FARMERS' REGISTER— MACHINES FOR REAPING. 



133 



'tough young wood. It has its thick end twisted into 

 •the small iron rod, which aids in attaching the blade 

 'ol' the scythe to its handle, named provincially the 

 'grass-nail. Its small end passes over the upper side 

 'of the blade as far as' the back, where it is bent up- 

 'wards in an even curve, and is brought backward, 

 'and tied with several rounds of strong twine to the 

 'handle, about 15 inches above the blade. A piece of 

 'sti-ong iron wire is sometimes substituted for the wil- 

 'low rod; but the latter is more approved of, being 

 'more easily adjusted to the nature and lay of the crop, 

 •according to the judgement of the scythesman." 



From this passage, it seems that in fact the British 

 reaping with the scythe approaches in simplicity the 

 mowing of grass: and if so, and the wheat can be 

 laid straight enough to be saved well, there would be 

 a great advantage found in exchanging for that mode, 

 our cumbrous and expensive scythe and cradle, howe- 

 ver superior it may be to the sickle, or the implement 

 described in the following article. 



We have omitted those portions of the piece which 

 do not relate specially to the operation of reaping.] 



From the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture. 



It is certainly a remarkable circumstance in the 

 history of mechanical science in this country, that 

 the art of cutting down the cidtivated crops should 

 be so inadequately supplied with instruments. 

 The tools whicli are employed in every other art 

 evidently display an ingenious adaptation of means 

 to an end. Not so the reaping-hook. Unlike eve- 

 ry other mechanical instrument, it is the physical 

 power and dexterity of the laborer alone Avhich 

 constitute the efficacy of the reaping-hook. Its 

 extremely simple tbrm cannot alone have prevent- 

 ed the invention of a substitute. The kniie and 

 the spade are as simple in form as it; and yet the 

 former has been displaced by many mechanical 

 contrivances to which the power of steam is ap- 

 plied; and the latter is insignificant, when com- 

 pared to the plough moved by the power of the 

 horse, in every operation of magnitude in the field. 

 Like the sjjade, the reaping-hook may be useful 

 in the minuter and lighter operations of the gar- 

 den; but its continued use in the field is attended 

 with immense loss of time and money. It is ne- 

 vertheless an efficientimplement lor executing good 

 work in the hands of the dexterous laborer; though 

 there is no single operation in tiirm management 

 which is attended with the annual outlay of so 

 much money, and the waste of so much valuable 

 time, and so dependent, at the same time, on ad- 

 venlitious aid, as the reaping of the culmiferous 

 crops. The expense incurred at harvest- work 

 with the reaping-hook is seldom under 12s. an 

 acre. Judging only by the magnitude of the 

 work, it might surely be executed by horse or 

 steam power for a third of that sum. One hun- 

 dred acres of corn costs an outlay of money to 

 the extent of £60 a year lor reaping. Of this 

 sum, £4-5 a year is expended uselessly; and^ 

 which in the course of nineteen years' duration of 

 a lease, with the simple interest thereof, would 

 amount to nearly £ 1000 — a sum which, if saved 

 would purchase many comforts for the declining 

 years of lite. We say this sum is expended us<" 

 lessly, tor it is generally carried off by stranr^j'^- 

 The time, too, which "the reaping alone '^ J"^ 

 corn occupies is generally three weeks— ^ perioa 

 much too long for the precious fruits of ^ twelve- 



month's toils to be exposed to the vicissitudes ol' 

 a variable climate. 



These difficulties were long felt, without being 

 attempted to be remedied. Attempts, however, 

 were at last made to substitute machines driven 

 by horses for the reaping-hook. They have not 

 yet been crowned with success, thouph they have 

 no doubt laid a foundation upon which some fu- 

 ture contriver, more ingenious tlian the rest, may 

 erect a simple and useful structure. 



Simple as the reaping of corn appeai-s to a spec- 

 tator, it is in reality a very troublesome sort of 

 work. The cutting it dow^i by the ground is not 

 the only consideration which is required. All the 

 manipulations which the corn has to undergo in 

 future must be, and can only be, facUitated at har- 

 vest. It must be bound up into sheaves, for the 

 conveniency of transportation. It must be expo- 

 sed in small portions to the sun and wind for a 

 time, before it can be safely preserved in large 

 quantities; it must be carried ofl' in small quanti- 

 ties at a time from the fields to a more convenient 

 place to be preserved, and to pass again through 

 hands in the thrashing and cleaning process, be- 

 fore it can be made available to the consumer. 

 That machine must be very ingeniously construct- 

 ed, indeed, which can ])rei)are a crop of corn 

 tor all these successive but necessary manipula- 

 tions. 



Our surprise may therefore be a litde abated at 

 the hitherto unsuccessful attempts in the construc- 

 tion of reaping machines, Avhen w-e consider the 

 nature of the work which they have to perform. 

 Tliough much ingenuity has been displayed in 

 both Mr. Bell's and Mr. Mann's reaping-ma- 

 chines, they cannot, it is evident, realise all our 

 expectations on that subject. That of Mr. Bell 

 cuts the corn so surely, that not a single straw can 

 escape; but it does not lay the swath of corn, when 

 cut, in a direction at right angles to the line of 

 draught, which it must be made to do before the 

 corn can be taken ofi' the ground in the best and 

 most expeditious manner to be bound into sheaves. 

 It appears to us to require considerable power to 

 move it; and it certainly requires more dexterity 

 to manage its motions than the generality of 

 ploughmen possess Avho have the charge of farm- 

 horses. Mr. aiann's machine lays the corn at 

 right angles to the fine of draught, and therefore 

 more perfectly than Mr. Bell's; though it is ques- 

 tionable, if it will be able to cut it so surelv. Mr. 

 Mann's anpears to be as easily moved with one 

 horse as Mr. Bell's is with two. Mr Mann a 

 has not yet received a fa^^ trial Would a com- 

 bination of the best f'arts of the two machmes 

 effect the cuttinc- '^"f^ laying down of the corn in a 

 satisfactory m-'^er? . ■ u i 



But hoi'-' ^'f^'" ^^*^11 these may be simultaneously 

 accomi^vsbed by the same machine, no reaping- 

 macAine can be said to approach nearly to per- 

 fection, that only reaps, and lays down tlie com 

 when cvt in a swath; but which does not collect 

 the co-n into bundles, ready to be bound into 

 phep^'es. Farther than this it is perhaps beyond 

 i]id power of machinery to accomplish in this kind 

 >)f work, though short of this no mechanician 

 should rest satisfied with the capability of his reap-, 

 ino'-maehine. The making of bands, the binding 

 of sheaves, and the setting of stocks, must be 

 confided to manual dexterity. The locomotion 

 necessaiy to a reaping-machine, when in the per- 



