Book. IV. 



DRILL MACHINES. 



411 





culture, so as not only to clean the surface as between dibbled rows, but to stir and 



work the soil, and produce a sort of semi-fallow. 



2687. Of turnip drills, the 

 best, when this root is cultivat- 

 ed on a large scale, is the im- 

 proved Northumberland drill. 

 (Jig. 344. ) The roller(a) which 

 goes before the seed has two 

 concavities, and thus leaves the 

 two ridgelets in the very best 

 form for the seed ; after these 

 are sown, two light rollers (b b) 

 follow and cover them. It is 

 drawn by one horse, sows two 

 rows at once, and seldom goes 

 out of repair. 



26S8. Common's {sometimes 

 French's) turnip drill (Jig. 345.) is 

 generally considered one of the best. 

 Common was a cartwright at Den- 

 wick, near Alnwick, and received a 

 medal from the Society of Arts, and 

 twenty guineas from the Highland 

 Society, for his invention, in 1818. 

 He made the machine of wood ; but 

 iron being found so much more suit- 

 able and durable, the manufacture 

 of Common's drills fell into the 

 hands of blacksmiths, and chiefly of 

 French of Alnwick, from which cir- 

 cumstance it is frequently known 

 by that maker's name. The machine 

 is easily put in and out of gear by 

 means of a lever (a) ; and since it has 

 become the fashion to sow pulverised manure with turnip seed, two hoppers {b b) have been added for 



that purpose. The seed and ma- 

 nure, when deposited in the gutter 

 traced by the coulters (c c) are co- 

 vered by two small flat rollers, as in 

 the common Northumberland drill. 

 Common's machine is not yet per- 

 fect ; the seed is not measured out 

 with sufficient accuracy, and it 

 stands too high from the ground, 

 gets top heavy, and on hill sides 

 does not sow the seed in the middle 

 of the drill furrow : it is best made 

 with two wheels, which steadies it 

 in all situations ; the funnels, being 

 still attached to the guards of the 

 concave shifting rollers, deposit the 

 seed with much more neatness and 

 accuracy. {J. C. R. near Alnwick.) 



2689. The Northumberland 

 one-row turnip drill (Jig. 346.) 

 has two wheels which run in the hollows on each side of the drill or ridgelet to be sown ; 



by which means the sower 



is enabled to keep the row 

 exactly in the centre of the 

 drill. The ridgelets are pre- 

 viously rolled, either by a 

 common or concave roller ; 

 the latter being preferable : 

 and as the horse goes in 

 the furrow at one side of the 

 drill to be sown, of course 

 he draws from one side of 

 the draught-bar of the bar- 

 row. A small roller fol- 

 lows, and covers and presses 

 in the seed. A recent im- 

 provement in this machine 



is the addition of a hopper (a) for pulverised manure, over which a barrel of water might 



easily be suspended, if deemed requisite. 

 *2690. Weirs manuring one-row turnip drill (Jig. 347.) is a remarkable improvement 



on the Northumberland implement. It has a manure hopper (a) and a seed hopper (b), 



the same as the other ; but the manure, in place of being dropped along with the seed, 



S45 



