|lgood one need cost no more than two dollars. It may also be used on 

 rougher ground than the revolving rake, as it is more easily lifted over ob- 

 structions. Where the ground is very uneven the teeth should be much 

 shorter. When once become well accustomed to the use of it, work may be 

 done nearly as fast with this, as with a revolving rake, though much more 

 laborious. Twelve acres of hay, part of it yielding ne.Trly three tons to the 

 acre, on a meadow of the writer, were raked into winrows by means of one 

 of these rakes, in about six hours^ working time. It possesses another advan- 

 tage over the revolving rake — it may be used for scraping the winrows into 

 heaps for drawing, and if the hay is stacked in the field, for drawing the hay 

 to the stack, A man with a rake and horse, not only raked the hay, but 

 drew it at the same time to the stack, a distance of from ten to twenty rods, 

 3.1 fast as an active man could pitch with a fork. A hand rake need scarcely 

 ever be used on the meadow, as all the scattered hay may be raked up in a 

 ehort time, after the rest of the hay has been drawn off. 



The horse rake is very useful in raking stubble of wheat, and eminently 

 so in pulling and gathering peas. 



ShafYs, instead of ropes have been attached to the head of the rake, and 

 have been strongly recommended ; but they diminish the simplicity of the 

 rake, and appear to possess no advantage on the whole, and forgathering and 

 drawing hay, are positively detrimental. 



(F.g. 2.) 

 The Retolvin:r Rake. 



This is much more complex in its construction than the common horse 

 rake, but possesses advantages over it in ease and expedition in raking. Its 

 peculiar advantage is the facility- with which it may be unloaded, requiring 

 for this purpose but a slight elevation of the handles, and without stopping 

 once in crossing the whole breadth of the meadow. 



Its construction is as follows : — The head A B, iig. 2, is a piece of strong 

 scantling, three inches square and ten feet long, through which eighteen 

 holes, one inch square, are made to receive the teeth, which are pieces of the 

 strongest white ash, one inch square and three feet long, projecting equally 

 on both sides of the head when inserted, and forming a double row of teeth, 

 each about eighteen inches long. The draught chains or ropes D D, 

 are attached to the forward ends of two curved arms E E, which 

 are connected at their other ends to the head !t( the rake by iron straps 

 passing round the head so as to allow it to revolve freely. G, repre- 

 sents a portion of one of the curved arms, showing the hole formed by the 

 iron strap, and H represents a part of the head which turns in this hole. 

 These arms are held firmly together by the cross piece I. An improvement 

 in the curved arms is made by constructing them of two pieces at right an- 

 gles, in a form »iinilar to a carpenter's square, the first or Bhort«st piecfi ris- 



ing perpendicular from the head, and the other projecting forward, and to 

 whicli the draught chains are attached. By this construction, more space is 

 allowed beneath these arms for the collection of tlie hay. 



The cross rod K, connecting the handles C C, serves for guiding and man- 

 aging the rake. Tliesc handles are connected lo the head by a contrivance 

 precisely similar to that of the curved arms. At the middle of the handles 

 is a cross rod P P, upon which tiiriis the small frame M, which is connected 

 (by turning joints,) by means of the rod N, to the cross piece I. This rod 

 must be of just such length, as to cause the frame M, when pressed down 

 upon the teeth by the handles, to touch them within about half an inch of 

 their points; by this, the teeth are pressed flat upon the ground while raking. 

 To empty the load this frame is raised by the handles beyond the reach of 

 the teeth, and they pass it freely without touching. The rake is unloaded 

 by means of the following contrivance. Outside of the handles C C, are 

 two pieces of wood F F, turnirig freely upon the two projecting ends of the 

 rod P P, as pivots, with their lower ends resting upon pieces of iron fastened 

 crosswise on the head of the rake, just outside of the joints connecting the 

 handles to it. The shape of these pieces of iron is shown in a detached view 

 at O. When the handles are raised, the pieces F F, are thrown forward on 

 tliese piec»s of iron, until they strike the projecting part of them, when 

 they immediately act as braces, and cause the rake to rise with the handles. 

 The points of the teeth thus strike in the ground, and the horse continuing 

 in motion, cause the rake to make a semi-revolution, emptying the load, and 

 (browing the back row of teeth forward to be filled as before. The handles 

 C C, should be perfectly parallel, that the pieces F F, may play fre»'y. S, 

 is a strong iron brace, fastened at each end to the handles, and at the middle 

 to the cross rod P P. The cost of this rake is about six dollars. The revolv- 

 inor rake is better adapted for use on large farms and smooth meadows, and 

 the common horse rake on small farms and rough meadows. — Genesee Far- 



Farming in Kentucky. 



