252 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



In the earliest forms each disc turned on an independent 

 axle. A later form, now become universal, shows two gangs 

 of discs fastened on an arbor, and made to turn in such a 

 manner as to work the soil in opposite directions from or 

 towards a centre. In the most advanced form of this harrow 

 the two gangs of discs are made to overlap at the centre, 

 thus avoiding the untouched ridge and the necessity of over- 

 lapping the harrow half way to cover all the land. The 

 different forms of spring-tooth harrows are the result of the 

 invention of David L. Garver, and improved by D. C. Reed 

 of Michigan, from 1869 to 1877. It would be impossible to 

 tell which is the best kind of harrow, — two or three kinds 

 are required to properly tit the land to receive the crop. 



Drills and Planters. 

 Drills and planters place the seed at a more uniform depth 

 than can be the case by hand planting ; they also place the 

 soil in a more favorable condition for the germination of 

 seeds. Charles W. Billings of South Deerfield, Mass., in- 

 vented a corn planter about 1850, and a little later S. E. 

 Harrington of North Amherst, Mass., invented a drill for 

 sowing onions and other small seeds. These machines were 

 largely used in Franklin and Hampshire counties a genera- 

 tion ago, and their ideas are embodied in planters still being 

 manufactured. The Billings machine was operated by the 

 covering wheel in the back part of the machine acting upon 

 sliding rods, which opened and closed cups that measured and 

 dropped the seed in hills. Another machine for planting corn 

 in drills appeared about the same time, known as the Wood- 

 ward. It was operated from the covering wheel turning 

 a cylinder underneath the seed box by means of a cog-wheel 

 gear. In the cylinder were openings that could be adjusted 

 by screws to regulate the quantity and distribution of seeds. 

 Modified forms of this machine are the Eureka and Eclipse ; 

 but it is doubtful if the endless chain gear, which appears in 

 these machines, will prove superior to the old cog-wheel 

 action. The attachment to plant in check rows operated by 

 hand does not appear to me to be practical. If it is desired 

 to plant in check row^s, the double-row machine with knotted 

 chain and automatic trip must be superior. Mr. Harrington 



