180 SYSTEMS OF PERMANENT AGRICULTURE 



the lever loosely but securely to the side of the hopper, and fasten 

 to the top of the hopper a guide of strap iron, in which the lever 

 may move freely back and forth. The object of this lever is to 

 regulate the size of the openings by moving the bottom board. 

 Make a frame for the hopper, with a tongue to it, similar to the 

 frame of an ordinary grain drill. 



Get a pair of old mowing-machine wheels with strong ratchets in 

 the hubs, and with pieces of round axle of sufficient length to pass 

 through the frame and into the ends of the hopper, which are to 

 be welded to a square bar of iron about if inches in diameter and 

 the length of the inside of the hopper. The axles should be fitted 

 with journals, bolted to the under side of the frame. 



Make a reel to work inside of the hopper by securing to the axle, 

 12 inches apart, short arms of |-inch by i-inch iron, and fastening 

 to these arms four beaters of f-inch square iron, about an inch 

 shorter than the inside of the hopper, the reel being so adjusted 

 that the beaters will almost scrape the bottom of the hopper, but 

 will revolve freely between the sides. The arms may be made of 

 two pairs of pieces, bent so as to fit around the axle on opposite 

 sides, and secured by small bolts passing through the ends and 

 through the beater, which is held between them. The diameter of 

 the completed reel is about 5 inches, and it serves as a force feed. 



Two pieces of oilcloth may be tacked to the bottom of the 

 hopper, one in front and one behind, of sufficient width to reach 

 nearly to the ground, in order to reduce the annoyance of the flying 

 dust to man and team. Another piece may be buttoned across 

 the top of the hopper in windy weather, if desired; but the dust of 

 limestone or of natural phosphate is certainly no worse than the 

 dust of the field. 



A sort of second force feed has been evolved from the extensive 

 experience of Illinois farmers in building home-made machines: 

 Two pieces of sheet steel, each about 6 inches wide and the length 

 of the machine, are used as a V-shape bottom for the hopper, 

 forming nearly a right angle at the lowest point. One piece is 

 stationary and the other is given an endwise motion back and 

 forth by means of a small wheel with a heavy rim waving in and 

 out horizontally and running through a slotted piece firmly 

 attached to the movable sheet steel. Two very small wheels 