The State of Kentucky is a tract of land resting upon limestone : and the 

 ground is more or less fertile in proportion as the stone is farther from or 

 nearer to the surface. Asa grazing country this State is probably unrivalled. 



At this time the spirit of agricultural improvement in that State appears to 

 be more effectually aroused than in any other section of the country. Im- 

 provement in the breeds of cattle, horses and swine, has here taken effectual 

 hold : the prices paid for full blood Durham cattle, for imported stallions and 

 breeding mares and for Berkshire hogs, in New England would be deemed 

 enormous : five to ten thousand dollars for a horse, two thousand and upwards 

 for a Durham cow, one hundred and fifty to two hundred dollars for a full 

 blood Berkshiie boar or sow, are too high prices to be tolerated in this region 

 — they leave too much at risque on the life of the most healthy animal. 



The "Franklin Farmer," an agricultural newspaper published at Frankfort, 

 the seat of government, presents, from week to week, interesting facts in re- 

 lation to the agriculture of Kentucky. The fanners of Kentucky do business 

 on a large scale, as well they may where thrift and profit come from the 

 ground spontaneously. The last number of the Farmer now before us pre- 

 sents two items in the farming of Benj. P. Gray, Esq. of Woodford, this sea- 

 son. 



They have in Kentucky a kind of feed for cattle which grows in what is 

 called " woodland pasture," bearing the name of " blue grass." The editor 

 of the Farmer says "the crops of blue grass on our woods nearly equal in 

 value the corn crops of offr northern brethren." "What crops, cultivated 

 in open land, are more profitable than our woodland grass, at with as litlle la- 

 boras acrop of wheat, and grown and pastured without cultivation.-" From 

 sixty acres of this woodland grass, at an expense of about jjglOO, I\Ir. Gray 

 produced three hundred bushels of cleaned blue-grass seed \vorth three dol- 

 lars the bushel ; and including the feed upon the same land, obtained a prod- 

 uct worth in cash^iHSS. Pasturage in Kentucky rents at four and five dol- 

 lars to the acre per annum : the profits from Mr. Gray's sixty acres were more 

 than three times the amount and beyond the price of rent. The same gen- 

 tleman sent the editor a present of a " firkin of most delicious butter," be- 

 ing a specimen of 4000 pounds which he made the present season at his own 

 dairy. Delicious butter, such butter as is produced from the hill farms of 

 New England, is a rare article in the great western country. Pennsylvania, 

 however, produces as good butter as we find furllier north ; and it will be a- 

 mong the greatest attractions to the west if the farmers of Kentucky and the 

 other new States shall follow in the footsteps of Pennsylvania in the manu- 

 facture of butter and cheese. 



F3r the Fanner'..; Cahiiiet. 

 Crows outAvitted, 



A premium on crows' heads in Connecticut, as well as a desire on the part 

 of a farmer of that State to save his corn, by diminishing their number, in- 

 duced him to place a dead animal near a piece of wood-land, where he had 

 erected a suitable brush-house, in which to ensconce himself, within proper 

 shooting distance of the decoy. Flocks of crows visited and feasted upon 

 the animal, when the farmer was absent from his retreat, but whenever he 

 w'as laying in wait for them, with his gun, not one would venture to approach 

 it, although with wistful eyes and watery mouths they beheld their favorite 

 viands from the tops of the neighboring trees. He continued to visit the de- 

 coy house for many days, and, with anxious solicitude, awaited the approach 

 of the wile* crows, but not one would venture to dine upon the delicious 

 dead horse, whilst he was there secreted. Discouraged by his want of suc- 

 cess, he stated the circumstance to a neighbor, who at ciuce informed him, 

 that he could succeed in shooting them, which his diseon^filled friend had 

 very strong doubtings about. However, they both immediately repaired, 

 with their guns, to the brush-house, and, after a short time, the neighbor re- 

 quested his urtsuccessfnl friend to take his gun with him and go lioine, while 

 he remained in the retreat. He set across the field towards hi:? house, and 

 as soon as he .was out of shooting distance from the animal, down came the 

 crows to their repast, and the neighbor firing aipong them, killed a large 

 number. The farmer, seeing his t'riend's success, returned to him and ob- 

 served, " the cruv.'s are cunning critters, but they can't count," X. 



A good farmer is generally a true friend, an alfectionate husband, an ex- 

 cellent parent, and an honest man ; and it is anestablishad axiom that a wcZ/ 

 tiUed farm denotes the supervision of an enlightened mipd. 



